Most Inspirational Moment
Panama Canal
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fantastic
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take an umbrella and poly bags for East Coast Costa Rica - drying wet clothes is not always simple!!
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Cycle Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama
Great trip overall but would have liked less bus and more bike
Miss
If you want to discover the treasures that Central America holds then this is the trip.
From the erupting heights of the volcanoes in Nicaragua through the readiness of the tropical forests and coastlines of Costa Rica and finishing at the engineering practical of the Panama Canal.
Throughout the tour we were encouraged, befriended and guided by our 4 tour leaders. All of this could not have been possible without our bikes being loaded, unloaded, transported, oiled, and pumped by the magnificent quatro, so all we had to do was hanker down and cycle and have a fantastic time. Thank you team N.CR.P.
Most Inspirational Moment
Sharing it with a great group and listening to their travel stories and being with like minded people it has inspired me to go on other exodus trips.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fantastic lady was very patient with all our questions no matter how daft some of them were.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a gel cover for your seat and don't think too much about booking the holiday. JUST BOOK IT!
Cycle Nicaragua, Costa Rica & Panama
The guides are fantastic, the wildlife too,
It’s like riding along in a giant zoo,
You see toucans and sloths from your perch in the saddle
Iguanas and crocs when you go for a paddle
Some days you’ll be filthy and covered in sweat
Sat on a bus next to folks you just met
But you’ll still have a ball every day of this ride
These beautiful lands make you smile inside.
Ok, sorry about the atrocious poetry, I blame it on too much sunshine and cycling….it’s a brilliant trip and we’ve written a few tips to help you enjoy it as much as we did….
Most Inspirational Moment
I hate this question, every time I think of an answer, it doesn’t adequately capture the spirit of this trip…..toucans, iguanas, crocs, volcanoes, running into the Pacific after a muddy cycle, toucans, holding my very first snake, sloths, turtles, monkeys, toucans, the spectacular Panama Canal, getting a sense of immersion in the countries from your bike, drinking cocktails in hot springs as night falls, dolphins, did I mention the toucans?
Thoughts on Group Leader
One word….Genius! Janiel (call her ‘J’) is the most organised and friendly guide I’ve ever had the pleasure of travelling with. I’ve been on numerous excellent Exodus trips and on this one we received the most thorough briefing ever, detailed day by day trip notes, maps and ride profiles, supremely smart meal and bill organisation to handle Central American ideas on service, and excellent handling of potentially nightmarish border crossings - we crossed the Nicaragua - Costa Rica border in just an hour & a half, that may be some sort of record. Nothing was too much trouble and she handled even the most irritating of requests and questions with humour and good grace. She was very ably supported by Luis and Ronald, great bike leader and driver. The bikes were very good quality and Luis expertly fixed any small bits & pieces along the way. Also, he’s just started learning English so make him practice, it’s good for him and he does really well as his confidence grows. Overall a great team, happy to go on tour with them anytime.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don’t worry about whether you can manage the cycling, you can. There are regular breaks, the bus is always there if you need it and the slower you ride, the more wildlife you’ll see. Take small denomination US$, everywhere takes $ but generally change is in local currency and changing $100 bills can be a pain. Quick dry clothes are brilliant. Take sunscreen and insect repellent – we also took a bite & sting relief pen, which was brilliant. Take a little handlebar bag or bumbag for cycling. The bus is with you throughout so you don’t need to carry much more than your camera while cycling. Unlimited drinking water is available from the bus and the bikes have bottles – just make sure you remember to keep drinking as it gets really hot. In La Fortuna there’s an optional day off the bike and multiple other activities available – ask the guide a day or two in advance so you have time to decide what you fancy. Nicaragua is noticeably poorer than the other two countries and the school children really appreciate gifts of stationery & toys. Leave an extra layer or two on the bus – even on short transfers you can get cold (particularly if the weather is wet in the RAINforest) and you’ll only get cold on the bus once before you remember to do this!
Cycling Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama
Great holiday ! Cycling through three beautiful countries, seeing the wild life we normally only see in a zoo or on TV, wonderful scenery and as always a perfect team looking after all of us.
Most Inspirational Moment
Many days were just perfect days! One day I was having an early moring swim in Lake Nicaragua, went for a walk to watch monkeys, cycling, boat ride back to the mainland, more cycling and then popping out at the Pacific to have a swim in the lovely warm waters there. Brilliant day all round! The boat ride - although I was a bit unsure whether I liked being so close to large crocodiles! Hot springs with pina coladas Panama
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader was a lot of fun, super organised and able to sort out any wishes we had
Advice for Potential Travellers
I was happy to have my handle bar bag with me as I don't like having anything on my back, especially when it's really warm.
CYCLE NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA & PANAMA
This was our first ever Exodus trip and we were most impressed with every aspect of it. It was an excellent introduction to the three countries.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling on the deserted roads on Ometepe getting a real feel for how the villagers live and being waved at in a welcoming and friendly manner by everyone we met.The courtesy shown our group by drivers in Nicaragua on the couple of occasions we had to cycle on very busy roads and a roundabout.Cycling 45 miles on one day (the furthest we'd ever cycled) and still raring to get back in the saddle the next morning!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Roberto (Chino) was outstanding and ably assisted by Memo. They were both lovely people - good humoured, cheerful, positive, diplomatic, encouraging, patient at all times and extremely hard working. They answered all our questions and told us lots about each different country. Nothing was too much trouble for them. The very occasional problem with a bike was solved immediately. A great deal of behind the scenes work was being done so that everything went so smoothly.Roberto was efficiency personified – the slick and quick way he checked us all into each hotel was most welcome after a hard day's cycling. We liked his briefing each evening and morning and appreciated the really detailed supplementary trip notes he provided us with.The safety of the group when out cycling was paramount – Roberto's attention to this aspect of the trip was exemplary.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Get as fit as you can – we found the cycling quite tough. There are a lot of hills.Padded cycling shorts are essential!Don't expect to see wild life at every turn. This is a cycling trip but you'll still get to see some amazing animals and birds.The bikes were excellent but another time I'd consider taking my own saddle.
CYCLE NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA & PANAMA
This trip across three countries is diverse, interesting and challenging. It has opened my eyes to the real world of Central America, and has left me with a greater understanding of the countries through which we have travelled. It has also challenged my fitness, which has also had a cleansing effect on my cluttered mind. I would recommend it wholeheartedly. It has been an amazing holiday.
Most Inspirational Moment
The Panama Canal and the vision of people over a hundred years ago, and what it has become today. The rain forests - peace and tranquility, in a slower world. The scenery, the flora and fauna, and the wildlife. The people ...... All of them!!
Thoughts on Group Leader
There are not words to convey the respect we hold for Janiell who went the extra mile in all aspects of the trip to ensure we had the very best time. She is a legend, and we love her.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Deet - and lots of it. A bit of training on a bike. Even if you are fit, the heat adds an extra dimension
CYCLE NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA & PANAMA
Fantastic holiday, good varied itinerary, challenging in the heat but good support, can highly recommend this trip if you like seeing lots of wildlife, great scenery and lovely food!
Most Inspirational Moment
The cycling was varied on the Ometepe Island, Nicaragua was very scenic, down to beach on the pacific was lovely and a well earned dip at the end of a hot days cycling, around Arenal was fab and Panama Canal really good, we loved seeing the crocodiles on the raft trip, never been so close to a crocodile before, had to remember never smile at crocodile!
Thoughts on Group Leader
The team were very good, plenty of stops which were needed as we were all ready for drinks and snacks after cycling in such heat. Leader was friendly and a good sport.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a change of clothes to change into for the bus journeys, take a handlebar bag to store your camera, sun cream and money in, too hot for a backpack. Don't expect to loose any weight the foods fantastic!
CYCLE NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA & PANAMA
Brilliant way to see aspects of three countries in a part of the world of which I knew almost nothing.A lovely blend of cycling, wildlife trip, and genuine holiday (good company, very comfortable accommodation, good food, plenty to drink).
Most Inspirational Moment
Arriving unexpectedly at the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. When I say "unexpectedly" - we were meant to go there, but I thought we had a bit more cycling to do! In all honesty, I didn't know the geography of Nicaragua (or much else about the country) and the whole Nicaragua section of the trip was a delight. But hitting the beach, after a delightful if slightly muddy stretch of off road, was a treat. And wandering down shortly afterwards to catch the sunset with a cocktail seemed the right thing to do, too.Rounding off a cycling day in La Fortuna with a zip wire trip in the canopy that covers one of the volcanoes, and then a bathe in the hot springs (some days were pretty packed.) As a wildlife enthusiast, I felt pretty excited about my first sloths and toucans.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent, Janiell engaged well with all of us, and led the Costa Rican team well. Outstandingly well-organised. Two examples: I don't think I waited as long as a minute for a room key! When you have finished a cycling day and really want a shower, that is a great boonWhen we switched bikes in Costa Rica, all the replacement bikes were ready for our size and properly labelled: to do this for one set of bikes is good, to have it done for both sets was very slick. Luis and Ronald dsereve a special mention : they lifted our bikes onto and from the roof of the bus so many times...
Advice for Potential Travellers
I prefer to put stuff into frame bags on my bike, rather than carry a rucksack. In tropical heat, I would not want the extra burden of a rucksack .. but I do like to have camera, binoculars etc handy.
CYCLE NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA & PANAMA
Standard of certain hotels were much below expectations of a Premium Trip
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling 50 miles in one day - a first for us!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Well organised, informative, supportive of all cycling abilities.
Advice for Potential Travellers
As a group, we felt that the stops for lunch were unnecessarily long and resulted in late afternoon arrival at destination hotel. Arriving late meant that there was little daylight time for exploring or enjoying the new environment.
Reply from Exodus
The hotels that we use on the Premium departure of this trip are the best options available to us in each location visited when taking into account our group requirements. We need to use lodgings that can cater for a group of up to 16 passengers plus our support team of 4. This does leave us with a fairly limited choice in comparison to countries with a more established tourism infrastructure, but still enables us to successfully run Premium departures with a higher than usual standard of accommodation. The descriptions that we give of hotels are all honest and certainly not intended to be misleading in any way.
The concept of efficient customer service as we know it is still in its infancy in some Central American destinations meaning that some processes experienced at restaurants and hotels can be understandably frustrating. We have developed long lasting relationships with various restaurants/cafes en route which enable us to spend a relatively short amount of time ordering and paying for lunches for a group of our size. A bit of flexibility is built into the itinerary in order to allow for delays as well as local conditions and client preferences on how long is spent dining.
The focus of the trip is upon cycling, and as a lot of ground is covered through three countries this understandably makes up the vast majority of the activity time. The only way to include more time in National Parks looking for wildlife would be to shorten certain biking stages and increase the amount of time spent in transit on road transfers – something that I feel the majority of our clients would disapprove of in this case.
Some beach time is available on Ometepe Island (Lake Nicaragua), at Playa Marsella (Pacific Coast en route to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua), Black Beach (Cahuita, Costa Rica). Plus a full day at Bocas del Toro (Panama) during the free day on Day 11 where beautiful beaches can be visited on an excursion from the hotel.
A range of feedback from other group members has been received which we will be reviewing as always in conjunction with our local operator in Central America. We are of course grateful for all client input as it helps us to continuously evaluate and refine how our trips are designed.
Adam – Product Manager for Costa Rica
CYCLE NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA & PANAMA
This was the best holiday my husband and I ever experienced. We feel in love with cycling, met so many great like-minded people. It was the trip of a lifetime.
Most Inspirational Moment
The most inspirational moment of our trip was in Costa Rica. I'm new to cycling and wasn't in the best shape of my life. I didn't realize my husband had booked us a moderate / challenge trip :-) To get to the point Costa Rica has some pretty serious hills and I cycled up every single one of them !!!! I may have been slow but I stayed on my bike and did it.
Thoughts on Group Leader
I must say that I owe so much to our tour guide, Rob. Rob was thoughtful, encouraging, supportive, kind ..... Rob gave me the power to accomplish so much on this trip just by being there and vocalizing his words of encouragement. Telling me how impressed he was for a first timer that I was doing well and I could do it .. and cycle I did. Thank you Rob. It is because of you that this was the best trip and we found our love of cycling, so much so that it will now be an annual event for us.
Advice for Potential Travellers
My advise to potential travellors is to have fun. Enjoy yourself and remember even though other people are there for different reasons this is your vacation. Stop and smell the roses { so to speak } take picture, ask questions and if need be don't be embarrased to ride the bus. I did one day and it ended up being awesome .. I was able to take pictures of the other group members and they loved it.