Most Inspirational Moment
Watching a baby purple-faced langur clinging onto its mother as she feasted on fruit in the Sinharaja Rainforest.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nalaka Thennakoon
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring some decent binoculars.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Disappointing game drives
Beautiful country, fascinating culture, friendly people, lovely hotels, great food, helpful guides, plenty of birds but very disappointing game drives in the national parks on our itinerary. We saw more elephants from the tour bus outside the parks than on the game drives within them, fleetingly glimpsed a leopard on an unscheduled visit to a different park which we paid extra for and saw no sloth bears. I appreciate wildlife viewing is not guaranteed, and I know south Asia is not east Africa, but think Exodus should review the current itinerary to assess whether it offers customers the best viewing opportunities. Either that or re-badge this as a bird-watching trip with possibility of seeing a few mammals along the way.
diverse and exciting adventure
this trip proves you dont need a multi country trip to see it all! volcanoes, cloudforests, the amazon jungle, highlands of the andes… the diversity of what you see in two weeks is unrivalled. often seen as the great Galapagos’s less exciting mainland counterpart…this could not be further from the truth. Be wowed by science experiments only possible on the equator, visit local communities in the amazon rainforest and experience the Andean cultures. i would recommend this trip to anyone with a spirit for adventure, who loves to be outdoors experiences lots of different landscapes flora and fauna.
Most Inspirational Moment
staying in the amazon and going to sleep listening to the soundbath of the amazon jungle. it does not get better than is
Thoughts on Group Leader
Etiel was one of the best leaders I've ever had the pleasure of travelling with. with 15+ years experience he was able to answer questions fully on any topic. with humour and enthusiasm
Advice for Potential Travellers
some of the walks have steep accents and decents. you go at a slow pace as you are doing the walks to see the animals and plants mostly. but being prepared with the right walking shoes and a stick if needed will make this more enjoyable . ( you can always sit these out as well, one person in our group did and saw wild monkeys instead! )
Cape Town and the garden route
Places visited were picturesque enough and accommodation very good throughout. However a major criticism I would make is that only white (Afrikaans) were encountered directly and entire trip dominated by their view of South Africa. Black South Africans were encountered only as fulfilling menial roles (in hotels etc) and their view and perspective was not only missing but it is as if it had been airbrushed away and no mention whatsoever was made of the apartheid issue and long struggle to overcome it. While people do not come on holiday for political education mention of salient facts about a country are essential in the tourist narrative especially if they are recent and ongoing and to give context to what is being experienced. it was only in the Robben Island trip ( only 2 of us did this) that non Afrikaans South Africa was glimpsed and the guides there were excellent presenting things in a straightforward and unemotional way that commanded attention.
Most Inspirational Moment
Favorite was the safari trip near the elephant reserve where we saw pretty much every animal that could be seen some quite close up (lions elephants and zebras particularly).
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very pleasant and friendly in personality and very helpful and reliable when there were problems or setbacks. in terms of information about the country I found him extremely limited in scope.
Advice for Potential Travellers
No.
Reply from Exodus
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, Jill. Whilst we were pleased to read that you had a great holiday overall, we were very sorry to hear about your concerns. Exodus is an open and diverse B Corp company, and we aim to give our customers a deep understanding of the countries we visit. We have not received similar feedback in the past; therefore, your comment has been taken on board, and has been shared with the relevant managers for careful consideration. If you wish to discuss this further, please feel free to email us at customerservices@exodus.co.uk, and we will be more than happy to address your concerns directly.
Best Trip of my Life!
I booked The Inca Trail with extensions to the Amazon and Lake Titicaca, my only regret, not having done it sooner in my life!
Most Inspirational Moment
Everything... the scenery and the expert guides for all our experiences.
Thoughts on Group Leader
We had a group leader for each part of the trip, they were absolutely excellent.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Whilst this seems expensive, I would say it is worth it. I travelled alone and as I don't speak Spanish, I just wanted a company to take care of everything and ensure I was safe throughout. It was really worth investing in this and worthwhile choosing an ethical company.
Three very diverse countries
A great trip through three very diverse countries. Logistics executed seamlessly by our guide Chai and all three local teams. I cannot praise them enough. The first few days in Thailand are a bit tough due to the heat and long cycling routes, sometimes with no shade but that’s all forgotten with the beauty of the temples of Cambodia and the Mekong Delta as you head into Vietnam. A mix of vibrant capital cities, bustling towns and peaceful villages. There’s never a dull moment on this trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
Amazing to see development go hand in hand with preserved local traditions.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Chai was great. Organised, good humoured and always available for everyone. He knew how to ensure that everyone had the holiday they were looking for and how to meet a range of different needs.
Advice for Potential Travellers
You'll be on the move a lot, so make sure you take a couple of extra days at the end of the trip somewhere more peaceful (not Saigon!) if you want to wind down and relax. Don't be afraid to do your own research into restaurants and experiences and head off on your own in the evenings whenever you want without the group. Don't worry if you're not a top cyclist. Get in the van and cool off whenever you feel you need to relax. These countries are way too interesting to just keep your head down and grind out kilometres on the road. Take things at your own pace (the team is 100% on board with you doing that) and make sure you take the time to really look around you and take lots of photos. Bring dollars for Cambodia or withdraw them from the ATM in-country. Most everything else you can buy along the way. Bring an extra bag for souvenirs, clothing, spices etc. to take home! There's lots of shopping opportunities.
Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangkok
The contrasts between the three countries was fascinating. They have so much interwoven history- and all three Exodus guides were excellent in explaining it all.
Excellent food, excellent itinerary with so much fitted in- both the beautiful and positive and the challenging history of the area..
We had the hiccup at the crossing into Cambodia from Vietnam as dates of handover got crossed. But both the Vietnam and Cambodian guides worked hard to fix it and to keep our journey as per the plan- we didn’t miss any sights
Most Inspirational Moment
Being in some of the temples around Siem Reap - especially Bayon, Ta Proehm and the pink temple.. Bangkok was also a fascinating cultural mix - ancient and modern, high rise and old hippy backpacker areas. The sunbathing monitor lizards on the city canal boat tour were a great surprise. Also Kampot in Cambodia was an excellent place with a great vibe.
Thoughts on Group Leader
We had 3 leaders - one for each country - Ha, Peah and Tony. They were all excellent and all gave us great insight in to the countries we were visiting. They also added extra insight and experiences into the trips. The Cambodian team had some quick work to do to rearrange trips after the hiccup at the border and that was done well. We as a group were looked after very well during that day.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The trip notes were relied on by many on the tour when working out currency options - however they seemed not fully up to date - for example US dollars were not widely accepted in Vietnam. A lot of time was also spent looking for cash machines that actually took british cards. I advise you to check with the retailers in the UK where you get your currency what the latest position is.
Great adventure covering highlights of Nepal in comfort
I really enjoyed the mix of activity, culture and trekking on this trip. The accommodation was good quality relative to Nepal standards and the adventurous nature of this trip, I wouldn’t call them 5* luxury but definitely solid 4* and the Chitwan lodge was a particular highlight! The trekking lodges were much nicer than the stories I’d heard about Nepalese teahouses, really comfortable and excellent service, with some spectacular views (when the weather cleared).
The trekking was a good pace and not too challenging but there were a lot of steps in parts which tested my knees. The road journeys were not the most “premium” experience, the vehicle was comfortable but the roads in parts were pretty rough and the journey was really long between Chitwan and Pokhara. I know flying isn’t great for our Carbon footprint but a flight on that route would make it a more premium experience.
Most Inspirational Moment
Chitwan National Park was a personal highlight for me, seeing rhino's in the wild and the canoe dug-out paddle down the river to a sunset drinks and canapes on the river bank (trying to spot crocs) was really special.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Worth taking a walking pole if you have weak knees for parts of the trek. You get fed a lot of food but might want snacks for some of the long road journeys.
Excellent trip
Fascinating and comprehensive introduction to a country that has only recently opened up to tourism.
Most Inspirational Moment
Visit to AlUla
Advice for Potential Travellers
She was great (Sarah Bull). Experienced and thoughtful. There were many issues to resolve almost none of which the group were aware of. She was calm, helpful and managed all of the group and guides very well. Highly recommended
Cycling with stunning scenery and glorious warm sunshine
We have done many Exodus cycling trips and this was up there with the best. We have 4 main criteria for rating our trips (the country itself, the cycling, the food and the group of people) and each varies depending on where we go. This trip rated highly on all 4. Cape Town itself is absolutely stunning, feels safe, extremely friendly people, lots to do. The scenery on the trip is beautiful – mountains, vineyards and incredible coastline. The standard of food was very high everywhere and add in the local wine, we ate very well (favourable exchange rate makes it so cheap). The cycling has it’s challenging moments but is generally fine if you are fit and a regular cyclist. The balance of cycling and rest days has been carefully thought out and the guides were good at managing a group with cyclists of different speeds. Lovely mix of activities along the way including wine tasting, visits to National parks to see animals (Penguins, baboons, ostriches etc), short hikes, Southern most tip of Africa. We had a lovely group of people and had a lot of fun, expertly looked after by Ado and Brad.
Most Inspirational Moment
No individual stand out moments but so many incredible views along the way and the perfect weather in the middle of the British winter was just so wonderful.
Thoughts on Group Leader
This was our second cycling trip with Adonia as leader, he is very good at balancing all the group's needs, not always easy with a mixed ability group. He always put safety as a priority, but allowed enough freedom for stronger cyclists to go at their own pace when possible. He has the right balance for imparting his excellent local knowledge but not too much that people lose interest. He worked very hard to make sure everyone was happy, was organised and kept things running on time. Bradley was his co-worker who is also an experienced guide and cyclist and the two got on well and worked as a great team.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The hills on the cycling are mostly fine but the headwinds can be exhausting and energy sapping. On the first half of the trip the winds were against us and even on the shorter flatter days it was hard work for everyone. It's the luck of the draw though and the later longer hillier days were fine.
Karystos is best.
Lovely island and not over developed.
Most Inspirational Moment
The beach at Potami.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Thanos is an excellent leader. Keen, enthusiastic and a sense of humour.