Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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167 Reviews
4.8 out of
5
Reviews
Dave B
Reviewed October 2022
How to make it the whole TMB
This trip offers more of the TMB route than most of the trips that I looked into, but it doesn’t do it all. If you read the trip notes carefully you’ll realise that there is a section in Val Ferret which may be missed out, and the section from Courmayeur to Lac Combal is bypassed. When we were on the trip we realised there were two other bits to be missed out. From Les Houches towards Brevent, and from Plan Praz to La Flegere. The good news is that, if you do want to do the whole tour then it can be done within the trip: Val Ferret – get your leader to take the bus all the way back up to Arp Nouva, where you stopped the previous day, rather than at an earlier stop point. There is plenty of time, this is what our group did. From Courmayeur – you can catch a bus to Courmayeur on your day off, walk the route to where it drops down to the path to Lac Combal, & then walk down to La Visaille where you can get a bus back to Courmayeur/the campsite. Les Houches – either persuade your leader to take the bus back to Les Houches & start from there, or walk the missing section on the final day off Plan Praz to La Flegere – add this onto the final planned day. You then take the cable car down from La Flegere rather than Plan Praz (the ticket works for both) & that’s the whole TMB done 🙂
Dave B
Reviewed October 2022
A great trek around Mont Blanc
The TMB is a fabulous tour & is thoroughly recommended. My insights would be:
Going clockwise really does work in terms of getting the hill-legs trained up as the steeper climbs then come later in the tour. Note that this does mean that you have to do some ladders on the first day but if you take your time they are fine.
The weather of course makes a huge difference & we were lucky enough to have mostly sunny days, with just a couple of days at the end which made us take alternative routes. The views are fantastic & there’s lots of wildlife about if you take a bit of time to look for it.
The campsites were generally very good. Just be prepared for toilets without seats, & even some that are the old-style hole in the ground (which we successfully avoided as the campsites weren’t busy when we were there).
The wild camps were lovely, particularly the one in Les Chapieux – this does require a wash in the nearby river, but the water is surprisingly ‘warm’
Most meals were in camp, but there were about 5 evening meals out which were very good.
For the swimmers there are opportunities to swim on the first day in the lake below Lac Blanc, & at Champex Lac.
I guess each leader/trip is different, but to give you a feel for it, a typical day is to wake up about 0630, get your kit sorted/bag packed, take your tent down, have breakfast, make your packed lunch so that you’re ready to go soon after 8. That is usually a ‘soft’ target as you’re generally just walking from the campsite, but one morning you do have to catch a bus. We were generally finished walking between 4 & 5pm.
Charging points for phones etc ! These were available at all campsites but Les Chapieux. I would recommend that you take a power pack & charge that up, rather than leaving your phone/watch on the charging point – only to be safe, we didn’t have anything stolen, but you are on a campsite & losing a power pack would be less distressing than a phone/watch.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking over the Grand Col de Ferret & seeing the view down towards Courmayeur & the Col de la Seigne, with the Mont Blanc massif on the right hand side was just brilliant. You could sit there all day long !
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fred was great. He had a good sense of humour & was always willing to listen/adjust the following day's plans when we made suggestions.
Advice for Potential Travellers
See the summary above
stephen R
Reviewed September 2022
Fantastic TMB
Like a previous reviewer I found this much harder that Toubkal or EBC. The walks seem to be up all morning and down in the afternoon. Some of the downs were very hard on the Knees. Despite this the effort was well rewarded with the stunning scenary. Having to put your tent away before brerakfast required some effort, specially if you didn’t master the technique. Camp meals were always filling, and never went hungary. Although breakfast did get a bit repetitive. The group van always contained a cold beer at the end of the day, which was very welcome. I hired my sleeping bag and matt from exodus and the bag was nice and warm, but maybe the matts could have been a bit thicker. Really felt the rocks some nights. Would bring my own next time
Most Inspirational Moment
Finishing
Advice for Potential Travellers
Train harder than you think you need. Wifi in camps were not brillant, could be aproblem if you need it at all times. If your not feeling to good, and need a day off from walking, it can be a long trip. One of our group needed 5 buses on one day, to get to the next camp
Anne van Diem
Reviewed July 2022
Incredible!
Man what a trip!
in equal parts stunning and tough – the TMB absolutely delivered. Every day we were treated with a gruelling ascent, a toe bashing descent and simply incredible views all the way through. The tour guide and the camp manager were just fabulous too – the guide wasnt just an IML but also a trained biologist clearly deeply in love with Mother nature – to learn a little about the local flora and fauna whilst also feeling completely at ease and secure knowing your guide has your back was just lovely – it meant we could concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and just enjoy the ride. Our camp manager Vega cooked us some seriously delicious food on only 4 camp stoves – it smelled so good she had random campers coming up to ask what she was cooking! The camps where all lovely – some perhaps a little more loud than others but overall, as far as a camping trip goes, it was pretty darn luxurious. Would do this again in a heartbeat
Most Inspirational Moment
Honestly just completing it was the biggest thing for me. I was quite worried ahead of the trip whether I would be fit enough - and there were definitely some times where I really had to push myself but thanks to the pacing set by our guide Jef, we all managed it and that last day, with the longest ascent all the way from camp to Brevent was super tough but getting to the top and being presented with some bubbly was the perfect end to an epic trip
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jef was awesome. Part mountain goat, he went running on the days off, casually just doing our walk of the day before in about 3.5 hours. He was also a trained biologist so we were treated to some lovely knowledge bites on local flowers and bugs. Always had a smile on his face and you just felt completely safe with him - he knew just how to get the best out of the group so no one ever felt like they were too slow. he is definitely one of the best if not THE best guide I have had on a walking trip. Thank you Jef!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Doing a bit of strength definitely helped me - it wont make it easier, but at least I didnt have to worry about muscle aches. The more walking you can do beforehand the better as your legs are just better prepared for the work they have to do - but mostly, just enjoy the experience... from the camps to the gruelling ascents - its such a treat, especially when its sunny. Oh - and speaking of sunny - factor 50 all the way, even if you are a professional tanner.. the sun is hot hot hot and strong strong strong!
Hilary Hartley
Reviewed July 2022
Brilliant holiday
Superb surroundings, excellent company, knowledgeable guide and friendly support staff
Most Inspirational Moment
The ever changing scenery
The fantastic bonding with other group members and the atmosphere in camp
The delicious meals prepared by our camp support Vega on limited camping equipment.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jef was a very kind, caring, knowledgeable guide who also had a great sense of humour. He was very pragmatic about any issues any group members had and was extremely good at supporting people during the 2 weeks at the same time inspiring us to explore other destinations for our next trips.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Enjoy the experience! The trail is well planned to build up your strength and stamina for the hard walks towards the end of the holiday.
Take a spare pair of shoes that you could walk in in case of problems with your main walking boots/ shoes (it is very tough on your feet even for well practiced walkers).
Kevin Power
Reviewed September 2019
2019 TMB Trek
Our recent TMB was excellent. Not only did we have spectacular weather to go along with the stunning scenery we had two top notch guides in John and Emily. The pace John set for the 14 trekkers was bang on; resting when called for and pushing us as we needed to be coupled with a great 👍 sense of humour. Emily made certain out campsite was setup each evening after our long treks and cooked us fabulous meals given we were camping ⛺️. Her energetic personality provided a welcome spark especially at the beginning of the day. G Adventures in Peru 🇵🇪 were really great 👍 too but Exodus our did them with respect to quality of the guides and the excellent dinners. A little more variety in breakfasts and lunches is strongly 💪 recommended for sure. I would also suggest stretching the tour to 14 days given there are currently some extraordinarily long days of trekking. Another trip of a lifetime for me. Thanks John and Emily! 🥾
Most Inspirational Moment
The energy from other trekkers to grind out the long hikes each day.
Paul McGuire
Reviewed September 2019
A trip of a lifetime
We did the TMB in July – 14 trekkers from Canada. John and Emily were our guides and they were amazing. I can actually say I learned how to walk again in the mountains with John’s careful guiding instructions. By the end of the trek, we were able to trek straight up 4 km with a verticle of 1500 m. There is no way we could have done this without our amazing guides. I cannot say enough about Exodus and the people who work with this amazing organization. They are truly professional and we are well into planning our next group trek for July 2020 to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Can’t wait!
Most Inspirational Moment
Making it to Brevant at 1500 m on the last day and looking down into the valley and seeing Chamonix, realizing that we had done it. Easily one of the most challenging treks I have ever done!
Thoughts on Group Leader
John was amazing. He is truly a gifted leader and I would recommend him for any group planning a trek in the Alps. Very wise and experienced, a really amazing leader and teacher. Emily was wonderful. The two of them worked together as an expert team. They were both what made the trip an incredible success.
Advice for Potential Travellers
You certainly need to train for the TMB. Once you have done this please listen to your guides, they really know what they are doing and you need to listen and trust them. Exodus has chosen well and their guides are truly amazing.
mark Flaherty
Reviewed July 2019
Mont Blanc camping trek
I did the Mont Blanc camping Hike it late June 2019 with a group of 7. The first day i had doubts i would make it from the uphill climb, it was tough. I got in better shape as the trip progressed, i made it.
110 mile hike, the scenery was incredible, its just awesome. Exodus employees were great. If your in shape you can do this trip, we slept in tents, hike 1000 meters uphill some days. You break camp in the morning and hike to your next destination, the hotel group stayed in the hotel we camped two different trips
Most Inspirational Moment
Finishing the hike at almost 1500 meters uphill. what a great trip.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Aglier or (AGS) was great really helpful, she made the trip fun.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Get in shape before you go, don't pack to much stuff like i did. Its going to be tough don't complain, expect it. Be very careful when walking i fell 3 times on the snow and mud, but not on the rocks
Michelle Stracey
Reviewed July 2019
Challenging and joyous!
A really super trip. The leader Kim shared her love and knowledge of the mountains and kept our spirits high. Neil, our camp manager, cooked incredible three course meals every night, despite all our various dietary needs. It was a challenging trip but so much fun.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing Mont Blanc in all its guises, the wild flower meadows and celebrating with Prosecco at the top of the final ascent.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Kim was kind, funny and inspirational. We all loved her.
Mariana Kelemen
Reviewed October 2018
Tour of Mont Blanc
All went smoothly.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing Mont Blanc from Punta Helbronner cable Car station.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Good judgement in all his decisions.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read Exodus instructions carefully, follow them thoroughly.