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Nice opportunity to spent a couple of weeks cycling through varied terrain and four countries. Most of the time is spent in Montenegro, which is a very mountainous country.
The day riding into Kotor was a highlight of the trip.
Our group leader was full on in looking after us, but could use some more historical knowledge.
We had a variety of weather on the trip from some rain and cool to some hot weather, so be prepared for a variety of weather. We travelled May 25 to June 7. By mid June it was quite hot, 30C plus.
A fantastic introduction to the Western Balkans. Good fitness is required, some tough climbs but scenery is so worth it!
More than one! Tara Gorge and Dumitor mountains both awe inspiring!
Dymitri was fantastic - always calm, kind and informative- his knowledge of the history of this region is extensive, he seems to enjoy sharing his knowledge. Great menu choices too!
Get fit! Highly recommend this fabulous trip - made by stunning scenery, great guide in Dymtri and Visi the driver, delicious food, and on the whole good accommodation.
A good trip. The views in the mountains and along the gorges were amazing. There were some long hard rides uphill and some long downhills. The trip was well organised with some transfers between places. The guide organised coffee stops, lunch and evening meal restaurants most of which were good.
The ride from Zabljak to Pluzine through the Durmitor National Park. The limestone scenery was spectacular and round each corner there was an amazing view. It was a tough uphill climb but worth it for the views.
Julien was very good with a great sense of humour He was well organised and knew the route well. He suggested nice restaurants for lunch and dinner and we all ate together. He was great at meal times sorting out the bill for each person/ couple. The support drivers were friendly and really helpful. He did set a fast pace and there were long stretches between regrouping.
Take layers to wear - it was cold in the mountains so gloves and a buff/ hood were needed. Take a head torch/ front bike lights for cycling through the tunnels which were unlit and the lights on the bikes didn’t really light your way. Do a few long climbs to get fit beforehand! Although the bikes were good your upright position on long uphills meant the saddles weren’t that comfortable! Gel saddle or extra padding! Take snacks for refuelling.
A great trip covering some (as yet) relatively un-visited parts of Europe. I was inspired to book after reading ‘To The Lake’ by Kapka Kassabova, but had no idea how spectacular the mountain scenery would be or how vexed the relationships between Albania, Kosovo, N Macedonia and their neighbours to N, E & S – credit to our guide (Dhimo) for bringing this to life. I’d like to return to hike the Accursed Mountains and spend more time around Ohrid / Prespa under warmer conditions.
I was overwhelmed (to the point of tears) by the frescoes within the churches of the Patriarchate of Peć. The bazaar in Peja was a distinct disappointment, but the Patriarchate was a must-see for me. That it is the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church - but situated in Kosovo and protected by the local police force - speaks volumes for regional history. Other than scenery and culture, I was keen to see wildflowers: and was not disappointed. The alpine meadows in Durmitor were awash with Muscari, orchids and gentians (amongst others) while the high passes were ablaze with crocuses wherever the snow had receded. Breath-taking. As was the constant waft of jasmine at low altitudes - particularly in and around Kotor.
Dhimo set a good pace - and made life extremely easy for the group, tallying food and drink expenses in his little green book for periodic payment (in whichever currency group members happened to have in greatest quantity). His penchant for classic British comedy (Fawlty Towers) also made for a gently humorous atmosphere throughout
The history of the Western Balkans is extremely complicated. Whilst many of the overnight stops aren't featured in the relevant lonely planet guide, it does include a reasonable overview of this history. You will need to be a confident cyclist. The route is on public roads and close passes were constant in all four countries (although there was no obvious malice on the part of drivers, they just weren't used to giving cyclists any room). Other than in the run-in to Kotor, traffic levels were moderate - but expect this to change over the next few years as visitor numbers increase. Travelling as a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) was fine - cheese features at every meal, and roasted veg are readily available (as are pasta and pizza options). Travelling as a vegan would be a challenge. The museums in Tirana are excellent, with unflinching presentations of the challenges presented by Albania's recent communist and post-communist history. Learning about the growth of the police state and widespread betrayals / persecution was eye-opening (and humbling). Take out a few Lek from an ATM in the city and see some of the sights on your first afternoon - mulliri coffee shops do a decent latte and pistachio bun if you need refreshment (a wide range of savoury options is available in the Tirana Castle area). The Adrion bookstore in Skanderbeg Square is well worth a look.
A fantastic itinerary through four Balkan countries, all offering scenic views, good cycling , excellent food and just enough historic places of interest. Challenging cycling climbs rewarded with spectacular long descents.
The ride through the Tara Canyon reaching the famous Tara Bridge. Endless fantastic photo opportunities.
What an excellent guide Dhimo was. Professional, helpful, knowledgeable, choosing good routes and pointing out places of interest. In depth knowledge of the region culture, language and currencies. Fantastic help choosing unique restaurants, ordering appropriate local tasty dishes and organising an easy method to pay all the individual bills. Complete empathy with all group members. Good sense of humour. A really good guide and companion who I would like to consider a new friend. Of note Viz, the driver also contributed significantly to the success of this tour.
You need to be quite fit but if you are, you will struggle to find better views on any tour. End of April / early May was a good time to visit. All countries were safe and culturally interesting. I have been on several Exodus cycling holidays and this is one of the best.
The tour is well paced for both distance and difficulty through beautiful scenery with some long climbs and exhilarating descents. We travelled the first two weeks of May and were very lucky with the weather with the rain staying away for almost all of the trip. The tour took us through glorious sunshine and took us right up to the snow.
Dimitry (Dimi) and his almost inexhaustible knowledge of the complex history of the region led the cycling & Elvis (Vici) with his careful, patient driving provided vehicular support. They worked fantastically well together, had every situation under control and were a pleasure to travel with. Together they showed us some of the highlights for the beautiful Balkans and made us feel extremely comfortable/welcome.
Great trip and fantastic itinerary going through 4 countries ( crossing the borders by bike, was a lot of fun!). This trip is more on the challenging side with long climbs and several days spent in the mountains. The views from the mountain roads were fantastic and made us forget about the climbs. It was also a fantastic way to discover the history of this region going form Ottoman empire to Communist / modern era. The food was really good, a lot of local cheeses, grilled vegetables and olive oil. Great to refuel after a day spent cycling! The hotels selected were great and some of them even features a hot tub and a sauna to relax in the evening.
The day spent going up and down Durmitor us the highlight for me. Unspoilt nature, quiet roads and great 360 degrees views.
Dimitri and the Support driver "VC" were great, providing a very detailed and clear briefing every morning. Always happy to answer our questions.
Pack several Layers! The temperatures on this trip vary a lot! We had cold mornings in the mountains but very hot days once we were cycling the bay of Kotor. I found myself starting a couple of days with long sleeves gloves and hat and finishing in short sleeve jersey, zip open by the end of the day.
Met expectations – 4 countries in 2 weeks. Well constructed itinerary for the two weeks. Centrally located Hotels were good. This is a cycling trip with quite long well graded uphills and downhills most days. Sturdy (heavy) bikes handled the down hills confidently.
Cultural visits were limited to a couple of hours in Ohrid, Peje & Prizren and Kotor. We did get an afternoon in Tirana to explore by our selves.
Food was good – lots of cheese and seasonal veg. Friendly locals smoke a lot!
Weather went from hot and humid to very wet to cool and then back to hot.
Roads were generally quite but some sections were busier. Roads surfaces were mainly better than the UK, driving standards were variable – very few other cyclists on the road.
The descent into Kotor Bay takes a lot of beating. Montenegro mountains, Prizren and Peje in Kosova, and Lake Orhid were also great.
Leader and assistant both excellent and hard working! Interaction with clients was good.
It got quite cold in the mountains - pack a few warm layers. And water proofs. Consider bringing decent bike lights for the tunnels. A couple of the tunnels were very dark the provided lights were feeble. Infrastructure in these countries is good. We used Euros - In Albania and Macedonia you get change in local currently. Card payment common. ATMs common. Food was good - we may have been lucky that there was lots of seasonal produce. Some wonderful cheeses. Vegetarian options possibly a little repetitious. Vegans would find it a challenge.
An interesting holiday but I would have liked to have spent less time in Montenegro and more time in Albania and Kosovo. The cycling was generally good, but I was surprised by the number of busy roads used and I would personally rate this trip higher than 4 out of 7 considering the amount of climbing involved. The Giant hybrid bikes provided were very robust, but rather slow and heavy, which could be frustrating on a long mountain climb. Bring your own bike if you can if you enjoy climbing. The standard of the hotels was generally good, with only a few poor quality hotels in Montenegro.
Dimitri our guide was excellent, as was our support driver.
I personally would not recommend this trip if you are vegetarian (as I am) and certainly not if you are vegan. Vegetarian options were limited and vegan options generally non-existent. It is not mentioned within the trip notes, but I would recommend bringing a set of good quality bike lights as you cycle through a number of unlit tunnels and the lights provided were poor quality. I would also recommend bringing along a GPS cycle computer if you have one to allow you to better judge distances, road gradients etc. and a set of SPD pedals if you usually ride clipless. It is also worth noting that it can get very cold up in the mountains where it was two degree Celsius the morning we set off from Zabljak. I would therefore recommend packing a pair of leggings and warm hat and gloves.
Great scenery especially Montenegro
Cycling through the Dormitor mountains
Dimitri was a very capable and helpful leader
Enjoyed the trip but make sure you're fit , there's lots of climbing
