Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leaders, Jen and Pol were outstanding. Each of them offered individual guidance and helped meet the needs of each traveler.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Amazing hikes in beautiful Dolomites
We had a wonderful week hiking in the Dolomites. The level 3 hikes were challenging with excellent guidance by our leaders. Excellent service and food at the hotel. Fun group of hikers. Overall a very enjoyable experience.
Epic!
What a trip, what an adventure, it was fabulous in every way, if you love walking, if you love the mountains, I’d highly recommend it. Firstly the scenery is epic, I don’t think I’ve ever said wow so many times!
The hotels like the food is a bit varied from the superb to the basic, but it all does the job and at the end of the day your often so tired as long as you’ve got something hearty to eat and some where warm and comfy to sleep that’s all you need. Yes, it would be nice if all the rooms had ensuite showers and toilets but on the few occasions they didn’t it was no big deal.
One thing that is a big deal is the weather in the Alps, which I can imagine can make or break a trip. I went near the end of the season (the last week in August first week of September) and fortunately it worked out great – The trails were quieter and we were so lucky with the weather – it was in the 20s virtually the whole time we were there and we only had one day of rain.
So in summary, if you’re thinking about it, if you’re on the fence go for it you won’t regret it.
Most Inspirational Moment
It's hard to say but probably making it to the top of the highest pass of the tour and crossing into Italy, where we stopped at a refuge for the best cup of drinking chocolate ever and while I was sat outside enjoying my drink and admiring the spectacular views I received a phone call from my son to say he was getting married. That was a bit of a moment!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fantastic!!! It's not an easy job to manage a large group of people of widely different backgrounds, ages, and fitness levels over a two week 175km hike when you're with them from dawn till dusk but Adrian did it with ease and a smile. His energy and enthusiasm was unlimited and he also had a lot of patience, which I'm sure helps. He also went the extra mile to make sure everyone had the best trip possible, and I was blown away when he offered to give up his day off to take us back up the mountain above Chamonix on our last day (to a bit of the trail we'd missed the day before because of the heavy rain) so we could end the holiday on a high both literally and metaphorically. This is one of the best holidays I've ever been on and a big part of that was Adrain.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The number one bit of advice is - Get fit before you go, the fitter you are the more you'll enjoy it. As it is challenging, the distances themselves aren't that bad, it's not that technical, the paths are mostly good and there's very little scrambling but it's the elevation gains and the descents that really take it out of you. The second bit of advice is - Make sure your waterproofs are up to scratch, which includes bags and boots. We were lucky, we only had one day of rain but when it comes on the trail there's no place to hide, and after just three hours of heavy rain all of our rucksacks were soaked even though they all had covers. With that in mind I'd recommend dry bags for your stuff inside your rucksacks and waterproof document holders your paperwork because the last thing you want is for your passport or your insurance documents to get drenched. Also think about taking a power bank, it's not absolutely necessary but a few of the rooms I stayed in only had one power socket, and when you're sharing with two or three people that can make charging your electronics a challenge. Finally, if you're into barefoot/minimalist footwear (like I am) try and find some with a little more padding. I've been a big fan of this type of footwear for years, I don't hike in anything else, and in the Peak District where I live I don't have any problems they work great. But after the first day of the Tour I was having second thoughts about my Vivobarefoot hiking boots as most of the path down to Montroc is like a stoney beach and you feel it. Fortunately after the first day things improved but there are a lot of rocky paths on this trip and if you are into minimalist footwear it might be an idea to bring along a pair of trail runners that you can switch to when the going gets tough.
What a great trip!
During the two very busy weeks we basically saw most of Peru – starting from Lima – making our way through the mountains via Cuzco and ending up with Lake Titicaca and Arequipa. Wonderful scenery across, tons of archaeological ruins visited along the way and we get to know Peruvian culture very well due to our excellent guide Edwind (winner of Exodus Guide of the Year 2023 for a good reason! ). Highlights for me was definitely Machu Picchu and two days we spend there, but also a wonderful Amantani Island homestay on Lake Titicaca. Staying with a local family was a very humbling and magical experience. Great trip if you want to see most of Peru in just two weeks – really comprehensive!
Fantastic journey across Central Asia
The Silk road tour offered everything I expected and more. From the alpine scenery in Kyrgyzstan to the deserts of Uzbekistan, each day was a new adventure with something new to experience. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan seemed untouched by mass tourism and even Uzbekistan was fairly quiet compared to other destinations I’ve visited previously. Hotels were good quality with a variety of room types and location, included meals were all of a high standard and the guides were excellent.
There were plenty of WOW moments throughout this itinerary.
Most Inspirational Moment
There were too many to mention. However certain experiences stood out The eagle hunting demonstration was great and to hold a golden eagle was something very unexpected, but amazing. The night in the yurt followed by the walk through the valley beside the river was beautiful. The walk through charyn canyon was also memorable with the interesting rock formations and relaxing picnic spot at the bottom. Seeing sights in Samarkand were real wow moments. Climbing the 57m mineret in Khiva was also a highlight at the end.
Thoughts on Group Leader
We had 2 leaders, vitali and dilshod. Both were excellent with so much knowledge of the area.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack as light as you can as there is limited space on the trains for luggage, you will find it much easier if you pack a medium sized suitcase. On arrival in Kyrgyzstan, local sim cards were available to buy in the airport however I used esims for all 3 destinations and worked without any problems. All hotels had free wifi access with only the night in the yurt having the option for payable internet. A head torch is useful for the yurt stay. You will only need clothes covering knees and shoulders on days that you are visiting religious sites, on other days shorts are acceptable.
Fast, fun trip
This was a rapid introduction to 4 countries with a great balance between culture, history, landscape and activity. We visited an enormous range of historic sites from pre-history to cold war to current affairs, with walks in remote forests, lakesides and beaches. And a lot of ferries.
Most Inspirational Moment
Many moments...Walking to the end of the spit on Hiiumaa, swimming in the sea, exploring Tallinn. Probably the most unexpected highlight was the chilling nuclear weapons launch site.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Andrius brought the trip to life with his humour, knowledge and enthusiasm. His outlook was great and he shared advice on local food, drinks, places to visit, and foraging the woodlands.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The midges are fierce, take precautions. There's a little time to branch out in the cities and explore your own interests if you've got options in mind.
Mont Blanc Highlights
Wow! What an amazing trip! Breathtakingly beautiful! Tim expertly led us through some stunning trails. Clare and Liz were perfect chalet hosts.
Most Inspirational Moment
Having a picnic lunch in a green valley, under clear blue skies looking out onto the mountains on the Bionassy route! A bit surreal!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Tim was patient, kind , supportive and fun. He shared his extensive knowledge about the routes, plants, trees, birds and animals with the group which made each route memorable. He also took some amazing pics for us!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Defo put this one on your list!
September ‘24
Just returned from a lovely week in Umbria that was frankly hard to do so. It was an extremely well put together trip that began with a day sightseeing in Rome before transferring to a beautiful hotel in the peaceful Umbrian countryside that had a warm homely feel with an extremely helpful and friendly staff.
We’ve had some profoundly memorable days with stunning walks that gently guided us through the vineyards, olive groves and sunflower fields before journeying back in time through and beyond the walls of many of the medieval villages.
Our guide, Nico, was extremely helpful and had a wide knowledge of the area. He had sourced some traditional trattorias in some of these villages that were of the beaten tourist track, in order for us to experience the more authentic local food and culture.
There was a definite steer in this direction from him as it was clear he has both a wide knowledge and respect for the heritage of the local areas and the communities that live within them.
It has been a fantastic week. Thank you.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking from Collepino, high on the hills, down through the orchard groves and seeing Spello gradually coming into view.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nico was an excellent guide. He was very attentive and caring with the whole group and, as I mentioned previously he has a wide knowledge and great respect for the local area.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Book this trip!
Amazing Trip
It was a challenging hiking trip but it’s worth every second of it. The scenery, the group and the accommodations are great.
Most Inspirational Moment
With the beautiful weather , the view of the Mont Blanc is very inspiring.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our hike leader Adrian took care of us on everything, from helping us out to cross the challenging moment . He answered all our questions even we ask over and over again. He lead us to the trail that is suited to our group on the bad weather situation. Overall he is a great leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure that you are physically and mentally ready for the tour du Mont Blanc.
Stunning views & exceptional guides
This is my first Exodus trip and certainly exceeded my expectations. Initially I thought 20 people would be too big of a group, but it didn’t feel like that at all. I particularly enjoyed the fact that there were two guides and each day, we had the option to choose a moderate or a challenging walk.
Great itinerary and we got to see some of the most stunning views!
The only feedback I have is to have a private transfer arranged in the mornings where we have to catch buses. The public buses were never on time or were too full by the time it reaches us which causes delays in starting our day.
Thoughts on Group Leader
The group leaders Jen & Pol were excellent and very professional. They tackled each problem calmly (particularly we started off with a virus in the water) and ensure everyone is safe. We were a big group with very diverse levels, both guides took the time to find routes each day to suit the different groups. Big thanks to them for making this trip an unforgetable one.
Superb trip
Full on, non stop with excellent wildlife viewing, guides and facilities.
Most Inspirational Moment
Moments. Coming across a large pack of wild dogs in Kruger, whales and dolphins in Mozambique, realising just how fast an ostrich can run. Graskop gorge for an educationshort walk in a forest environment.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Andrew was brilliant, patient and organised, everything we needed. Good humoured and took us to some great locations, bars and restaurants. Sopeto his assistant was the man for driving, cooking, moving luggage and doing everything else asked of him with a huge smile and incredibly relaxed attitude. Chris, the driver we had in Kruger for 3 days gets a special mention. Knowledgeable and possessing inredible vision. How do these guys spot so much in the bush?
Advice for Potential Travellers
Incredible trip. So much to see and do listing it is impossible. Do yourself a huge favour and book. Whatever you think the tip bill will be, double it. SA has a strong tipping culture. Having said that, eating out is not expensive and mastercard is not accepted in Mozambique.