Most Inspirational Moment
Walking over the high passes
Thoughts on Group Leader
Calm, reassuring, amazingly knowledgeable.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!
Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!
Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…
Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.
Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.
Select a trip specific review:
Reviews
A satisfying challenge
Wonderful landscapes and trekking over the high passes gives a real sense of the geography of the place.
Great trip
Great trip with fantastic guide (Valerie Parkinson)
Most Inspirational Moment
Markham valley vistas
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fantastic
Advice for Potential Travellers
Train before you go this is a very physically demanding trip , but very rewarding.
Valerie - An exceptional leader in Ladakh
An excellent trip led by an excellent and extremely knowledgeable leader. In country guides and staff were all excellent. Some good challenging trekking at altitude making this a great trip if you wish to extend your achievements at altitude.
Most Inspirational Moment
Summiting Dzo Jungo with Valerie Parkinson and the guide and horsemen who accompanied the group
Thoughts on Group Leader
Outstanding - no words are powerful enough to compliment her leadership, knowledge and compassion. I would highly recommend this trip led by this truly exceptional mountaineering leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take the right kit - as itemised on the kit list. Prepare well, in terms of fitness and strength work and take the advice given by the Leader and guide
A Proper Adventure
This was a remote trek in a tough mountain environment south west of Leh. After three days acclimatising in Leh, we spent around 10 days climbing high passes, crossing rivers in full flood and seeing few people outside our own little group. Every day was challenging. We experienced a range of weather from blizzard to heat wave, rain to frost and always a cold breeze at the top of every pass. And every day I would lie back in my tent after dinner and know I’d pushed myself and feel really good about it. We experienced unseasonable weather which forced changes to the itinerary, which our crew and leader were more than capable of dealing with. Heavy snow on the mountain prevented us from summiting Dzo Jongo but we reached the top of Konga Ri in brilliant sunshine and pristine white snow. Such was the nature of the trek that I was not left feeling disappointed at not getting the big mountain, as the whole experience was a proper adventure.
Most Inspirational Moment
The most inspirational moment of the trek for me was the realisation that I had got to the top of Konga Ri. I’d had a few days of self doubt and I’d found the climb in deep snow tough. But when I got to the top of the mountain, dropped my pack and just took in the incredible panorama of Beautiful snow capped mountains, none of that mattered. I think the slice of cherry cake Tamchos, our guide, gave me at that point may have helped as well.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Valerie, our group leader, was more than a match for anything the mountains could throw at us. She was able to adjust the route and camp sites to deal with the delays caused by weather and still keep us on track. Her knowledge and experience came across in her confidence, which in turn gave us the confidence that we would complete the trek. Our group provided her with some challenges of her own, but they were all dealt with professionally and without fuss or drama. I certainly benefited from her advice and encouragement. And she has some great after dinner stories that made our experiences pale into insignificance!
Advice for Potential Travellers
The internal flight and trek weight limits mean you have to be ruthless with your packing. If I was going back this time next year I wouldn’t take a heavy down jacket (which I didn’t use) but instead I’d use a midweight one and several fleece and base layers. The river crossings are inevitable and cold and you need to wear some kind of protection for your feet as the riverbed can be sharp and uneven. I took cheap crocs but as there was walking between crossings and it wasn’t practical to keep changing back and forth, I would take a cheap pair of walking sandals next time (as did most of the rest of my group). I ended up walking in my light fabric boots, which was fine, but they took a full day of sunshine to dry out. If, like me, your previous treks have been the likes of Everest Base Camp and/or Kilimanjaro, know that this is physically and mentally much more challenging. I found it hard to accept that although we were climbing passes between 4800m and 5300m most mornings, we would descend again to camp much lower, losing the hard gained altitude. It’s the nature of the terrain and its good acclimatisation but it might sap mental stamina as well as energy. A good group dynamic helped me.
Be prepared for the unexpected
It wasn’t as expected! I have trekked in Ladakh before and had reviewed my previous photos before this trip. None of us, including Valerie, were expecting to have to face a blizzard, and heavy overnight snow on a couple of nights! The result was that rivers were swollen and crossings became more difficult, and the ascent of Dzo Jongo East was not possible. It was also a remote trek – we only saw other people or groups occasionally, and the sudden return to civilisation was a bit of a shock. Personally I also found that altitude acclimatisation this time took much longer than expected; I am used to high altitude but I think old age is catching up! But overall a great experience, and conditions, particularly the blizzard, led to a close group bonding developing.
Most Inspirational Moment
Two of them. One was the developing attraction of the mountains. Last time in Ladakh I found myself comparing the Indian Himalaya unfavourably with the Everest region. This time, the terrain seemed more varied and attractive, perhaps in part due to the fresh snowfall. It made me feel I wanted to go back again and see more. The other was, with hindsight, the climb up the river gorge from Chuskurmo and up over the Gongmaru La into the Nimaling valley. The gorge and river crossings were a challenge following the overnight snowfall, I found getting to the top of the pass a real struggle, and we then had to get down to the camp site through a blizzard and sit in the mess tent for a couple of hours (sustained by black tea) while the lost sheep were found and the tents put up. I don't think anyone enjoyed it much at the time - it took me half an hour in a sleeping bag to stop shivering, though we all did the best to keep morale up. But the next day I felt an immense sense of achievement, and I hope others felt the same.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Brilliant as always. Her experience really showed through during the blizzard when she and some others got lost. She had a grip on everything, and a fair bit of illness to deal with, but always had time to chat, and encourage people where necessary.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you are fit and experienced enough for the trek; enjoy yourself; but be prepared for things not going according to plan. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I think we shall dine out on some of the stories from this trek!
3 peaks of Ladakh
A good opportunity to experience the raw and unspoilt beauty of the Himalayas. A challenging trip with only the basic amenities, taking you to less frequently travelled paths and up some less renowned but no less spellbinding peaks. Also, for those willing to listen and learn, it offers a good exposure to Tibetan Buddhism, its rituals and beliefs. Finally, a good chance to meet very interesting, widely travelled people who appreciate the challenge and don’t mind the monastic austerity of the trek.
Most Inspirational Moment
Without doubt it was the climbing of Jo Jongo, a 6,200m peak. A good, hard climb next to a glacier. We had to cross patches of hard ice and this gave us the opportunity to use our crampons. Obviously there were varying competences in the group but people become very supportive of each other in such circumstances. The feeling of elation at the top is magnificent.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Valerie was excellent. Very familiar with the terrain, cautious, prudent, offering advice but prepared to allow initiative.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Spending the evenings in cramped tents can be uncomfortable and you don't get a restful sleep. Maybe you have done a lot of that and you are used to it. In any case, you should be prepared for an amount of discomfort. You will be compensated by the wild beauty of the surroundings.
Reply from Exodus
We thank all our customers for posting online reviews of our trips. Please note this and previous reviews relate to our old itinerary ‘Three Peaks of Ladahk’. From 2019 on our new itinerary ‘Peaks of Ladakh’ will be running. We hope you will join us on this adventure soon.
three peaks of Ladakh
The Queen of Kashmir does it again
Most Inspirational Moment
topping out on Dzo Jongo East now 6200 metres
Thoughts on Group Leader
Valerie met her thirty years ago and 4 years ago still top lady definitely in charge top girl
Advice for Potential Travellers
its a good tough trip
Three Paeks of Laddakh
An excellent demanding trip which was well organised
Most Inspirational Moment
Reaching the highest peak after some 7 hours walking.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you are physically fit for this trek, it is very demanding ]
Three Peaks of Ladakh
Very special trek in a remote area of Ladakh with challenging peaks and passes (very!) but worth every bit of effort.
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing Dzo Jongo at over 6000m in a blizzard seeing nothing and the following day walking along the ridge across the valley with fantastic clear views of the mountain and the whole journey. Group dynamics - support, encouragement and fun. The amazing variety of landscape and views in every direction.
Thoughts on Group Leader
This is my second trek with Valerie who never fails to inspire, motivate and care. Her knowledge of the people and places are excellent: historically and now. We learned such a lot. The fact that she is deeply involved in environment and community improvement projects is inspirational and humbling. Valerie gets to know her group well, understands when anyone is not feeling 100% and quietly supports everyone's needs without fussing. Valerie also leads her local team very professionally, has high expectations and is highly respected: in addition she recognises talent and gives opportunities for the local team to progress when they can.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Not sure whether this particular trek will be repeated, but if you are passionate about mountains, go to the Himalayas, and the experience of walking with Valerie would always be a bonus.