Most Inspirational Moment
Visiting various Saxon villages and seeing fortified churches
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very knowlegeable and supportive
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Transilvania and beyond
A great, very well orgsanised trip. Lots of great things to see and do.
Hiking without camping
Just finished a week of classic premium Dolomite hike. It was so much fun and we learned so much about this area. This is a beautiful area. So much history. We stayed the historic Adlers Hotel in Villabassa ( Niederdorf). Its location is very convenient with convenience stores and bus and train station just a few steps away. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. There is a pool and sauna in the hotel. Every meal was fabulous. There are no complaints about the food or service. There will be transport every morning to take us closer to the trailheads. The ability to come back every night to the same hotel is a great luxury. The hikes can be pretty strenuous but it is also incredible fun. We usually leave around 8:30 and comes back around 5pm. Picnic lunches at locations with spectacular views. Stiina, our guide takes us to different terrains and views every day. Not one day is the same. There are routes that I would not have thought it was a route and yet she took us through it. Stiina was fun and gave us clear instructions the night before so we know where we are going and what to expect. The group max at 16 including Stiina and this seems to be a prefect number. There is a variety of ages that comes to this trip. Loved it and definitely recommend this to anyone who loves hiking but prefer not to camp.
Most Inspirational Moment
The lunch spot for our hike to Tre Cime di Lavaredo was interesting.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Stiina was great!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Can be hot in the summer. Appropriate hiking shoes, layers, rain gear, water sunscreen, hat . Will have fun and meet other fun people!
Mountains and meadows, raptors and bears and legend.
Walking in the peace of thick pine forested mountains and grassy meadows, with cool crystal clear streams, but in the domain of wild brown bears and raptors. The legend of Orpheus never far away. Meticulously kept hotel, with good food.
Most Inspirational Moment
Finding clear sign of wild brown bears - scat, overturned stones and a bear paw print set INTO the tyre tread of a jeep - which had passed us on the forest track only five minutes previously! Seeing raptors flying, possibly peregrine or maybe a saker falcon.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Svetoslava was an excellent guide. She was organised and fully explained each day's activities including timings etc. She is also qualified in bear studies.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The hotel is meticulously kept by the family owners, who clearly take pride in their hotel. For example, every morning over an early coffee I saw even the patio being swept clean. Every day. The food is prepared with fresh produce and is very good. The bathroom is a wet room (without a separate shower enclosure) and there is a plastic bowel for washing shirt and smalls if you wish. (Take half a dozen pegs). The mountain tracks can be a little stony in places, a good boot with ankle support is useful on those days. There are some short but steep ascents to be prepared for, but the views are well worth it. The hotel's tap water is quite safe to drink and there are also mountain streams and these have a tap dispense in places for bottle re-filling, but in hot months one or two may be dry - the guide will inform you. Carrying two litres of water is sensible. Take a wetproof top though - just in case of rain even if it looks like it won't, and a plastic sealed container for the lunch sandwich. The trails were not heavily used and there was a sense of having the place to ourselves. The forest tracks open into wide meadows, here the air shimmers with the beating wings of butterflies. Look above for birds, buzzards and raptors were frequently seen. The wall creeper eluded us this time though. Snakes? Never saw any, as they was well gone, alerted by the vibration of our footfall, or else our scent. You are in the realm of wildlife. Chamois were seen as were the signs of wild boar. You are also in bear country. We saw bear droppings and overturned stones where they had been looking for food under. We saw a tree with bear fur trapped in the bark where they had rubbed their backs, and then the bear paw print noted above. It's important to remember though that there is little risk here. Svetoslava explained that any bear would have heard us through our normal walking noise or the inevitable chit-chat amongst the group and would have moved off, or like the snakes detected our smell with the same result. So although it is exciting to know these animals are present, it is equally reassuring to know there is little risk either. I carried a small pair of 8 x 32 binoculars. The border "dead zone" (in communist times) is an interesting day, perhaps take a torch that day to go into the interior troops' bunker, and there are also T72 or PT76 pits each with a concrete shelter for its crew to have a look at. Peace, quiet, thick forests, open meadows with beautiful vistas, cool crystal clear streams, beautiful butterflies and raptors. But it is the presence of the brown bears which sets this trip apart. Like Orpheus you will always want to look back, but in your case with a much happier outcome than his!
Excellent experience in the Nordic countries
This was a very interesting trip, covering 3 capital cities but also other less touristy places, beautiful scenery and idyllic islands, using sustainable transport all the way.
Most Inspirational Moment
Swimming in the cold Baltic Sea and North Sea among the silent islands and Nordic nature. Discovering each culture individually, just a train or boat ride away from one another.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nikolai was extremely organised, very knowledgeable about the history and geography of each country we visited including his native Norway, and eager to share his culture with us. He was so prepared that he even showed us a map of all the languages in the world to explain the different roots of Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish!
Advice for Potential Travellers
No need to have local currency in cash, all places take and even prefer card. ATMs are available in every city if needed. The guide gives great suggestions of what to visit locally during the free time in each place. You can also prepare a bit in advance as well if you want to make the most of it and head directly to the things you want to see. Try the traditional meatballs with gravy in Norway, fika with a cinnamon bun in Sweden, and the salmon soup in Helsinki. Pack your swimming gear!
Non-stop WOW moments!
This trip has wow moments every single day. An extraordinary journey through time with historical sites beyond anything I could have imagined. Egypt’s ancient wonders really lived up to the hype! A must do trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
Too many to choose from, but seeing the pyramids for the first time and trying to comprehend how they were built was just amazing. Valley of the Kings was also incredible, seeing the intricately decorated tombs and being left wondering how much remains undiscovered! Not to forget the tranquillity of cruising down the Nile. The landscape was beautiful and the journey so peaceful and relaxing. I just loved this trip from start to finish, and had such a fantastic group to share the experience with.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sayeed was fantastic, one of the best Exodus leaders I've ever had. As an Egyptologist his knowledge of Ancient (and modern) Egypt was incredible - this was a truly educational trip, and I've come home with even more of a fascination for Ancient Egypt than I went with.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The summer months are extremely hot - take a large (or multiple) reusable bottles to fill up with water when you're in the vehicle. Try to get some small denomination Egyptian Dollars for toilet stops/small buys as the marked up exchange rate into USD isn't always favourable (and carry some loo roll in your day bag!) Paying by card in most places was very easy, particularly in hotels and on the boat. Try to visit the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. Sayeed recommended this to us and it was one of our groups highlights! Great stop for a cocktail with incredible views over the Nile. If you can, I would recommend booking an additional night at the start of the tour in Cairo. This trip is fast paced with early starts. I was very glad I'd booked a pre-tour night and managed to visit a fantastic museum and spend some time relaxing around the pool before the trip started.
Trip of a Lifetime Safari Botswana and Zimbabwe
This holiday was truly The Holiday of a Lifetime. We were so Iucky, guides were fantastic, the group got on extremely well, the Safaris were amazing, we saw the Big Five! It is a lot of travelling but on many journeys we saw animals especially in Botswana. We had two guides both did everything driving, guiding, cooking etc. very knowledgeable and keen to pass that on.
Every Safari was remarkable.
Most Inspirational Moment
Going into the delta in canoes and camping. The night sky was wonderful. The polers, who poled the canoes, guided us on the safaris were great; knowledgeable, set up camp, provided entertainment. We were one big family and had a cracking time. I had a go Poling.
Thoughts on Group Leader
They were fantastic. Rather than a guide and bus driver we effectively had two guides, they shared duties. Great Ambassadors for Exodus.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Currency, take dollars in nothing higher than 20 dollar bills but you will need a lot of 1s and 5s suggest at least 100 dollars worth per person. We changed pounds to Botswana currency easily 500 Pu per person. Fridges at most Lodges. Pack shoes accessible for disinfecting at National park entry and exit. Torch, sheet sleeping bag or single duvet cover useful in the delta. Our mattresses were warm and comfy, sleeping bags could be unzipped and used as a duvet.
A challenging, beautiful, bucket list trek.
This was a most memorable trek and comes highly recommended. It is far less crowded than other routes in the Alps and this brings a real sense of ‘getting away from it all”. The views are spectacular and surprisingly varied (boulder fields, snow, glacial landscapes etc.). The trek is, however, quite challenging due to the duration of each day; there really is no let up. A significant portion of our group did not complete the full route, as it is very “full on”. But if you are fit, don’t have significant issues with vertigo and comfortable with very long ascents and descents, it is really a fabulous experience.
There was a late snow melt this year, so there were sections which required micro spikes but this was an added bonus and added a real sense of achievement. The food was of high quality and generously proportioned. The tents were spacious and the mountain huts were a fun experience (though not great for sleep!).
Overall, a really wonderful trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
There are too many to choose from, each day brought spectacular views, challenging ascents and new experiences. Reaching the remote hut at Louvie and the walk through the glacier landscape to the Prafleuri Hut were probably the pinnacle.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Agustin was an exceptional leader- kind, endlessly patient, good humoured and also very skilful. There are some tricky/challenging moments on this trek but Agustin was very safety conscious and inspired confidence.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This Is quite a challenging trip , mostly because every day is long and there is only one rest day in the middle. So do make sure you are up for 20+km of walking and upwards of 1500m ascents/descents day after day. It is absolutely worth it but several very fit, experienced hikers in our group struggled, due to the pace and duration of the trek. Also, the descents are often through long boulder fields, which some found very tough going.
fabulous trip
great family run hotel, with lovely staff. good local guide
Most Inspirational Moment
The food was amazing and I loved the gorge walk
Thoughts on Group Leader
Thomas was very clear in telling us what was happening and it was lovely he came from the area so would point out family houses etc
Advice for Potential Travellers
Go there, its fab
Wonderful experience in Africa
Both countries are amazing, and our two guides were superb. We were fortunate to see all the ‘Big 5’ and learned so much about African culture, history as well as seeing the flora and fauna of this fantastic country.
Most Inspirational Moment
Wild-camping in the Okavango Delta where you walk on their level, and listen to the hyenas, hippos, and lions nearby during the night.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Trymore was the best Exodus leader we've ever had (aided by Adonio). He was full of knowledge, he got to know each of the group individually and we always felt cared for and safe.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring small denomination US dollars for tips, and lots of insect repellent (but the insects were kind in July).
Great Break
Glenda made the tour! She is an excellent guide, even in torrential rainfalls she found ways to keep us excited and smiling!
Most Inspirational Moment
So many! The water water rafting, and seeing turtles lay eggs were stand out moments.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Brilliant!!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Have an awesome time (maybe bring more dollars than you think you need… for tips etc!)