CYCLING THE DALMATIAN COAST The reason I went on this vacation was because I originally did a Google search for a different type of holiday without single supplements,also a short flight to a country I had not been to before & an adventure type holiday at the end of April.I had been told that Croatia was nice,in fact now I have been I am stunned how beautiful Croatia really is & in the future will go back again.This vacation ticked all the right boxes for me.
Walking in Puglia and Matera Our first holiday with Exodus went really well. We were met at the airport by our tour guide Luigina and driven to our first port of call, the Sassi District of Matera. Matera is built on a rocky outcrop, so there were lots and lots of steps. Not a good place for less able bodied people, and we thought some of the cobbled streets were a little slippy, so take a pair of sensible shoes. Our hotel room was a cave built into the rock. Very unusual, but the bathroom was a bit tired and needed a refurbish. Great local restaurants and cafes and very reasonably priced.
Our guide Luigina did a great job and had excellent local knowledge. She organised 2 picnic lunches during the week and organised an extra trip on our free day to Lecce. During walks, she pointed out many places of historical interest, but also talked about the local flora. We got to try wild almonds straight off the tree, also wild rocket and strawberry fruit. We were fortunate to be in Italy during the olive harvesting and she asked a local farmer to demonstrate the harvesting method.
The final evening’s meal, was at a Massiera (farmhouse). We did have to pay extra for this trip, but it was worth every penny (euro). The food was all locally sourced and Home cooked. It just kept on coming and coming, and I lost count of the number of courses. Wine was free flowing all evening too.
Fantastic walking experience. Accomodation was not as nice as we'd hoped but that was the only negative. Transfers happened like clockwork, we got lost occasionally but always managed to find our way. Overall we loved it.