Fantastic way to spend a week. This was the first time we had gone for a shorter 1 week trip. We were joined by our 18yo daughter who also had a great time. Michele our trip leader was amazing. He managed to organize, motivate and cater for all 17 guests on the trip. The cycling was relatively straightforward and would be comfortable for anyone of reasonable fitness. You wouldn't have to be a cycling fanatic to enjoy this trip.
Walking in Mallorca - May 2016 My brother and I booked the "Walking in Mallorca" holiday and we went in mid-May as we knew the weather would be nice but not too hot for walking. The flight from Gatwick was hassle-free and we were met by our guide at Palma Airport and transferred to the hotel in Port de Soller. The hotel was nice but the room could have been cleaned a little better (our bathroom bin hadn't been emptied and the floor not swept) and the beds were a bit too hard. We also had a problem with the air con, which was fixed the day after we reported it. The breakfast was good with a wide variety of options to choose from. On the Thursday we transferred to the Lluc Monastery, which was simple yet peaceful and comfortable, although an extra pillow would have been welcome. On our last day we were helpfully taken back to the airport by our guide. As the monastery is quite remote and ideally you need a car to explore the area, I feel we could have gone back to Palma earlier than our check-in time requirement rather than waited at the monastery for several hours with little to do so that we could have explored some of the city instead (e.g. the cathedral) before our flight home. Unfortunately the check-in process at Palma took much longer than at Gatwick and our flight was also delayed by just over an hour, which was frustrating after a nice holiday.
The walking aspect of the holiday was described as moderate difficulty and the distances/ascents given in advance, which was very useful. Although I consider myself reasonably fit, I did struggle a little bit with some of the walks due to the humidity and where the climbing was quite steep and slippery under foot. However, the guide was very helpful and supportive on these occasions and adjusted the pace of the walk accordingly. In future I would probably choose to do an "easy" level holiday so that we have more free time to explore the surroundings (e.g. it would have been nice to have spent more time in Valldemossa).
Overall we had a very pleasant and memorable holiday and would definitely return to Mallorca. I would also consider booking with Exodus again.
Amazing experience but challenging conditions This was a busy and varied trip through northern Ethiopia. I had a great time and met lots of friendly, interesting and kind people. We bonded as a group and with our guide, which made it really special.The Simien Mountains are stunning and we got to see them from the national park, during the long drives and on the mule trek and climb up to a church in Lalibela. Our guide let us stop frequently on the long drives to take pictures, which broke up the journey and made it interesting.The unique paintings in the monastery churches in Lake Tana were breathtaking when we first saw them and the rock hewn churches in Lalibela were a true wonder.When we were there, the Ethiopians celebrated their Christmas and we experienced the pilgrimage that thousands of people make to Lalibela for the Christmas Day service. On Christmas Eve, we went up to the church in the Simiens by mule and on foot, which was dangerous and crowded coming down, but which was an amazing and unforgettable experience. We managed because of paid helpers who were mostly young lads trying to earn money for their education and I did not begrudge this at all. Also, the Ethiopians were kind, understanding and allowed us to pass safely, amazed that foreigners were there at all.In the evening, at 10 pm, some of us went to the rock hewn church of St Mary and joined thousands of pilgrims who were spending the night there, some holding candle wicks and watching the night time service. It was really atmospheric. Thankfully, we went back to the hotel to sleep. Others got up at 7 amto make it to the Christmas Day service itself and were seen in the crowd on Ethiopian tv!The accommodation was varied, some ok and some below standard. The wifi is unreliable and weak, even if the hotels say that it is available. The functionality of the plumbing, general cleanliness and availability of hot water is varied amongst all the hotels where we stayed and were the main problems. The availability of clean and functional toilets outside the hotels during the day was sparse. Be prepared to tolerate all of this when you go on this trip.