Very wet but thoroughly enjoyable! The trip was unavoidably very wet indeed due to unseasonable weather! The wind direction was also coming the wrong way the whole time which meant that instead of blowing north to south giving us a tailwind all the way it was actually blowing south to north giving us a headwind all the way!! This made cycling very difficult for those of us on standard bikes! As a result the tour guide said it was the hardest conditions that he had ever known. Act of God! On saying that, it was an extremely well organised trip and the time we had cycling was fun and full of good humour even though we were soaked to the bone most of the time!
Excellent trip, booking was frustrating. Andre was an attentive, highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide, it was a pleasure to walk with him. The itinerary had been changed before we arrived, and was adjusted during the trip to the weather. It included some stunning scenery, and unfortunately quite a bit of damp weather in the hills. I would say that we got the best of the island for the time of year. Regarding booking, I was a bit awkward in wanting to stay extra nights, which meant booking other flights via Exodus to maintain ATOL. Your process for doing this needs review, as it was unreasonably long winded and error prone. At one point, weeks after my initial calls, I was sent an invoice showing the wrong flights from the wrong airport, for considerably more money than we’d already agreed. I almost gave up at that point. That said, the trip itself was the usual Exodus pleasure, and I’m sure I’ll be joining you again soon.
The itinerary offers a wide experience of Portuguese history and culture as well as an education on the biodiversity and the landscapes of the Algarve. The hikes provided beautiful scenery and views that just kept getting better and better. Our guides Francisco and Rafael were beyond helpful and happy to share their passion and knowledge everywhere we went. I would certainly recommend this trip to anyone who loves walking and being out in nature as well as eating delicious seafood and drinking local wines.