Europe Trekking Hiking Trips

Andorra is a beautiful country and the Exodus trip perfectly captures the essence of it via the organised walking trips. It is a mountainous area, as such, be prepared for walking at higher altitudes and a reasonable amount of uphill sections, as such, a good personal physical condition is recommended. You will be rewarded with spectacular scenery and panoramic views of the area. Alfonso is an excellent tour guide, very knowledgeable of the area and attentive to the needs of the group with impeccable organisation to ensure everyone gets the maximum enjoyment from the trip. If you are looking for something out of the ordinary then I would highly recommend this trip.

I really enjoyed this week, Activity level 4 in Early May. Cortijo Rosario, where we stayed is in a lovely position, perched above Algámitas/ looking across to two large peaks, with a pool (which was warm enough for me to swim later in the week), nice flowers at this time of year and swallows nesting on the way in chittering and swooping around the way in. I was in room 5, very comfortable as a single person in a twin; facing east-ish so nice for sunrise. Bed was comfortable for me, en-suite with shower, shutters worked, small safe, clean. Information in room has little in apart from a nice history and safe place instructions. Needs more work; add emergency night time contact (no staff at nighttime which works well, though I wondered what to do if emergency lighting which came to the on once stayed on longer) for instance. Everything else was clearly gone through and the next days info on a whiteboard. Selection of teas, coffees and biscuits were perfect for my needs in the bar area. Dinner inside some nights, outside on others (sometimes need extra layers for those nights). All staff friendly, made us feel welcome. Activity level 4 has a busy schedule which I liked, lots to do and see; I didn’t use much of the other downstairs communal facilities, though noted games, books, and spare poles for instance. I enjoyed every day, even rain pouring out of first floor pipes in town the first day (Nb unfortunately lots of rain damage to the roads from the past few months storms; did make for a lush green landscape). Each day is different, a variety of walks/ activities, the two local peaks the first two days, both worth doing, even in some fog on day 2, I still enjoyed the wide variety of wildflowers in early May (spotted more than 30 different ones), bird calls, and butterflies (spotted around 9 different ones). Then we did a meadows, monastery, valley, and the lovely Setinel destination walk, seeing eagles, vultures, mulberries, croaking frogs/ toads, and what looked like it could have been a nightingale perched in front of me briefly. Worth the 3 hours travel going to/ from Seville on the day off; I liked getting lost in the numerous narrow winding streets, the view of the round tower from a bridge, and the Alcazar that was a nice peaceful end to the day ( Nb buy tickets well in advance if you can navigate the online payments system); I ran out of time for the cathedral and to try out at the recommended restaurant. Also if day 5 gorge tickets are early enough, I can also recommend the 3 hours in Ronda extra; I enjoyed an online trail I found, my favourite was the steep walk down and back up to see the new bridge from a ruined house just above the waterfalls, below the sheer cliffs, which is free ( you also get a good view of what looks like cliff arch); there are many paid for alternatives to what I did; and again I ran out of time. The gorge wall walk is fun and not scary for me, though busy at times; nb I have a fear of edges with long sheer drops and this didn’t at all trigger me. The last walk is a crags and meadows walk around an hour away; again eagles and vultures, some closer this time; also wild black pigs and a couple of black shapes gliding down in front of me escaping an eagle, and some apricot shaped almonds near the town. I was really happy with each day and wouldn’t have changed anything except the fog on the top of Pennon crag. It was a group of 10; all nice, friendly people. In comparison with the Sierra de Aitana walk I did last fall, this was easier, walked at a comfortable pace for me, with plenty of time for me to look at the things that caught my eye, though each day was further/ longer time out, about 25% more steps, though less difficult climbs/ descents and a lot less slippy. There was much more driving this time. There was less flexibility, using hired mini-buses mostly, not their own, therefore need to stick to the advertised schedule. Food much more refined, veggie meals looked much better/ more varied , though probably food much less authentic. Overall I enjoyed them equally and recommend doing both as different enough from each other. And I managed to navigate the new EU system, though needed to register again going back home, in plenty of time for the flight.

The hotel is in an excellent location with fantastic views, comfortable rooms and good showers, very helpful and friendly staff and adequate food. Breakfasts were as you would expect, the evening meals in the hotel were a little uninspiring and basic but pleasant enough. The walks were challenging but not overly so, although I would have preferred some walks higher up in the mountains, away from villages. The tour leader was friendly and helpful, accommodating various needs and requests.

Great week discovering mountains of Tuscany Accommodation was great; going back in time, with comfort. Food outstanding. A family atmosphere all around. Great hikes, some more difficult, but it was all detailed in notes. Loved the Medieval walled city of Lucca, on day off.

The location was so close, only 1.5 hour flight, so no long haul. The small town where we stayed was unspoiled and on the hikes themselves we hardly saw anyone else. The scenery was dramatic and the hikes made the most of that. There were some tricky conditions because of previous heavy rains, and our guide needed to adapt the order that we did two of the walks in and he checked on the weather conditions during the hikes and did make a couple of changes (to get down to a lower altitude when rain threatened). His support of everyone in the group and his decision making was excellent. He was professional, friendly, well informed on the terrain and its history. Also, away from the hikes, he ensured the two non-gluten guests and the one vegetarian (me) were well catered for.

This was a wonderful late April holiday in Portugal, my first with Exodus. The itinerary and accommodation were first class. Everything was so well organised and very diverse, the walking covering beautiful countryside and woodland as well as stunning coastal paths. As it was Springtime everything seemed to be in full bloom which was an added delight. As a group of eight coming together for the first time we gelled well together and enjoyed some wonderful walks, meals and activities together. The friendly, gracious and careful way in which our group leader Inês managed the tour was admirable. The additional activities and learning about flora, fauna, and Portuguese customs were perfect additions to the holiday. The bread baking, olives, ceramics, wine and an artisan olive oil producer provided a holistic and rounded experience of the Algarve for us all.