Cycle the Camino de Santiago

Customer Reviews

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  Melissa

  · July 5th, 2023
  Fabulous trip cycling through beautiful countryside and villages. Alfonso and Miguel were highly organised and very helpful. Exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who likes to be challenged and feel connected to nature and history. The abundance of colourful wildflowers on our journey was truly remarkable.
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  Exodus Adventure Travels commented on this review

  We are so happy to hear that you had a great time on our Cycle the Camino de Santiago tour and we really appreciate you sharing your thoughts and providing us with feedback. We are thrilled that it exceeded your expectations and we know our local team... Show more
  Trip date: June 2023
• RH

  rus

  · May 31st, 2023
  great guide, excellent driver, good accommodation
  

  Exodus Adventure Travels commented on this review

  Our local team will be thrilled to hear that you had a good time! Thank you for taking the time to let us know you had a great adventure on Camino de Santiago tour. We always appreciate hearing back from our travellers. Hopefully, we will see you again... Show more
  Trip date: May 2023
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  Jonathan Richards

  · November 5th, 2013
  This was a great trip, a varied on/off road trip through Galia, stunning Autumn landscapes, good food, culminating in arrival at Santiagao, a real classic old Spanish city. Whilst this is advertised as a road trip, a lot is actually off road through forest tracks which I really enjoyedWhat was the most inspirational moment of your trip?cycling through forest tracks with all the Autumn colours then arriving at the Santiago Cathedral to finish the trip. Lots of local sites, cafe stops etcWhat did you think of your group leader?Jose the leader was excellent, consistentley helpful, cheerful and generally a good guide Do you have any advice for potential travellers?bring your own saddle. The food was generally good , with a menu of the day inc wine typically being 9e. Some of us found the breakfasts a bit sparse - if you want muselli or lots of fruit, bringing some would be useful
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  Trip date: November 2013
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  Elaine Hopkins

  · January 19th, 2012
  It's an amazing physical and spiritual experience, and the Spanish guides went above and beyond the call of duty. However, the trip was physically more demanding than the description led me to believe, beware if you have food allergies, and I didn't think much of the insurance assistance company provided by Exodus.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?I got up very early one morning and tackled the most arduous day of the holiday by myself.  Seeing the sun rise while bing totally alone but surrounded by all that natural grandeur and beauty was an experience I shall never forget.What did you think of your group leader?Ignacio (Nacho) was funny, considerate, well-informed, knowledgeable, and eager to communicate his love of the region to his little flock.  After I had my accident, he went out of his way to make sure that I had everything I needed.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Tiop 1: If you have any kind of food intolerance or allergy, take your own supplies with you.  Exodus assured me that gluten intolerance wouldn't be a problem, but all they had done was alert the guide.  Fortunately, we found a supermarket that stocked gluten-free food; these are not common in Spain.  Without this, one morning I would have faced the prospect of eating raw tomatoes (only) for breakfast.Tip 2: a cycle route in Spain is not the same beast as a cycle route in the UK.  Think unmade up road, forest track, large loose boulders. Is there anything else you would like to add?It was a great experience with a great bunch of people.  We were lucky in that it was a very small group (9 of us) and we all got on well.  We were also fortunate in our group leaders: Nacho and Diana were fantastically good fun and nothing was too much trouble for them.
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  Trip date: January 2012
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  Ian Harries

  · October 21st, 2011
  I'm not one to write about a recent holiday but this was an exceptional holiday with a group of people who loved the whole experiece as much as I did. We were lucky enough to enjoy a mini heatwave in October without needing to get the wet weather gear out of our suitcases.It was my first Exodus holiday and it wont be last. Some of the group had travelled on other trips and I was able to hear first hand about the trips ( much better than reading about them in the brochure).Northern Spain, what a beautiful region to cycle thru with 2 experienced guides Nachos and Jamie. We were even abe to help Nachos with some of his English sentences .....What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Sharing the Camino with people who had been walking for up to 4 weeks and cycling on a route where thousands of pilgrims had walked before was a very thought provoking experience.Not having to worry about the speed of the front runners ( there were some very keen experienced cyclists up front) wasn't a problem ...you simply cycled with those who were the same pace as you! Grinding out the long steep slopes after lunch one afternoon in 30 degrees of heat with 2 similar paced cyclists and sharing the job of being the leader along the climb was a great 'mini' team effort ( thanks Richard and Rose).What did you think of your group leader?A couple of decent Spaniards, well informed and who new the way to Santiago ...thanks guys!Thank heavens for the yellow arrows that marked the route the whole distance.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Try to be  fit before the trip to enjoy the whole  week long experience. I think because of the heat I would have graded the trip 'challenging' rather than 'moderate / challenging'.Is there anything else you would like to add?Would have liked to have stayed on an extra night in Santigo to see the whole town and spent some time watching the pilgrims arriving in the square.The Cathedrals and Churches along the way were breathtakingly beautiful. Dont forget to fill your pilgrims passport with stamps from everywhere along the route. Buen Camino
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  Trip date: October 2011
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  Elliott Rae

  · September 29th, 2011
  A wonderful trip - perfectly paced, a great group of people, superb guides. We laughed a lot and there was a real sense of camaraderie amongst the whole group. Cycling, picnics, swimming in a freezing river, a cold beer at the end of the day - the perfect trip. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?The variety of countryside along the route was wonderful. We cycled on every surface imaginable, from dirt tracks to tough mountain climbs, and from paths through vineyards to cobbled streets through beautiful villages. Each day was full of surprises and stunning views. Though no one in the group was doing the Camino for spiritual reasons, the fact that you meet so many people en route who are added a real sense of purpose to the trip and gave the feeling that we were working towards a goal of reaching Santiago.What did you think of your group leader?The leaders (Jose and Diana) made the difference between a good trip and a great trip. I could not praise them highly enough - both wonderful people, both with a great sense of humour and both went out of their way to ensure we had a great time, whilst also both immersing themselves in everything we did and being part of the group.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Panniers are provided so you don't need a daypack - it's much better to keep your bits and pieces in your pannier rather than on your back. The cycling is achievable by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness - you don't need to be an expert or even frequent cyclist.  Is there anything else you would like to add?This is a brilliant trip. Whilst it's physically tough at times, it's doable and the sense of camaraderie and team spirit will get you through the harder bits. It is super-relaxing - from the moment we arrived I left behind the stresses of work and felt totally immersed in the trip. Book it now!!
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  Trip date: September 2011
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  Gillian Hamer

  · September 6th, 2011
  A fabulous experience, with a fabulous group of people of a wide age range!What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Walking from the valley up to O Cebriero - I had fantastic views before the clouds came down.The arrival in Santiago and knowing that the challenge had been met.What did you think of your group leader?A superb group leader and backup person who couldn't do enough for us; everything planned to make each stage of the journey achievable and flexible enough to sort out any bike problems along the way.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Ensure you get in some practice climbing hills before the trip; not totally essential, because the backup vehicle is a fail safe. If not, be prepared to walk fast and push!Is there anything else you would like to add?For a first time visitor to mainland Spain, the whole experience was a joy and a challenge; every day was superb and as it happens, the weather and temperatures couldn't have been kinder to us.
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  Trip date: September 2011
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  Nigel Peacock

  · July 4th, 2011
  A really good group of people and a trip I'd wanted to do for a few years but which seemed to have disappeared from the brochure for a couple of years before being re-introduced. Cycling was harder than expected; although rated 'moderate' this trip was harder than other 'moderate' trips I've done in the past; in fact only two of our group actually cycled the whole way without spending any time in the support vehicle. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Arriving in the cathedral square in Santiago; it's a beautiful place and a fitting end to the trip. What did you think of your group leader?Nacho and Diane were really good, particularly in sorting out arrangements for one of our group who had a close encounter with a concrete drainage ditch and needed hospital treatment.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Be aware this trip has some difficult hills (at least one which is serious 'get of and push for about an hour' territory for those who insist on 'cycling' rather than using the support vehicle).  The first day of the trip isn't great as it goes through the suburbs of Leon and then across largely flat fields with uninspiring views, but the scenery gets better as the week goes on.  With the exception of one night where the rooms were very basic, the hotels were very good, en suites occasionally including full-sized baths which were very welcome after a day's cycling.Is there anything else you would like to add?It was a nice surprise to find the flights with Sleazyjet (a fictional airline that the lawyers tell me is entirely unrelated to any real airlines) were actually on time.  But it would have been nice to have had return flights from Santiago airport - and perhaps having more time to look around Santiago after the trip - rather than having to take a three-hour coach journey back to our starting point.  I appreciate there may be cost issues here but hope that Exodus would be able to do a reasonable deal on these costs given the number of flights booked by Exodus over the course of a year.
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  Trip date: July 2011
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  Ronald Crause

  · June 20th, 2011
  Well what a great trip. Very exhilarating and a complete endorphin high as this was my first cycle trip ever. My training for the trip was about 3 times a week doing 15-20kms on roads with hills and flat sections for 4 months before the tour started. I was able to finish most of the tour except for the last 20kms due to time pressure of my flight out of Santiago de Compostella.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?We mostly travelled on the Pilgrim paths so there was a lot of rough riding with wonderful vistas and views of the Spanish countryside. Hence I would certainly suggest that you do some mountain bike training before you come on this trip so that you know how to handle a bike in rough, undulating and rocky terrain. Most of us in the group did not have experience in this sort of terrain but if you want to feel confident and go at a reasonable pace then do some. Moreover do some serious hill training as you are probably going to encounter some long inclines.Also we travelled on main roads shared with cars  especially the long climbs that you will not encounter in any leisurely weekend cycling. We also travelled on some main roads as from Samos and then onto Sarria once we reached the summit at Cebreiro. This decent was 24Kms in length. The climb to Cebrerio was 9kms which was tough. There is also another long decent at the beginning after you climb for 14ms to the top of Peurto del Foncebadon. Your decent to Molinaseca which is very exhilarating. So you can see that you need to be prepared to do some serious climbing and riding. I could not have done it without having some aids for hydration and energy.What did you think of your group leader?Our tour guides Nacho and Diane were really good and were extremely helpful all the way.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? - Overall the consensus in our group was that this was more of an Advanced cycling tour rather than Moderate as advertised. To highlight this point only 2 out of 9 members were able to complete every stage of the tour.  - One member of our group fell riding too close to the side of the road so it is important to ensure you have insurance.Is there anything else you would like to add?This tour is highly  recommended for the experienced rider. Overall a very enjoyable trip.
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  Trip date: June 2011
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  Anne Connolly

  · December 7th, 2010
  It was an enjoyable holiday. It may be stating the obvious but there are only a few things that make or break this type of holiday - the host (Jaime, great company and a very nice guy), your cycle companions (as always varied and entertaining) and the area/ride itself (some challenges, changing scenery, some good contrasts)What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?I did find the arrival at Santiago very moving.  There is always the sense of achievement when you complete a ride, but there was also the pilgrimage and history element associated with this.What did you think of your group leader?A great leader.  He was excellent company and tried to accommodate the group needs and aims.  Had clearly given serious consideration to the places we stayed in (towns and hotels).  Could perhaps have given a bit more detail on some of the history, sights, anecdotes.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Have fun...Is there anything else you would like to add?It is always nice to end in a city.  But we had very little time there so did not get to see much of it. 
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  Trip date: December 2010