Name: Mountains & Villages of Evia
Brand: Exodus Travels
SKU: N/A
Price: 1650 USD
Availability: LimitedAvailability
Rating: 4.4 (65 reviews)

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A well balanced trip that gives a taste of 3 contrasting islands. Travelling 
in April proved to be an ideal opportunity to see a different side to Greece 
- quieter, greener and a comfortable temperature for walking.
The walks in Naxos and Paros were excellent, offering the opportunity to not 
only experience the pace of genuine Island life but also to enjoy the many 
varieties of herbs and flowers that abound at this time of year. Santorini 
was an impressive spectacle which even the general busyness of the town could 
not detract from.


I have experienced many group leaders and would rate Thanos as being amongst 
the best of them; he anticipated the needs of individuals in the group and 
ensured everyone was included. It was a joy to listen to his obvious passion 
for all things Greek and his wish to share them, his breadth of general 
knowledge ensured he answered all questions and could participate in any 
discussions. A friendly, efficient leader who is a credit to Exodus.


Travel light using layers rather than bulky clothing in April and prepare for 
mosquitoes in Paros, even in April.
When on Santorini do make the effort to visit both the ancient buried site of 
Akrotiri (easily done by public bus which leaves from close to the hotel) and 
the New Prehistoric Museum (also close to the hotel) to help make sense of 
the Bronze Age settlement of Santorini which can easily be done in a morning 
and offers the bonus of seeing more of the Island.

Walking on the Greek Islands

I rarely give ten out of ten, but this came close. The sun shone every day, I 
slepped well and didn't put on weight. The walks were just right, leisurely 
as it said, I didn't want a route march, I do enough of that. The group was 
assorted, what more can I say ! J
Thanos eating my chips !


Thanos was a true professional with extensive knowledge of his job. Well 
educated, kind,fit, just a great guy. For me he made the holiday, such a 
pleasure when some one knows his job. I must thank Thanos for a happy Greek 
Islands Trip.


Pack half what you think you need.


The breakfasts could be a little more substantial.

This was a trip that stimulated all the senses, from the wonderful colours of 
the wildflowers on the walks and the blues and whites of the pristine 
villages we passed through, to the tastes and smells of freshly cooked 
seafood at harbour restaurants. Apart from all the experiences described in 
the trip notes we were lucky enough to have some added bonuses. These 
included a fantastic bazouki recital and Greek dancing in the old town hall 
at Naxos which included unlimited drinks, a trip to the astonishing 
excavations at Akritiri on Santorini and, as the ferry arrived early at 
Piraeus on the last day, a visit to the Acropolis in Athens. Our last night's 
meal turned into a celebration when we were surrounded by a wedding party!
This was definitely a good time of the year to do this trip, a pleasant 
walking temperature of 19 to 25 degrees Celsius, everything looking fresh and 
generally not to busy (except for the main town in Santorini when the cruise 
ships were in). A wonderful Spring break with great company!
The dramatic caldera walk on Santorini has to be a highlight. As you passed 
by the  whitewashed houses and looked down the steep slopes to the bay below 
you could only try and imagine the huge volcanic explosion that created the 
current landscape and the fate of the people that lived there.


Thanos our group leader couldn't do enough to make our holiday enjoyable. It 
was so relaxing just to leave all the arrangements in his very capable hands. 
He was so knowledgeable about everything we encountered including the plants, 
history, archaeology and geology of the islands. He chose some lovely 
restaurants to eat in the evening and worked out everyone's individual bill! 
We had the added bonus of his wife and young son along who were very 
interesting to talk to.


Relax and enjoy!
We went for a quick swim in the sea in Paros which was very invigorating at 
this time of the year but did need water shoes to get passed the first strip 
of pebbles.
I only needed my walking poles once for part of the descent in Santorini, 
otherwise fairly easy walking.
Do try the freshly caught cuttlefish!


Along with the Amalfi Coast walking holiday, this has to be one of my 
favourite Exodus trips in Europe.

Very good in spite of unseasonable weather for September. High winds 
cancelled ferries for several days. As a consequence we stayed only one night 
on Paros and missed Santorini entirely. But we got to know Naxos very well, 
and it is an island with plenty to do. it might have been frustrating, but 
leader Cecile Deltreil made superhuman efforts to keep us well occupied. 
Although we saw her frequently glued to her cell phone, she never seemed 
stressed out and explained changing arrangements in a way that kept us calm 
and happy. She was also an excellent guide on walks and in the towns we 
visited. If Cecile is typical of Exodus quality of service, it is an 
excellent company.

In general accommodation was good and food excellent. Cecile has friendly 
relations with lots of good restaurants.

I would certainly recommend this trip, and will be investigating other Exodus 
trips in future.
It was all good. I especially enjoyed exploring the small viliages, and the 
museum in Naxos was a surprise - really good.


I praise Cecile Deltreil to the skies. She deserves a bonus for this trip and 
a raise!


A word of caution about "leisurely," a word subject to interpretation. The 
walks were not long, and there were stops for points of interest. But Greek 
islands are up and down, and in some cases footing was rocky. So the walking 
was easy for hikers of any level, but more challenging if you have any 
walking difficulties. ( I had broken my leg 4 months prior, and found the 
walks a bit hard. Again leader Cecile was wonderful in figuring alternative 
activities for me as needed.)


Did I mention how wonderful Cecile was?

A chance to see the parts of Naxos, Santorini and Paros that maybe most don't 
see.

The trip ran smoothly, expertly organised by Cecile, and the weather was 
beautiful, late 20's.  I travelled on my own and joined a lovely and friendly 
group of 15 (3 couples, and the rest of us single, aged between 40 and 70).   
We chose to have most meals together.  All hotels had a swimming pool, all 3 
star and air conditioned.

My favourite hotel was on Naxos and it definitely had the best breakfast.  A 
lovely traditional island with lots going on, a good beach, excellent 
restaurants and beautiful countryside.  I would definitely go back to Naxos.

Santorini was beautiful with fantastic views, but very steep, noisy, 
expensive and busy, especially when a cruise ship arrived!  My knees 
struggled a bit on the uphill parts of this, the longest, walk.  I cheated 
and left early for a bus back to the hotel.  Definitely glad I went by cable 
car both ways to the boat trip too!  Most walked down and got the cable car 
back up, which wasn't scary by the way, and avoided using the few little 
donkeys still having to walk up and down the hundreds of steps.

Paros was delightful and relaxing, a sleepy traditional island with beautiful 
beaches and countryside, lovely shops and restaurants.  If you want to shop 
wait until you get to Paros, especially for clothes, in the lovely and cool 
sheltered streets.

I arrived home from this holiday pleasantly tired and very happy, definitely 
one of my favourite trips.
Walking through the countryside in Naxos and Paros.


Cecile was lovely, friendly and attentive, she listened to what everyone 
wanted and fitted in with us and what we wanted, always available and giving 
advice when needed.  Her knowledge and love of the Greek Islands and the 
Greek people clearly showed.


Take a small, light and comfortable rucksack, good walking boots/shoes and 
stick/s as you will need them, some of the hills are steep and can be slippy. 
  Get out walking before you go as slightly harder than I had expected of a 
Level 1 Leasurely, although, to be fair, I have never been on a walking 
holiday before (hats off to anyone going on a Level 10!).


Travel between the islands and mainland was by ferry.  A time to relax, maybe 
sleep, or chat.  Your suitcase is stored down below.  Don't forget to take 
something warm upstairs to wear as the air conditioning can be extremely 
cold!

I've been on several Exodus trips and this was definitely up there as one of 
my favourites.  All three islands were beautiful and very different from each 
other, the walks were really enjoyable and there was just the right amount of 
free time to enjoy some sightseeing, shopping or even relax on the beach! I 
was concerned that the number of ferry transfers would eat into our holiday 
time but we spent most of those journeys out on deck in the sunshine and it 
all added to the experience.  I'd recommend this trip to anyone.
I loved the whole trip but an added bonus was an unexpected stop off at the 
Acropolis on our way back to Athens airport!  My friend and I had been 
regretting not flying out a day or two earlier to explore Athens so this just 
made our week.  Other highlights included a bouzouki concert in Naxos and 
gatecrashing a Greek wedding on our last night!


Thanos was a real character, had loads of knowledge about the islands to 
share with us, and made our trip run very smoothly.  His help in navigating 
the ferry journeys was invaluable!  He chose some great, inexpensive 
restaurants and tavernas for our evening meals and made sure there were no 
arguments over the bill!