“China (Avatar Mountains) trip was a fantastic experience. Its a full on itinerary but worth the effort. This holiday is the perfect mix of history, culture and natural wonders. We made some incredible memories and our group (26 people) were great travellers to spend 2 weeks with. Recommended adding a few days on the end of the trip to get the most out of Shanghai.”
“I just booked a holiday to Egypt with Exotica representative Matt and wanted to praise the help, patience and lovely manner of the call. I have previously traveled with Exotica and had a wonderful and very memorable trip .”
“Overall a great experience , very well put together easing the burden & stress with point to point rep guidance / assistance at every stage - some minor issues as wound’ve been expected - Ie how to politely & firmly deal with local traders
Due to inconvenient flight times, lost a day compared to friends we had traveled with ?
Despite this I would highly recommend travelling with Exotica 😎 👍”
“Overall, we had a really enjoyable trip, but there were some significant downsides that are worth mentioning.
The guides were good and the coordination of transport, excursions, and the overall itinerary was excellent—we always felt things ran smoothly, and we had a lot of fun throughout the trip.
That said, not all excursions lived up to expectations. While many were great, a few felt overpriced and disappointing. The visit to the Lingering Garden, in particular, was extremely underwhelming and felt like a complete waste of £200.
One of the biggest frustrations was being taken to shops with very pushy sales agents. It made parts of the experience uncomfortable and felt unnecessary. Hotel locations were also an issue—many were so remote that it was difficult to explore independently or even find places to eat. The final hotel was especially problematic: although the property itself was nice, it had no available services, the restaurant was closed, and there was nowhere within walking distance, which left us completely stuck.
We also had ongoing issues with flight arrangements. We weren’t able to check in online or select seats, and the airline website wasn’t usable. When we contacted the company, we were told we would have to pay nearly £300 just to sit together, or an unrealistic £14,000 for an upgrade. This was particularly frustrating when we later discovered that other travellers on the same trip were seated together with extra legroom at no extra cost. Communication and support around this were very poor—it took over two weeks to speak to someone, which added unnecessary stress before the trip.
Despite these issues, the trip itself was fantastic and very memorable. With better organisation around excursions, hotel locations, and customer support, it could have been truly exceptional.”
“The trip was very well organised from start to finish. The meet and greet at my destination went exactly as planned and all accommodation I stayed in was clean and the staff at each were welcoming and extremely helpful. The guide Mohammad was excellent - very knowledgeable and helpful in all respects.
If I had one disappointment, after late arrival to Cairo and followed by a very early flight to Aswan ( only 3 hrs at the hotel which is waste of one day in hotel, could have been used differently). The last day at the airport, help with checking in was much appreciated, overall trip was very good and value for the money.
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“My husband and I have just returned from a fabulous trip to China. Despite initial concerns that it seemed to cheap we booked and were thrilled. Mostly the hotels were great, Chengdu not so much and the guides passionate and knowledgeable about their respective cities. We will definitely be booking another trip through Exoticca, as we loved China!”
“I have just booked a Ha Long Bay to Angkor Wat holiday for December 26, initially online but had a lovely chat with Mark about the finer details. So far so good!”
“An amazing itinerary covering breathtaking sights both above and below the water. Wonderful, friendly people everywhere. Good hotels and seem less travel. Couldn’t have been better.”
“The trip was very well organised from start to finish. My outbound flight was at a civilized hour and the airline was excellent. The meet and greet at my destination went exactly as planned and all accommodation I stayed in was clean and the staff at each were welcoming and extremely helpful. If I had one criticism it would be that the Nile Cruise was very tiring, due to a very early flight to Aswan followed by some very early morning departures for excursions. Maybe a temple less with a little more relaxation time would improve the schedule and overall experience. The guides for both parts of my trip were excellent - very knowledgeable and helpful in all respects.
The only disappointment was that the final three days had to be re-arranged because of travel restrictions imposed by the Egyptian Government. One whole day was wasted when we travelled two and a half hours to our next destination, only to be turned around to travel back, although we did get lunch first! Hassein, our guide did a fantastic job in organising an alternative programme, although from a personal point of view, I was pretty much 'temple and tomb' ed out! I had been looking forward to the contrast of the desert activities but I accept that this was beyond the control of anyone - except Mr Trump!
My taxi from the final hotel to the airport was on time and the help with checking in was much appreciated.
This is my third holiday with Exoticca and it will not be my last.”
“We had a fantastic two weeks in Japan, travelling from city to city. Tokyo was incredible, overpowering at times, but the longer our trip went on, the more accustomed we became to the sheer number of people we were encountering. The first two tours were excellent and were a great way to start the holiday.
Kanazawa was a complete change - far more relaxed and less crowded but the ornamental gardens were exquisite and the old Samurai district was great to just wander through. Gold leaf ice cream - first time for everything. The hotel was some way out of the city centre, and with limited options nearby, we ate microwaved meals from a 7-11 next to the hotel.
The long transfer to Hiroshima took around 5 hours and involved three separate trains (the JLR Pass is excellent value for money). We booked our own tour of Hiroshima and then visited the Peace Museum.
Another move to Kyoto and another excellent day trip. The market and Geisha area are both excellent places to visit, and you pass into Kyoto Castle is a welcome addition.
We used the last day of our JLR Pass to travel to Nara, it's a nice area of parklands and the deer are everywhere!
You're on your own for the final city of Osaka but there is plenty to do. We went to a Sumo Experience (brilliant) and the huge aquarium to see the Whale Sharks.
A brilliant experience but it's hard work at times, getting from A-B in busy city centres.
Top Tips
Book your train tickets on the first afternoon. Your first 2 days are both taken up with day trips, and opportunities are limited.
When you arrive at a new city, we would look to see which vouchers we had to exchange at the train station/travel centre before heading to our hotel.
The train stations are massive and even though Google Maps is your friend, it gets confused when you're two levels underground and the bus stop is at ground level.
We were only ticketed to Shanghai on our return which meant we had to do a domestic arrival in T2 and the move to T1 and check in for our flight to UK. As of March 2026, China had pulled multiple air routes going to/from Japan and we're assuming this fix was to get around one such flight.”
“A well priced holiday but the excursions seemed expensive. Hotels all fab, some meals better than others. Great guide and driver. Pegasus flights on time, allowed my small backpack in the cabin on the way out but charged 20 euros to bring it on board for return flight (didn't use our 20 kg allowance). Overall a wonderful holiday, have been with exoticca before and would book again with them.”
