Everest Trails

To help you choose the holiday that’s right for you, each Exodus trip is carefully evaluated based on its physical demands. Please use the following grading as a guide.

• 0 - Ungraded. Please check the specific trip notes for this tour.
• 1 - Leisurely
• 2 - Leisurely/Moderate
• 3 - Moderate
• 4 - Moderate/Challenging
• 5 - Challenging
• 6 - Challenging/Tough
• 7 - Tough
• 8 - Tough Plus

Leisurely - Leisurely grade trips are designed for people who are in good health and enjoy the outdoors. Although they may contain an active element, they do not require a high level of fitness or any previous experience. Any long journeys are kept to a minimum and accommodation, whilst not necessarily luxurious is usually pleasant and comfortable. If you haven’t tried an Exodus style of holidays before, or are after a more relaxing trip but still packed with interest then this leisurely grade is for you.

Moderate - For moderately graded trips you will need to be in good health and reasonably fit. They may contain elements that are quite active and we therefore recommend a programme of exercise before you go. However, no previous experience is necessary. Some journeys may be long and, where there is no alternative, some accommodation may be on the "basic" side of comfortable. Trips in this category are often the most popular as they provide active, engaging holidays for those that do not want to push themselves too hard.

Challenging - For any trip at this level or above, fitness is important and you may have to improve yours before departure. These trips may contain elements of extended activity in remote or challenging conditions, or involve some long journeys with early starts or late arrivals. At least some accommodation is likely to be more basic, including camping, and with fewer facilities. Terrain, temperature and weather conditions can also be more challenging and you will definitely have to "rough it" at some point on the trip. These trips are ideal for the more adventurous who are confident of their fitness.

Tough - This is where it gets serious. At this level we recommend previous experience of the activity involved, as conditions will be tough. You need complete confidence in your physical condition and your ability to participate in the activity, perhaps for long periods of time, over consecutive days or under difficult circumstances. Trips may experience high altitude, extremes of temperature, remoteness, long days or difficult terrain. Accommodation, although often good at the start and end of trips, can be basic (often camping) with few facilities. Tough trips represent the ideal grade for those experienced in adventure travel who want to push themselves out of their everyday comfort zone.

Tough+ - To earn an Exodus Tough + grade, a trip is likely to involve all the elements of a Tough grade, plus extra factors of significant difficulty. To participate on one of these trips you may require specialist skills developed prior to departure, for example mountaineering experience with ice axe, ropes and crampons. As with all trips, you should refer to the Trip Notes for specific details about our tough + trips.