Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The Islamic art & architecture was absolutely stunning, enhanced by the pure scale. It was full of wonder, beauty & awe as the history of the buildings were told. It would be wrong to select one place which was more outstanding than the others as they all had their individual characteristics, history and beauty. Kyrgyzstan was the most memorable and fascinating to visit as it was probably the most unknown. The Russian influence is intertwined in the daily lives of the people together with the diversity of the people & their culture. It is very traditional, hard for many as it follows an ‘old’ pattern of life. The country is very rural with beautiful snow capped mountains and plains. It was refreshing and a privilege to experience different aspects including sleeping and eating in a yurt, and hunting with eagles.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our two leaders Vitaliy, for the first week and Dilshod for the second week were both excellent. They had a very in-depth knowledge and understanding of the history and culture of the countries visited. Their delivery was excellent as they shared the love they have for their countries and people. They both had the same message of wanting to share their beautiful countries and their cultures with us. They were both aware of different needs within the group making the whole experience accessible to all. Their timings and planning were impeccable delivering a wide range of activities and sights.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip is full on with little time for resting which we expected. The food is quite different with a lot of meat, and dishes, courses served at different times. It was a real local experience and good fun exploring cuisines with many cultural influences. English is not widely spoken but with help from the leaders it was fine. There was very little internet as we travelled but the coaches did have wi fi. Charging points on the coaches would have been useful as phones soon ran out of charge taking so many photos. The temperature range was wide high from 31c+ down to 5c at night in the mountains so come with layers but not too many as travelling on the lighter size is more manageable. It was easy to change currency as you moved between the countries and both guides made sure you had opportunities to change money. We took dollars plus a credit card as a reserve. Credit cards were generally accepted in the towns/cities visited.

Suggestions

We had a very good group of 14 which was a perfect size.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Eagle hunter and Samarkand

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good guide with good knowledge and language

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware of altitude in Kyrgyzstan It is very hot in Uzbekistan

Most Inspirational Moment

Sleeping in a yurt, walking in the mountains and the eagle hunter display.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Vitaly and Dilshod are both excellent guides, very informative and knowledgeable about the countries visited. They are both friendly and well organised.

Advice for Potential Travellers

ATM are widely available and credit cards can be used in many restaurants and some shops so no need to carry huge amounts of cash. Clothes are more western than I thought and you only need to cover shoulders knees and head (women) when visiting religious sites. Temperatures in the cities in July and August are over 40 deg c in the shade and makes sightseeing very tiring, on the plus side it meant temperatures in the mountains were very comfortable. We didn’t need extra layers for the yurt which was lovely.

Most Inspirational Moment

Kyrgyzstan - majestic scenery, eagle visit. Uzbekistan - history, culture, insight into life there now.

Thoughts on Group Leader

3 - all good, some better than others.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the notes. No need to overpack. Sheet sleeping bag handy for the yurt.

Suggestions

It’s amazing. Read the books set there when you’re there.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the ruins of Ulugh Beg’s observatory, completed in the 1420s. The museum next to it was fascinating and it made it clear that 600 years ago, he and his team were calculating the movement of the stars across the sky and also calculating the length of a year to within a minute of that calculated by computerised means today. Europeans didn’t get to this stage until at least 300 years later! Incidentally, I do think that school children wishing for a diverse curriculum, should be taught about this sort of ground breaking non - European scholarship.

Thoughts on Group Leader

First week: Dilshod was very much in control and presented a wonderful picture of his country, Uzbekistan. He is clearly very experienced, respected and well known to people wherever we went. I appreciated the clarity he brought to bear in outlining the day ahead and the kindness and consideration for each of us that he showed at all times. I have nothing but good to say about him. Second week: Valentina was a very good guide and had the language skills for both countries and of course, Russian. She too was knowledgeable and forceful, when required. My concern with Valentina occurred when we went to a Uyghur home for dinner. For me this was spoilt by her asking me whether I could see the Chinese Government’s perspective on wanting to prevent the Uyghur from creating their own independence. I diplomatically explained that it was natural for peoples around the world whose culture and connections (possibly nomadic) were severed by artificial national boundaries, to want a degree of autonomy and to express their opinions on the subject. She argued with me, which was particularly insensitive in a Uyghur household. I said this was not a conversation that should be continued. A few minutes later however, she pressed me on the same matter. I had to again say that we should talk about something else. This spoilt the last two days of the holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a great trip which I would recommend highly. Even in mid summer, it is cold in the mountains, so an extra layer of fleece or merino is needed. Read up about the history of Central Asia before you go, as each site is well explained but without pre-reading and a good knowledge of timelines, it can be hard to place each site in its historical perspective. As the guide books say, avoid restaurants near Samarkand's Registan Square; we ate there one evening and most of us were poorly for a few days afterwards. Otherwise the food was good and very inexpensive.

Suggestions

The trip organisation by Exodus was great and I again felt very comfortable travelling with them. Everybody I spoke to was helpful, friendly and knowledgeable and phone call are taken very quickly. What would really help, in identifying fellow travellers at the airports on the outbound journey, would be either an Exodus Pin or luggage label for the cabin bag, for each traveller. This is really important because arriving alone and tired in an unfamiliar country, in the early hours of the morning possibly, is the point of greatest risk for travellers.

Most Inspirational Moment

Stunning architechture + eagle hunter + Uygur meal

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both were excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for very hot weather, and a tiring trip.

Suggestions

It would have been nice to have a bit more free time. The bazaars were all the same, so maybe only one. Long first day in Tashkent after night flight and only 5 hours sleep. Maybe a more gentle start.

Most Inspirational Moment

No need to identify any particular moment; the whole 2 weeks was packed with amazing sights.

Thoughts on Group Leader

There were two guides, Nazim and Valentina. Each was immensely knowledgeable, able to share their enthusiasm and personal stories in near-perfect English. Their connection with the drivers, local agents, hoteliers and restaurateurs was faultless.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Join the trip!

Suggestions

We are already looking at the Exodus brochures for another trip!

Most Inspirational Moment

Registan Square in Samarkand blew my mind away, it was just so big and beautiful and made me feel so small. The eagle hunting demonstration was for me very emotional as they truly look after the eagles and set them free back into the wild after a few years, which is amazing. Also the friendly people in Uzbekistan was incredible, don't think I have ever seen such friendly people anywhere else and I travel a lot.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had two leaders: Dilshod in Uzbekistan - The man had so many stories to tell and had so much knowledge about his county. He helped wherever he could and made us all feel so welcome. Emrek was our guide for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and he got us out of a broken bus situation very quickly and he was great. Also had a smile.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a few long drives but they are all worth it as the views are beautiful.

Suggestions

Book the trip and enjoy it as much as I did. These countries are still very much undiscovered and that is what made it so special. Not many tourist and surrounded by locals at all times.

Most Inspirational Moment

The beautiful mosques and madrassas in Uzbekistan and the stunning scenery in Kyrgyzstan, the golden eagle demonstration, Issyk Kul lake and the boat ride. The two 'family' meals were absolutely outstanding with delicious food and LOTS of it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both leaders were excellent in different ways. Takhir Sadullaev in Uzbekistan has many years experience as a tour guide and was very informative with a sense of humour. He was most conscientious about 'guarding' our belongings on the sleeper train when we went to the restaurant car. Aziz Umetaliev who joined us in Kazakhstan and guided us in Kyrgyzstan was also knowledgeable (with one or two gaps in his knowledge) but made up for it with his very likeable personality. Aziz and Uri (not the right spelling) our driver decorated the bus with balloons for the first travellers birthday and left them up for my birthday a few days later. Uri was a very careful, helpful and friendly driver even though he had very limited English.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be patient in restaurants as the service can be slow and erratic with (for example) rice to accompany a meal coming out a long time before the main dish and wine being served when some people had already eaten their meal. Meals tend to come in dribs and drabs again with some people having finished as others were just being served. As this was the last trip this year places had run down their stocks and often we couldn't get the wine or drinks that we wanted. Take a torch for the yurt and something warm to wear as it was cold in the morning. I found the trip notes a bit confusing about which currency to take, you only need to take US dollars. Both guides advised how much to change as we arrived in a new country which was very helpful.