Reviews

The Silk Road

This trip was, without doubt, an experience of a lifetime. Yes, it is fast-paced and there are some early starts and full days, but I look back now over the two weeks and I am genuinely staggered by the number of experiences we packed into our time in this fascinating part of the world. Watching eagle hunters at work (and holding a golden eagle myself), visiting stunning mosques and Orthodox churches, walking through the awe-inspiring Charyn Cannon (Kazakhstan), exploring Almaty and being taken to see the very interesting Tashkent metro stations, climbing a minaret in Khiva to gaze into Turkmenistan… I can honestly say that this trip made the most of our time there, and the itinerary is well planned to take into account different interests and needs of guests.

Accommodation is clean, comfortable and full of local character. I don’t recognise the description in a previous review of ‘mediocre’ establishments – that was not my experience at all.

If you are interested in learning more about an often-forgotten part of Asia, definitely go for this trip – I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Amazing destination spoilt by Exodus

Unfortunately I cannot recommend using Exodus to visit this incredible part of the world. Here’s 10 reasons why.

ITINERARY
1. Exodus have recently changed this itinerary, shortening the time spent in Kyrguzstan and Kazakhstan and adding an extension to Khiva. The first half of the new itinerary is abso-****ing-lutely stupid in these time scales, and the second half (likely due to timetable changes beyond Exodus’ control) invloves stupid logistics every single time you move between destinations. There are FIVE days where some form of overnight train travel/a pre-5am start or post-midnight arrival are included, and guests are expected to do a full day of sightseeing without the chance to catch up on rest. I’m energetic, in my late 30s and used to fast travel, but this was thoroughly unpleasant
2. Amount of travel time for first week was grossly mis-described by sales rep: first week was 6-8 hours every day on the bus (except one day which was only two hours), and the rep told me it was about half that. There’s no way I would have booked this trip knowing how much of it was on a bus
3. Doing the border crossing from Kazakhstan to Uzebekistan on foot rather than getting the through train between countries is stupid. If that through train has been cancelled it would make much more sense to fly between the two countries, rather than expecting guests to do an overnight train, get up at something stupid like 4am to drive to the border, engage in a 2-hour scrum fight to cross the border, and then take a 3 hour bus at the other side
4. Uzbek guide spent 1-4 hours every day (average 2 hours per day) taking the group to vendors where he clearly gets a kickback. I booked a cultural trip, not a shopping trip, and this infuriated me.

EXODUS COMPETENCE
5. Sales rep LIED – a bare faced, out-and-out lie – about the reason for the itinerary change. When I asked about it (and I pressed at length) she insisted the reason for speeding up the first week and adding on Khiva was because people were so keen on Khiva. Turns out that is completely untrue; it’s simply because Bukhara airport became inconvenient for Exodus to use. The previous itinerary seems like it would have been much more sensibly paced, and wouldn’t have involved a 3am start and a 6-hour night train to Khiva – and as usual, following little to no sleep, the group were expected to do a full day of sightseeing
6. Exodus were very slow (2 days) to confirm whether there would be an itinerary change following an airport closure, which meant it was impossible for me to sort out my own travel arrangements in a sensible timeframe. This was one week before travel, and I was left with literally a 2-hour window to make changes after Exodus had finalised their own plans. Even worse, they were slow and not proactive in communicating about what was going on. The trip support guy was lovely when I called and he tried to be helpful, but Exodus’ logistics team weren’t anywhere near fast enough so his hands were tied

FOOD, ACCOMMODATION AND VALUE FOR MONEY
7. This trip represents poor value for money, given how cheap hotels we stayed in were to book direct
8. Location of most (about two thirds) of the hotels was poor
9. Quality of most of the hotels was mediocre vs. the trip price

It’s a real shame, because I loved the countries and the first guide.

All in all, everything about this trip felt like it was designed to maximise Exodus’ profits at the expense of guests’ comfort, sanity, and level of sleep. No way on earth I would consider doing this trip or any other with them – I’m sure there are better operators and better itineraries available.

Brilliant trip!

Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan were totally unexpected, smart Russian built cities and beautiful ‘alpine’ scenery with it’s snow capped mountains, rushing streams and waterfalls, lakes and flower meadows! Uzbekistan, more as expected with lovely monuments – Khiva not to be missed!

Excellent in spite of an emergency

Excellent 2 weeks in central Asia which i thoroughly recommend to others. The first week was in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan – lots of outdoor activities. The second week in Uzbekistan was more sightseeing which was a good contrast. very nice group of fellow travellers.

Perhaps some more about how the Silk Road functioned explained during the trips.

Very interesting trip spoiled by petty officialdom. The guides were very good, and the trip well organised. Would recommend.

The long and winding road

Some spectacular landscapes, fantastic Islamic architecture, fascinating markets – and some very long minibus journeys on bumpy roads

A fabulous trip - don't hesitate to book this!

A very well organised and packed trip with excellent guiding and variety of activities. So much learned and so much more to research on my return. It more than lived up to expectations with many positive surprises, historically, architecturally and socially. For example, your money will go far, the standard of food is excellent and you will be able to enjoy local beer and wine in most places, or take your own. Far too many highlights to mention but the golden eagle falconry will stay in my mind for ever, and I never tired of the gorgeous blue mosques and madrasahs, with their turquoise domes and minarets. I can’t remember how many times I said ‘Wow!’ to myself. A ‘must do’ is the extension to Khiva, it really rounded off the trip. It’s just fabulous. A couple of tips. The weather can be a bit iffy in Kyrgyzstan in May – the waterproofs and brolly were needed. A small flask came in handy. While some hotels have kettles in rooms, others were more than happy to fill up my flask with very hot water so I could have decaf on the go – you won’t find it on your trip in the hotels. We had wifi on the bus in Kyrgyzstan, and I bought a SIM in Uzbekistan very cheaply, which was particularly useful when the few of us transferred to Khiva. A few early starts for trains, but I slept well on both the Talgo and on the Russian train to Khiva with the aid of earplugs and an eyeshade – both recommended as essentials. This trip will stay long in my memory. Don’t hesitate, just go! You won’t be disappointed.

What a trip!

Superb exotic and fascinating silk road

Beautiful Landscapes and incredible historical sites

A full on trip on the Silk Road , visiting three countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan).Former Soviet countries enjoying their independence, but not quite shaking off the influence of this former ruler. The clash of Soviet and Persian culture is fascinating. Travelled through enormous unspoilt landscapes, sometimes mountainous and sometimes vast plains , once a dried up sea 200 million years ago. The iconic Persian buildings of Samarkand and Bukhara were breathtakingly beautiful . There was also great group dynamics . Loved it.

Scenery, madrassas and monuments

This was a fast paced tour covering many miles. Wonderful scenery, snow capped mountains and desert plains. Lovely walks to mountain waterfalls some still frozen. Glad to see Exodus are including Khiva in the tour now as this was a highlight with its impressive city walls. We enjoyed every part of the trip including the sleeper trains (perhaps not the 3am start.) The Eagle hunter was a highlight. We were in Bukhara for the silk and spice festival and enjoyed the colourful bustle and music. Lots of souvenirs to buy there. Everywhere wonderful decoration and architecture. The cities themselves were surprisingly modern and showed evidence of their Soviet past.