Reviews

Fantastic journey across Central Asia

The Silk road tour offered everything I expected and more. From the alpine scenery in Kyrgyzstan to the deserts of Uzbekistan, each day was a new adventure with something new to experience. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan seemed untouched by mass tourism and even Uzbekistan was fairly quiet compared to other destinations I’ve visited previously. Hotels were good quality with a variety of room types and location, included meals were all of a high standard and the guides were excellent.
There were plenty of WOW moments throughout this itinerary.

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.

Most Inspirational Moment

These are really, really wonderful countries with a fascinating history. Overall I enjoyed the trip, but's that's in spite of and not thanks to Exodus.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Historical knowledge of both guides was very strong and both were very professional and competent. First guide was wonderful and created a great atmosphere, but the second guide didn't engage with the group personally and didn't bother to learn a single person's name.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't let this review put you off going - just think carefully about who you go with. Oh and a note for veggies - I'm vegetarian and was worried about this but the food was fine! There was always something veggie available, and often it was very good. But do brace yourself for a lot of soups, salad and bread, and for meat to be snuck into places you wouldn't expect.

Reply from Exodus

We’re genuinely grateful for Lucie taking the time to leave a review of her experience on our trip to Central Asia, though it is a huge matter of regret to learn that her time there wasn’t at all as positive as we would hope.

 

As we mention in our trip notes, this is a busy and fast-paced tour which allows our customers to take in the highlights of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan within a relatively short timeframe. As such, we explain that there are long days and early starts, and we feel that this serves to accurately set our customers’ expectations; we would disclose that, for departures operating with our new itinerary from June 2024 onwards, clients responding to our post-trip surveys rated their overall trip experience at an average of 4.28 out of 5, and the itinerary of the trip at a similarly high 4.23 out of 5, which means the vast majority of our customers rated their trip and itinerary as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.

 

We are, however, saddened that Lucie didn’t feel the same way about the itinerary, and we will certainly bear her feedback in mind going forward.

 

Regarding the border crossing into Uzbekistan, we are reluctant to use internal flights for several reasons. It would add to the cost of the trip for our customers, while also being considerably poorer from a sustainability perspective; moreover, we feel that the purpose of adventure travel is to experience the authentic side of a destination, which internal flights would bypass. We explain the border crossing process in our trip notes for Days 7 and 8 to let our customers decide whether this experience is something for them.

 

To touch on the reasons for the itinerary change, we must make clear that Lucie’s sales representative was correct when she explained why we added the visit to Khiva for this trip. We previously listed Khiva as an optional extension for our Silk Road departures, but as it is one of the highlights of the region, we received a huge amount of feedback from customers recommending it be added to the regular itinerary, which we listened to and actioned. We believe that adding Khiva strengthens the itinerary overall and allows our groups to get the most out of their time in Central Asia, and it has generally been a very positively received addition. However, we’re sorry if Lucie did not feel that same way and regret that she was given the wrong idea about the reasons for the change.

 

It was a real shame for us to read that Lucie was unimpressed with the hotels on this trip, and that she felt that value for money overall was poor. The scores we receive from our clients who’ve travelled on our Silk Road trips are on average 3.93 out of 5 for value for money, and 4.05 out of 5 for accommodation, which, again, means that the majority of clients are indicating that these aspects of the trip were ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. We feel that, given the expert leaders we employ, the clean and comfortable properties our groups stay in, and the huge amount they get to see and experience, this trip offers very reasonable value; however, again we’re sorry that Lucie did not feel the same way. We appreciate that value for money is a major factor for our clients, and it is something we are constantly reviewing on all our trips.

 

We were heartened and reassured to read the feedback we received in post-trip surveys from other members of Lucie’s group, which indicated that this was overall a very successful and enjoyable departure. However, as we say, we are genuinely sorry that this was not Lucie’s experience; we very much hope that she saw some amazing sights and had some unforgettable experiences in Central Asia which made the trip as a whole worthwhile.

 

– Thomas Manchester, Exodus Product Manager

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.