Bishkek Tours and Holidays 2018/2019

“a simply amazing tour.”

“A varied and inspiring (but arduous) journey through Central Asia, from the magnificent mosques and mausoleums of Uzbekistan, to the bleak but beautiful mountain and steppe landscape of Kyrgyzstan, this trip delivered what it promised.”

“There's never a dull moment in this full-on, activity packed, classic road and rail journey. Squeezing three contrasting countries into just 15 days is something of a challenge and it requires stamina, energy, good humour and an open mind to get the most out of it. With just five in the group, this felt like a private trip and the intensity and space certainly benefitted an excellent itinerary. Uzbekistan has the monuments, China provides the counterpoint and nomadic Kyrgyzstan oozes impossibly beautiful mountain and lakeland vistas. Throw-in the Russian influences and the echoes of Ginghis Khan, Tamerlane, Alexander the Great and Marco Polo and you have an intriguing concoction.”

“Overall a fantastic trip but not a relaxing one. Each country is different from the others and it feels like three holidays in one. Early starts and long journeys made for arduous travelling at times and the border crossing into China was a pain, but spectacular scenery and reasonably regular stops made it interesting and nearly every day had highlights to look forward to. The hotels were comfortable and the food was better and more varied that we were led to believe from reading previous reviews. I'd score it 9 out of 10 overall.”

“This is a full on trip across three countries and at times travelling through mountainous areas on fairly rough roads. As a result this isn't the holiday to take if your looking for relaxation but the pay off is an amazing contrast of stunning ancient buildings, breathtaking scenery and mixing with people who have had limited contact with western europeans. At times we were being photographed as much as the locals! The tour really does take you back through the centuries to the time of Tamerlane and even earlier. The soviet restoration of some sites has been done incredibly well and we felt welcome in all of the mosques and mausoleums we visited”

“Great Trip with some administrative blunders”

“A trip of wonderful contrasts visiting three countries which having only recently gained independence from Russia should on paper be similar. Uzbekistan with its history, culture, beautiful madrassahs and mozques, and security; Kazakhstan with the flat steppe that disappears into the horizon covering 25% of the country (this is probably the size of Germany!) (admittedly we only saw the steppe and of that only a minute part); Kyrgyzstan with its mountains and lakes (75% is mountains). The two overnight and one daytime train journeys really added to the overall interest of the tour. Felt very safe everywhere and had excellent food and guides.”

“Really exciting trip, very full on and packed with seeing the best of all 3 countries that you visit. Be prepared for long but very rewarding days of sightseeing and travelling. Go with the flow! Very friendly and hospitable people. Eating out is cheap and there is plenty of choice of good quality meat (lamb, beef) kebabs/ pasties! (or the nearest thing to them, yummy) dumplings, paste/noodle/bread and salads. Local beer very acceptable and even the best vodka is very cheap and taste great.. Great photo opportunities and load of very interesting architecture such as Madrasah's and mausoleums to see! Scenery up in mountains is stunning with waterfalls and turquoise lakes. Staying in the Yurt in the mountains in Kyrgyzstan was wonderful. No light pollution so you can see the milky way and shooting stars! But be prepared for it to be very basic and rustic! We ended up playing hand ball with a international team of people staying at the camp site and then sitting round the camp fire singing and drinking vodka watching the night sky.”