Georgia and Turkmenistan Tours and Trips

The trip to Turmenistan and Uzbeckistan was well organised, exciting and informative. The guides were knowledgeable and very approachable. The accommodation was good and the wonders seen were amazing. Would highly recommend this trip.

This was a great trip covering two countries with complex histories, fascinating cultures, contemporary geo-strategic issues, great people, terrific food and wine. The two guides, Armina (Armenia) and Zura (Georgia), were excellent both in terms of organisation, but importantly for me, in explaining the history and culture of their countries. I had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed this holiday,

This was a very full-on trip to two very interesting countries. Both guides were brilliant, their in-depth knowledge and willingness to answer all our myriad questions added considerably to my enjoyment of the trip. My only criticism is that in places the itinerary was a bit too full-on, meaning that some elements were a bit blink-and-you-miss-it. For example Lake Sevan was listed as a highlight of one day but we only caught a glimpse through the window as we drove past. Cutting a couple of elements would allow greater focus on the rest. Other than that, a brilliant trip!

There were 12 of us on this journey. All were experienced travellers: curious, well-informed, energetic, good-humoured and punctual. Many of them kept detailed photo records and journal accounts of what they were seeing. We came from very different backgrounds, but all managed to get on well together which greatly enhanced the trip. We appreciated each other. Our Tour Director, Begaim, was managing her first Explore journey, and gained in assurance with every day that passed as she settled into her job; she ended up being very popular and highly valued. One of our local guides, Bekhruz, also stood out for his knowledge and his skill in communicating it. He asked us to submit questions that he could discuss during long bus journeys; these were penetrating and challenging but he handled them all with aplomb. The organization of this complex journey was a logistical tour de force. It used buses, an aeroplane and cars to cover terrain that was often very rough — many roads were not made up and were full of ruts or potholes. Towards the end, Explore provided FIVE vehicles with FIVE different drivers to get us across the desert: very good drivers they were too. Hotels were mostly of very good quality. The final one was decorated in white and gold which was the pervasive colour scheme of Ashgabat: positively luxurious and certainly beautiful. One hotel did not have enough furniture to satisfy this particular traveller (the present reviewer) who would have liked a table in her room. However, all were clean and safe. We stayed in 2 yurts: one was very comfortable with toilets and washroom beside each installation and a well-equipped central module where food was served and songs were sung. The other, near Darvaza, the “gate to hell”, was much simpler, with two shared toilets quite far away from the yurts. These were difficult to visit at night. Some of our group were “under-whelmed” with Darvaza where the fire is slowly abating, but remains a tourist magnet. The journey was on the whole well-structured. Explore supported us in procuring visas for Turkmenistan though the local guide there made a mistake in charging the same amount of entrance money for EU and UK passport holders. The UK is charged more! This matter was rectified. An irritant was that Mastercard was often declined and sometimes this was in places where there were no exchange offices. People borrowed money from each other. Explore may wish to suggest in future that VISA cards might be more widely accepted as a supplement to Mastercards. I have already said that the roads were very rough. The journey to the seven lakes followed a bone-shaking trip the previous day with yet more bone-shaking to get to lakes 6 and 7. More of the same. The village of Erbent turned out to be almost totally devoid of interest, except for a statue. Some changes could be envisaged here. Explore is becoming ever more inventive in finding interesting things for us to do. We saw how eagles were trained, how felt was made and embroidered & how yurts were assembled. We saw how “the best paper in the world” was made at Konigil, Samarkand, how the horses performed (including Przewalski’s which have a museum dedicated to them); how men kidnapped women on horseback in order to avoid paying the bride price; how a small band of musicians could make music from almost any domestic implement. I was even asked to dance with one of the troupe. We saw some of the best architecture in the world. One of my favourites was a building that I had seen during my first visit to Uzbekistan: the Ismail Samani Mausoleum which was completed in AD 905. I was able to compare it with a little picture that I have cherished ever since my first visit. This was a powerful journey that gave us indelible impressions. We all appreciated it greatly.

Rifa our leader was great over Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan. The over all trip gave a great insight to Central Asia. A number of the countries it would be great to explore them further. As they had so much to offer.

Armine and Alex were both super guides. Alex’s love of history shone through and her management of our safety during a (minor) hotel fire was exemplary. The itinerary was great. The only itinerary change worth considering is at Gudauri when we had an early finish and there is not much to do locally to fill the gap. Hotels were of the standard I would expect from Explore with a mixture of types, using local hotels and expectations well managed when staying in simple accommodation. Ani Plaza Hotel in Yerevan was very well located. The hotel in Dilijan had been changed to a new resort hotel which has very comfortable beds and spacious rooms but it has a very clinical and impersonal decor, slightly odd bathroom layout and the meals were reminiscent of a school canteen. It was absolutely fine for one night. The food was generally excellent with standout meals being the included dinner in Kutaisi and the final lunch together. The wines were superb. I used less cash than I expected as cards were widely accepted. I would thoroughly recommend this trip to others.