Testimonials

It is very important for us to know what you think of the work the Advantour team does. Reviews help us improve our services and inspire the team to go the extra mile. On this page, you will find reviews and impressions of our tourists on trips in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Author: Manfred Henze October 2019
About: Khiva City Tour
We just finished our trip through Uzbekistan. Is was a great experience, you can proud of your country. Your services were 10 out of 10. Also our guide in Khiva, Sahida, was 10 out of 10.
Many thanks again
Author: Jin Hui Ong October 2019
About: Central Asia Destinations Tour
First of all, despite Urgench, everything else was great. The guides at a minimum did their level best and performed as might be expected. Some did better as Ilkhom did in Uzbek for most of the way and in the border crossing. Similarly Aizada crossed over to Kazakhstan to pick us up and this was much appreciated. Bakhtiyar actually only brought us to the border but would have found it difficult to help as he did not speak much English.
Adilet could not go across the border with us but impressed on us that as tourist we have right of way and to just jump the queue! WE did but felt so guilty as it is such an un-Singaporean thing to do. Still we managed the exercise in 25 minutes when locals expected to wait hours in busy periods.
I am highlighting these crossings as it is really an important factor you need to consider in planning for clients not familiar with the culture and the language. This was the primary reason I asked you early in our correspondence about assistannce by guides at border crossings. You indicated it is not normal but as you can see your guides when beyond normal.
Finally, Madina in Fergana/Kokand. Another guiide I wish to highlight in terms of dedication to the client. We finished the tours by 4.30pm and she brought us to the railway station. And she stayed with us till the train arrived and 5.40pm!! She talked her way into the station to wait with us, escorted us to our carriage, got the Carriage Attendant to help us load our bags and even instructed him to tell us we have reached Tashkent and to help unload our bags!!!! Another person you should keep on you guide list for sure.
If you can impress on your drivers and guides that these should be the standard for all clients Advantour will go from strength to strength!
Author: Rebecca Barnshaw October 2019
About: Tashkent Evening Tour, Chimgan and Charvak Tour
Both tours were really enjoyable. The guides on both were excellent; they were very informative and I learnt a lot. The transport for the mountains tour was fine and lunch was very nice. One of the chair lifts was closed but I was able to go on a different chair lift which was great. Mr Hamidullah was very friendly and helpful, spoke excellent English and allowed plenty of time for me to stop to take photos throughout the day.
The Tashkent evening tour was very enjoyable and Mr Abror was very knowledgeable about the city. I was able to ask lots of questions about the city and learnt a lot of facts about the city. We visited lots of different places of interest. My only slightly negative comment was that the tour was around 20-25 minutes shorter than the advertised 2 hours and 15 minutes. Perhaps another place of interest could have been fitted in during this time.
Author: Clive Collins October 2019
About: Reversed Classic Uzbekistan Tour
Our tour of Uzbekistan was a wonderful experience, and a large element of that was owing to the arrangements provided by Advantour.
The logistics went like clockwork: we were met on time by your drivers and guides on every occasion - and we appreciated the welcoming bowl of fruit in our hotel rooms.
There were a few minor quibbles about one or two of the hotels, but they did not spoil our overall enjoyment.
We have already spoken to several of our friends about our tour - they were eager to hear about Uzbekistan and the cities of the Silk Road - and have told them not to hesitate to contact you and Advantour should they want to visit the country themselves. They could not find better hosts.
We would like to add a few comments about our impressions of Uzbekistan in general, beyond the obvious tourist highlights of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand.
We were so impressed by the overall attitude of the Uzbek people towards their country, and towards visitors. We have travelled widely, but we have rarely been anywhere that there has been such an obvious pride in their physical environment.
Walking in Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent we frequently commented on the complete absence of litter; we did not see a single cigarette end or sweet wrapper or plastic carton.
We did not see any graffiti on the walls.
In the mornings we saw the forecourts of houses being swept by their occupants.
We spent time in the parkland around the Timur monument in Tashkent; local people were having lunch, and every item of wrapping was put in the litter-bin; people walked and strolled on the paths or sat on the benches provided, rather than sprawling on the grass. So different to what would be seen in London's parks. We travelled on the Metro in Tashkent, and on boarding a fairly crowded compartment we were overwhelmed when everybody under 25 got up to offer us their seats. That also would not happen on the London underground. In several places we got into conversation with students - we are both retired schoolteachers and welcomed the opportunity - and enjoyed being able to talk to them about their studies and their career aspirations. Their positive and confident outlook was encouraging; Uzbekistan clearly has a firm place in the 21st. century.
Our guides were excellent, but we must mention Saida in Khiva.
She was a fount of knowledge, and in addition relaxed, approachable, and easy to engage with. It was a pleasure to spend time with her. We discussed many things about the history of Uzbekistan - and beyond.
Author: Roberto Werneck October 2019
About: Penjikent day trip from Samarkand
I would like to thank you and Advantour for the excelent service provided. The reservation process was excellent and flexible.
The tour to Penjikent in Tajikistan was perfect. Pick-up occurred at the right time, the guide was waiting for me across the border when I arrived. Saïd was an excellent guide and made the tour worthwhile. Both drivers did a great job as well.
The transfer from Samarqand to Bukhara was also great, the driver arrived early so we got there with more time to visit. The driver was attentive and was ready to point out interesting things on the way.
Author: Oksana Pozda October 2019
About: Airport Pick-up Service
Unreliable. Pick-up service didn't work for 2 female travelers. When after over an hour wait contacted a representative - received a suggestion to take a taxi.

Dear Oksana,
We are sorry for the bad experience you had with the pick-up service you ordered. The fault was entirely on us. Although we have served more than a thousand happy travelers this year, there are times when things do not go as planned, and we recognize that we dropped the ball in your situation and handled it poorly. In this case, the mix-up was due to a last-minute request that was not properly registered in our pickup orders during our busy season. We sincerely thank you for making us aware of the issue so that we can ensure that it won’t happen to other travelers in the future.
Author: David George September 2019
About: Classic Uzbekistan Tour
The tour was exactly what we wanted and everything went smoothly without a single problem.
The tour was wonderful from beginning to end and excellent value for money. The itinerary was great, from the walking tour of Tashkent, the Afrosiyob train, amazing Samerkand, historic Buhkara, and crossing the desert to distant ancient Khiva… so much Silk Road history! The drivers were always on time and helpful, and the guides were very good. Our guide in Samarkand was one of the best we have ever encountered in our travels around the world.
The hotels (the Platan in Samarkand, Omar Khayam in Bukhara and Asia Khiva in Khiva) were all of a high standard, located right in the centre of everything, with quality breakfasts.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Uzbekistan. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, and several times officials in Tashkent would ask us if we needed assistance if we looked lost. We have already recommended Advantour and the Uzbekistan tour to our friends who also love to travel.
Again, thank you so much for organising such an amazing tour for us, it is an experience we will never forget.
Author: Michal Reed September-October 2018
About: Silk Road Group Tour
The Silk Road trip is intense. You start around 8-9 and finish the day around 6. There are a lot of one night stays and a lot of time in the bus. But if you read the itinerary, this is what you sign up for. A rich, efficient exploration of eight countries in one month. Even as we kept moving, we were aware that we had experienced the best of each area, and that we were willing to sacrifice a rest day, for another new experience. Tour leaders Bak for the Central Asia section, and Anna for the Caucuses, were remarkably knowledgeable, professional, thoughtful and sensitive to the individual needs and interests of the group. The local guides were passionate and knowledgeable, providing talks on the bus rides that enriched out experience of the sights, and entertained us while on the road.
The hotels ranged from comfortable to elegant – all reflecting the regional style. Those of us who chose to pay the single supplement were happier than those who chose to share – it’s a long time, with full, social days, and it is good to have some time for quiet alone time.
I chose this trip for the history of the Silk Road, but I learned so much more, so much that I didn’t think about before the trip. Learning about the development of science, art, and religion that has evolved in this region for centuries filled in gaps of my knowledge of history in the west. And I was moved by the way each of the individual countries responded after the fall of the USSR; one of the most satisfying reasons to visit all eight countries in one trip.
Though I am mostly an independent traveler, I chose this group trip as I figured that it would be too much work, and not safe, to do the trip on my own. Not speaking the local languages, or Russian even, unsure about border crossings, I wanted the help of locals. The tour leaders made what could have been exhausting, confusing, stressful border crossings as easy as they could be. This is one trip that even after going there, even after experiencing a safety level much higher than in the US, I would still recommend taking the Advantour group trip.
Author: Howard and Sue, Australia September 2018
About: Caucasus Group Tour
We have just arrived back in Australia after a wonderful Advantour group tour of the Caucasus which began in Azerbaijan, went on to Georgia and finished in Armenia. We had communicated with the Director of Advantour in Tbilisi, Yuriy Klyuev, for almost twelve months prior to the tour and his prompt responses to our multiple enquiries as well as his arranging of visas for Azerbaijan were impressive and efficient. This was during the pre-planning of the tour and we were also fortunate to have Yuriy as a tour member during the Azerbaijan leg of the trip. He always had a smile and a pleasant remark for his clients and became a valued friend by the end of the tour.
Our group leader was Anna Uturgauri, a Georgian native, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the Caucasus, wonderful facility with languages (she spoke excellent idiomatic English, German, some French and Spanish, Georgian and Armenian), empathy, organisational ability and friendship were the glue which held together a well-chosen itinerary through fascinating historically ancient and significant and beautiful areas of which there are plenty in the Caucasus. The comfort and convenience of the tour group were her primary motivations and the evident love she had of the area she was born in shone through. She too became a friend by tour’s end.
The buses used for the trip were spacious, clean and comfortable for our group of 14-15. The drivers and local guides were well chosen and efficient. We are great fans of mountains and in each and every corner of the Caucasus we came across high, splendid and inspiring peaks with amazing vistas which satisfied our other passion, that of photography. Some of the mountain scenery in northern Georgia and in southern Armenia rivalled, if not bettered, anything else we have seen in our fairly wide-ranging travels.
The hotels were of excellent class, had spacious rooms and were well situated in the towns and cities we visited.
The cost of living in the Caucasus is quite low comparative to Australia, so meals and goods were well priced. We found the local people to be friendly and the urban environments to be safe for walking at all times, even at night. The politics and inter-country relationships within the Caucasus are rather fraught and we hope that with time this situation will improve. However these did not impinge in any way on the conduct of the tour with border crossings being relatively troublefree.
Baku has magnificent buildings, Tbilisi has a long and fascinating history with a combination of the old and the new. A visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum in Yerevan was confronting and sobering. These were but a few of the highlights on a trip that will live long in our memories.
Thanks Advantour for the experience and we would recommend this company to anyone considering travel to this lovely part of the world.
We thoroughly recommend a visit to Uzbekistan.
Author: NK October 2017
About: Uzbekistan Group Tour

I took a leap of faith by booking my Uzbekistan trip with Advantour and it ended up being a wonderful decision. My travel consultant, Kate, was a pleasure to work with. She responded to all my many inquiries in a timely manner, provided detailed information about the trip and even gave us a small souvenir when our tour group met her in Tashkent.

Even though the tour guides are freelancers, the leaders were great. Batir and Mirza both had a strong command of English and provided us with a wealth of information about Uzbekistan. And Mirza certainly entertained us with his jokes! Meanwhile, the drivers were equally great - whether navigating us through a sandstorm, avoiding potholes on the road, keeping the tour bus clean and always meeting us on time.

Regarding Uzbekistan, you have to be a bit adventurous given the public squat toilets and occasional Soviet era accommodations, but the country's rich history along the Silk Road and authenticity (no McDonald's or Starbucks yet) outweigh the inconveniences. Seeing the Registan in Samarkand was certainly wonderful, but there is so much more to explore in the country. Highlights of the trip included the Itchan Kala in Khiva (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara and the Islamic Complex in Samarkand. Uzbeks are also quite friendly and curious to meet foreigners. Thus, don't be surprised if they ask to take photos with you.

Finally, while other tour groups were entirely composed of retirees, I was extremely pleased the Advantour group I traveled with represented a broad range of ages and nationalities. As a result, not only did I experience Uzbekistan, but I also learned from my fellow travelers as well.

Thank you for such a wonderful, insightful and reasonably priced vacation. For those of you considering Uzbekistan - go! And let Advantour help you with the planning.

Author: Wynoma De Faria September 2017
About: Caucasus Essentials
Advantour with Yuriy.

It was our second with Advantour the first being Uzbekistan May 2016. First of all on behalf of the group our thanks to Yuriy for having organised a superb travel of the 03 Caucausian countries Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia for a group of 16 pax for 15 days. It was Yuriy's quick reply to my first mail that made me confirm the destination and then the agency , 15 months before our trip started .Wasn't sure what to expect as not many people have been to these countries undiscovered by tourists.
It was much more than i expected... grandiose places, full of history culture , different food etc one has to visit these countries now before they are exploited by mass tourism.

I have exchanged uncountable mails with Yuriy wrt to hotels , sites , prices etc etc but there was a prompt reply to all the queries, you are amazing Yuriy. I had no apprension at all...and right enough from the airport PICK-UP to all land travel may be over 2000 kms to airport DROP we had no problem at all with transportation not even a tyre puncture...the buses and drivers were very good and drove us diligently over the Caucausian mountain gorges and plains.

The hotels were good too, and as requested for central locations all were superbly located and better than reviews , specially the Shah Palace Hotel in Baku, and Aviatran in Yerevan and Mirhav in Goris were excellent. The guides too were extremely knowledgeable ,well versed in their matter with good diction and experienced in their profession and answered all our questions. Patient as well to handle a group of 16 , Seymur of Baku, Anna of Georgia and Nune of Yerevan were just top of the line.

The sites included were also well chosen by Advantour , bear in mind that visiting these countries involves a lot of bus travel as one has to move out of the city.

The dinners organised in Tblisi and Yerevan were of high standard with an insight to the folk and food culture of the country, do include one in Baku as well...it completes the cultural experience.

The exit and entry at borders is very time consuming...either the staff is not well informed about the regulations or they simply want to harass travelers....we took over 02 hours crossing from Azerbaijan border to getting to the Georgian side.

Advantour please make a note of the time constraint here and this delays the sighting seeing and thus missed a bit due to arriving at dusk.
Thanks for your effort to get our Armenia Visas , got it at the nick of time, we were under lot of stress due to this delay. Travellers from India please contact your agent as soon as you submit your visa application to the Armenian consulate in Delhi as it is imminent that you wont get your visas without their help.

We enjoyed every bit of the tour to wine tasting, cognac tasting, mud volcanoes, monasteries etc etc and God willing will visit again. I highly recommend Advantour ...organisation good and price good. Thank you Yuriy and your team

Author: Gerard Lesage May 2017
About: Train Tour (Uz-4)
Me and my wife are extremely pleased with our stay in Uzbekistan. The hotels are perfect: always located in the city center, always nice little hotels like in Noukous or Bukhara with a warm welcome and people are very kind and professional. The guides are always on time and speak a perfect French. They know the history of their country very well and teach us thousands of things about the complex history of your country. They are passionate. Say “Thanks” to them. They are very kind, friendly, polite, courteous, endearing. It's so sad to leave them, in a few days they've become our friends. We also want to thank drivers. They drive calmly, the cars are always very clean and well on time.
Author: Laurel Stanley May 2017
About: Based on Uzbekistan in depth (Uz-9) tour
We contacted two tour companies, one based in US and Advantour. After we sent a short list of questions to the US woman, she refused to answer us. We went with Advantour which turned out to be a wonderful choice. Very reasonable rates (much cheaper than US company), and Shavkat answered all of our questions promptly, designed a tour taylored to fit us with excellent city guides and wonderful drivers. We were 3 people, went to Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, an overnight at a guesthouse in Nurata Mountains with a beautiful hike, and Fergana Valley. Used plane, trains and drivers all arranged by Advantour. There wasn't one slip up. Fantastic trip thanks to Shavkat and all of the guides and drivers.
Author: Oliver Stephan April 2017
About: Tailor-made tour
My wife and I recently spent ten wonderful days in beautiful Uzbekistan. Thank you Advantour for your excellent organisation, knowledgeable guidance and reliable service. This time, on the occasion of two weddings, we only saw Tashkent and Samarqand. On our next visit we hope to see more of the country, and we will definitely again enlist the aid of Advantour. Thank you and best wishes from Munich, Germany!
Author: Nancy Lyon Johnson May 2016
About: Uzbekistan Group Tour
I have just returned from a tour of Uzbekistan. The itinerary was wonderful - especially the inclusion of Khiva, which is often missing from more expensive tours organized in the US. Though there were only four of us - not enough participants to justify an escort. The tour was so well organized that we didn't mind at all. I'd like to see more of the region and will use Advantour again. Thanks!
Author: Paddy Wesley-James September 2015
About: Welcome to Uzbekistan (Uz-5)
Sevara and her team were absolutely professional in their organization of our tour. Immediate email responses and follow up were faultless. Ticketing,transfers,guides,drivers seamless. Guides historical knowledge were amazing, drivers always punctual& attentive to even arriving with bottled water. I cannot speak highly enough of this Company and am so glad I found them.
Author: Rona Flores September 2015
About: Tbilisi City Tour
We really thank you for our Tour Guide Mr. Giorgi. He is a fantastic tour guide, and it's a big help for us to have him during our short stay in Tbilisi to be able to explore and understand the history of Georgia. The places which we visited are breathtakingly beautiful. Tbilisi is a place that every tourist must include in their bucket list. We really had a fantastic and memorable Eid Holiday in Tbilisi, even in just two days and a half.
Author: Shilpa and Srikanth June 2015
About: Uzbekistan Tour 3
We had a wonderful tour of Uzbekistan for 11 days. We would like to express our gratitude to Advantour for making our trip a memorable one. We are very thankful to the complete crew of Advantour who helped us throughout our trip. Special thanks to Shavkat for overall help and mainly responsible for us to visit Uzbekistan. Thanks to Maria, our guide in Tashkent for showing us around Tashkent. Thanks to Mervin for pick up from airport, dropping us at airport and driving us around Tashkent. Thanks to Norbek our driver for most part of our tour, who drove us from Khiva to Bukhara to Shakhrisabz to Samarkand. We had a wonderful time with Norbek. He helped us in various ways at all times and we are very grateful for his services. We would like to thank Timor - our guide in Khiva. Thanks to Maqsum, our guide in Bukhara. Thanks to jovial and funny 'Standing moon' for showing us around in Shakhrisabz. Thanks to graceful Valentina, our guide in Samarkand to show us around. We must say that, every guide we had are good historians and had deep sense of history and religion. They are keen to tell us about every aspect and we are very impressed by this. We found every one working for Advantour are true professionals and have great commitment towards their work. They are very helping, caring and honest. We always felt that we are well treated and cared for. In all sense, Advantour is mainly responsible for making our trip to Uzbekistan a successful and we are very happy about it. We couldn't have managed on our own. Thank you and keep up the good work - Rahmat.
Author: David Chaffetz April 2015
About: Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan Tour 
We had an excellent experience organised by Advantour, with superb driver Akhamat, great guides Maria, Makhsuma, and Saida. Despite many changes of itinerary, participants and other special requests, Advantour responded promptly even over the weekends to accommodate all our needs.
Author: Jan Ake April 2015
About: Scheduled Uzbekistan Tour
The tour to Uzbekistan was unforgettable!
I´ve travelled a lot during the years, and I have never (NEVER!!! :-D ) experienced such a well organized trip.
Everyone I met was filled with eagerness that I would have a good trip, they were fantastic people, and as far as I can understand you have made a superb choice of collaborators : drivers, guides, hotels with their hotel personnel, and last, but not least, your staff at the travel agency.
Author: Eugene June2014
About:
Aral Sea Tour 2
Exceptionally well thought out tour was a great adventure, yet with no risk to personal safety. Impressive views of Aral Sea area are absolutely not similar to famous Khiva, Bukhara or Samarkand. I had a lot of fun accompanied by careful driver and caring guide. So sad the sea may disappear completely in the next decade…
Author: Stasa and Mike Briski-Bai March 2014
About: Uzbekistan Tour 2
If you are planning a trip to beautiful Uzbekistan, we highly recommend that you do this through Advantour agency. We had done our own research and planned our own trip before we realised that we would need to go through a travel agent in order to obtain a visa. Advantour accepted the itinerary that we had devised for ourselves and adapted this, with the most minor of modifications, into a custom tour for 2 people.
They arranged transport by chauffer driven limousine with English speaking drivers, by train and by aeroplane, and they reserved our hotels.
When we arrived in Uzbekistan we were met at our hotel by their representative, Shavkat Khodjaev, who provided us with our transport tickets and all other documentation.
The trip itself went like clockwork. The drivers were invariably spot on time and knew exactly what we wanted to do. Quite simply, the entire trip could not have been better organised.
We thoroughly recommend a visit to Uzbekistan.
Author: Chih-Tung Chen October 2013
About: Scheduled Uzbekistan Tour
We are feeling so rewarding to our Uzbek experience! Great organization of the tour package, which we had in October 2013, including transport with very good drivers, well-run and stylish hotels, detailed information upon arrival and very knowledgeable plus attentive,considerate guide.We hope in the future we can visit Uzbekistan again with more time to soak into your art treasures and enchanting atmosphere, and we wish more people in Taiwan and around the world can come to know the beauty of your country, then we suggest them to take travel service offered by Advantour!
Author: Chitra & Robindra Singh September 2013
About: Scheduled Uzbekistan Tour
We would be pleased to recommend Advantour to anyone thinking about travelling to Uzbekistan. The quality of service provided by the Travel consultant was very high. On the ground in Uzbekistan, the tour leader was knowledgeable. Spoke English well and responded to all our questions.
Uzbekistan has wonderful architectural sites. The people are ever so friendly and what's more at no time did we feel unsafe - whether we were on the road, in a Sunday market or walking the site of old Khiva by moonlight.
Just GO!
Author: Lena & Graig Odell August 2013
About: Aral Sea Tour
It was great to be a part of interesting excursion to the Aral Sea including a night camping under the moon. The driver was amazing with good sense of humour, patient and with lots of info.
Thank you so much for the brilliant tour!
Author: Guillermo and Alice, Main May, 2010
About: Scheduled Uzbekistan Tour
Our group of seven ranged in age from the mid-thirties to mid-seventies and all got along very well. As a matter of fact, the age range, added to the fact that we hailed from three continents, enhanced our experience. On some of the long drives, there was little choice but to eat at pre-arranged spots because of the scarcity of stops along the road. However, we were given freedom to choose where to dine at our evening’s destination. For the more timid of us, that was a challenge, but having to make oneself understood is part of the fascination of travel and offered more opportunity to interact with Uzbek people.
Our experience with the staff of Advantour was excellent. Our representative went far beyond the call of duty helping us arrange pre and post tour travels and our guide was knowledgeable and helpful. We'd rate our experience an "A."