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.
Many thanks again
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
About: Tailor-made tour
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.
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.
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!
Thank you so much for the brilliant tour!
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."