Steppe Journeys

Dear Jazz Thank you very much for sharing such a thoughtful and detailed review. We are delighted that your journey through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan became one of your most memorable travel experiences. It was a pleasure arranging the tour for you, and we are especially happy that our guides and drivers helped make travelling across three countries feel smooth, welcoming and personal. We will proudly share your kind words with Muhammad, Zaure, Ayana and the entire team. It is also wonderful to hear that you and your travelling companion began the journey as strangers and finished as friends. Your suggestion of creating a pre-tour WhatsApp group is excellent. It would allow travellers to introduce themselves and provide one convenient place for guide contacts, meeting details and daily updates. Thank you as well for highlighting the unnecessarily early Khiva transfer and the shower smells at the hotels in Almaty and Issyk-Kul. We take these comments seriously and will review the transfer timing with our local team and raise the accommodation issues directly with the respective hotels. We also appreciate your suggestion about the Seven Lakes in Tajikistan. Adding this experience would require extra time and careful border arrangements, but it is certainly a beautiful option that we can consider for an extended itinerary. Being interviewed by local television in Khiva must have been an unforgettable surprise! These spontaneous moments often become some of the best travel memories. Thank you again for trusting Steppe Journeys with your Central Asian adventure. Your appreciation means a great deal to all of us, and we would be delighted to welcome you back to explore more of this remarkable region in the future. Warm regards, Odil Akhmedov Founder, Steppe Journeys

Dear Jarko Thank you very much for sharing your feedback. We are pleased to hear that you found the tour well organized and were happy with the quality of the hotels. We also appreciate your comments regarding the group size and the schedule in Samarkand. We completely understand that booking a group tour creates an expectation of travelling with other participants, and we are sorry that on this particular departure you were the only traveler. Due to off season the group did not collect more travelers. Your point regarding the long wait before the train in Samarkand is also very helpful, and we will review the itinerary and train timing to make this day more comfortable for future guests. The guide says due to hot weather the tour was completed earlier and he had to take you to the station earlier than scheduled. Thank you again for travelling with us and for helping us improve our tours. Odil

Dear Fiona Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We’re truly delighted to hear that you had such a memorable experience and that Uzbekistan left such a positive impression on you. It means a great deal to us that you felt safe and welcomed throughout your journey, especially as a solo traveller. Your kind words about our team, particularly Bek and our local guides, are greatly appreciated. We will be sure to share your compliments with them—they’ll be thrilled to know they helped make your trip so special. We’re also pleased that our team could provide support when it was needed and help ensure everyone was well looked after. Thank you once again for choosing Steppe Journeys. It was our pleasure to host you, and we would be absolutely delighted to welcome you back to Uzbekistan or any of the other Central Asian countries in the future. Warm regards, Odil Steppe Journeys

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the spectacular sights, experienced guides, comfortable hotels, and our restaurant recommendations throughout your journey. We’re especially pleased that having a local guide in each country enriched your experience and gave you a deeper understanding of Central Asia’s history, culture, and traditions. That’s exactly what we aim to provide. We completely understand your wish to spend more time in Kazakhstan. Central Asia is a vast region, and balancing the highlights of five countries within one itinerary is always a challenge. We hope it gives you a great reason to return and explore Kazakhstan in more depth on a future trip! Thank you once again for choosing Steppe Journeys. It was our pleasure to host you, and we hope to welcome you back to Central Asia again soon. Odil Akhmedov

Dear Danilo, Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for taking the time to share your experience with Steppe Journeys. We are truly delighted to hear that you enjoyed your journey through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. It means a great deal to us that you appreciated the itinerary, our attention to detail, and our commitment to showcasing the rich culture and history of Central Asia. Your kind words about our guides—Bahtiyar, Ulan, Sardor, Azim, Zara, Malika, and Maryam—as well as our drivers, are especially appreciated. We will be sure to share your compliments with them, and they will be delighted to know they helped make your trip so memorable. It was our pleasure to welcome you to Central Asia, and we sincerely hope to have the opportunity to host you again in the future, perhaps on another adventure through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or other parts of the region. Thank you once again for your recommendation and for choosing Steppe Journeys. Warm regards, Odil Akhmedov Steppe Journeys

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. First of all, we are pleased to hear that you enjoyed Uzbekistan and found Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva to be such worthwhile destinations. We are genuinely sorry that some aspects of your experience did not meet your expectations. We did apologize during your trip for the airport transfer issue and, as a gesture of goodwill, we arranged a complimentary traditional dinner with a cultural folk show in Bukhara. We are sorry that this positive gesture was not reflected in your review. Regarding the sightseeing, our itineraries clearly specify which entrance tickets are included in the tour price. Some attractions are intentionally left as optional visits to allow travelers greater flexibility and to keep the tour cost reasonable. Whenever guests wish to visit these sites, they are welcome to do so independently during their free time. We also regret the confusion regarding the train journey. Our team always strives to assist our guests, and we continually review our procedures to minimize the possibility of such situations occurring again. We appreciate your comments, as they help us improve our services. We wish you all the best and hope that, despite these issues, you will remember the many wonderful experiences and the rich culture and hospitality of Uzbekistan.

Dear Tracy Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed review. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the itinerary overall, exceeded your hotel expectations, and especially that Ilya made such an outstanding impression—we’ll be sure to share your wonderful feedback with him! We also appreciate your constructive comments about the Kyrgyzstan itinerary, and we’re very sorry to hear about your disappointing experience with Gurban in Turkmenistan. This is not the level of service we expect from our local partners, and we will investigate your feedback carefully to help ensure a better experience for future travelers. Thank you again for traveling with Steppe Journeys. We truly appreciate your honest feedback and hope to welcome you on another adventure in the future. Special thanks for sharing beautiful photos of the tour. Odil Akhmedov

Dear Suzane Thank you for your feedback. We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and found our guides knowledgeable and informative. We also appreciate your suggestion regarding meeting guides at airports and train stations. We are continuously working to improve our arrival procedures and communication to make guide identification and meeting arrangements as smooth as possible. Thank you for traveling with us, and we hope to welcome you again on another adventure in Central Asia.

Dear David Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for choosing Steppe Journeys for your Central Asia adventure. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your journey and that our guides across the region helped make your experience memorable. Providing knowledgeable guides while allowing travelers enough time to explore at their own pace is something we always strive for. It was a pleasure assisting you with the preparations, and we truly appreciate your kind words about our team and services. Unfortunately due to Iran and USA conflict alert most of the travelers had to cancel their booking and you were alone on this departure. Hope it did not prevent you to fully enjoy the trip. Central Asia is a fascinating region with a rich history, diverse cultures, and warm hospitality, and we are glad you felt safe and welcomed throughout your travels. Thank you also for your balanced perspective on Turkmenistan and for sharing your impressions of each country. Every Stan has its own unique character, and it is wonderful to hear that Uzbekistan was a particular highlight while each destination offered something special. Your recommendation means a great deal to us. As a locally owned Central Asian tour company, we take pride in providing authentic experiences and personal service that larger international operators often cannot match. We hope to welcome you back to Central Asia again in the future—there are always more places to discover! Warm regards, Odil Akhmedov Managing Director Steppe Journeys

Dear Yasmin Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a thoughtful and honest review of your Silk Road journey with us. We truly appreciate your feedback—it helps us grow. We're glad to hear that the local guides in each country left such a positive impression on you. We work with trusted local partners across Central Asia specifically because they bring unmatched expertise, warmth, and authenticity to each destination, and it sounds like they delivered exactly that. We'll be sure to pass your kind words along to them. We also sincerely apologize for the moments where the itinerary didn't align perfectly between what was planned and what was communicated on the ground. You're absolutely right that the coordination between Steppe Journeys and our local contracted companies needs to be tighter, and that any changes should be communicated to you proactively rather than requiring you to flag them. This is an area we are actively working to improve, and your candid feedback is invaluable in that process. That said, we love your perspective—embracing the unexpected as part of the adventure is exactly the spirit of travel in Central Asia, and we're so glad you were able to enjoy the journey with that mindset. Your note about Kazakhstan is also well taken. Thank you again for traveling with us and for sharing your experience so openly. We hope to welcome you back to Central Asia again. Warm regards, Odil Steppe Journeys