Central Asia Combined Silk Road Tour

Traveler Reviews

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  Maria5.0•October 2026
  I was pleased with tours overall. Probably would have been better if I were in a bigger group. Glad I did it now,...
  I was pleased with tours overall. Probably would have been better if I were in a bigger group. Glad I did it now, should have done when I was younger as it was a little tiring at times but in any case, a great adventureShow more
  Traveled in September 2026
• GG

  Grenville5.0•July 2026
  A fantastic experience, great sights, guides, hotels and restaurant suggestions. Highly recommended for a relatively...
  A fantastic experience, great sights, guides, hotels and restaurant suggestions. Highly recommended for a relatively fast paced trip through Central Asia. Having a local guide in each country added to the experience and information sharing. More time in Kazakhstan would have been great but reflects the distances needed to be travelled and an already full programme.Show more
  Traveled in August 2025
  

  Reply from: 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

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• TL

  tracy5.0•July 2026
  Good itinerary given just 21 days. Kyrgyzstan itinerary could be improved upon as there were 2 long travel days just...
  Good itinerary given just 21 days. Kyrgyzstan itinerary could be improved upon as there were 2 long travel days just to visit a valley that was hardly impressive. Hotels (aside from Tajikistan homestay) were excellent - surpassed expectations. Best guide (by far) was Ilya in Kazakhstan. He was superb. Faultless. The best guide I have ever had. His knowledge was impressive. His communication and delivery of information was spot on. Perfect. Everything was clear and well-communicated in advance. Promote Ilya! Do not lose him! The other guides were good. Farsa in Tajikistan is learning since she is still young but she is passionate about her job. Our guides in Bukhara, Khiva and Tashkent were good. But Ilya was exceptional. A cut above the rest. The worst guide who we found very bad and dishonest was Gurban in Turkmenistan. He charged us an extortionate $50 for the use of the router for the internet. He also gave us a bad exchange rate of 17 whereas I checked with an Intrepid guide who said his rate was around 20. Gurban also did not prioritise us. He was more interested in playing with his own tech toys (Go Pro selfie stick) and talk about technology than tell us about the history and culture. The worst thing was that at the end of the tour he tried to charge me again for using the router when another tour member had already paid him for my share of the router cost. A very dishonest man. I suggest you consider using another guide for Turkmenistan.Show more
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  Traveled in March 2026
  

  Reply from: Steppe Journeys

  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

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  David5.0•June 2026
  I ended up being on my own. Every tour guide was tremendous, explained things well and gave me time to look around...
  I ended up being on my own. Every tour guide was tremendous, explained things well and gave me time to look around and not rush me. Odil was tremendous at the beginning assisting with all preparations. I recommend Steppe Journeys to any one wanting to have a tour of the 'Stans'. The counties felt safe and never an issue even when looking around at night. You read a lot about Turkmenistan, the North Korea of Central Asia....I find that extremely unfair. Probably Uzbekistan was my favourite, but there were positives in every country. My knowledge off the area and their history has increased and I have a thousand photos to remind me of the tour. Again Steppe Journeys are a first class tour company, don't put the fact that they are not one of the big western companies unsettle you.... it is actually a positive.Show more
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  Traveled in May 2026
  

  Reply from: Steppe Journeys

  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

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• YF

  Yasmin4.0•June 2026
  We had a different guide in each country as they contract each country/leg out to a different company. The guides we...
  We had a different guide in each country as they contract each country/leg out to a different company. The guides we had in each stop were amazing but the itinerary was slightly amended. There were times when the guide's itinerary didn't match ours, major sites remained the same but the smaller factory visits etc were excluded. Once this was brought to the guide's attention they were quick to rectify it and add it into the next day's itinerary if possible. The organisation of the adventure between Steepe Adventures and the contracted companies could have been better, or changes communicated better but overall my experience was very positive. This area of the world is amazing and if you are able to relax and take things as they come rather than consider the itinerary bible you will thoroughly enjoy it. its part of the adventure. If there was anything I would change is to have more time in Kazakhstan. One day in the main city is nowhere near a true representation of the country.Show more
  Traveled in May 2026
  

  Reply from: 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

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  John5.0•December 2025
  All the guides were good and the fact they had diverse backgrounds and beliefs added interest to the tour. Sam, our...
  All the guides were good and the fact they had diverse backgrounds and beliefs added interest to the tour. Sam, our Turkmenistan guide, was a standout. He went above and beyond with getting us through border crossings and distracting a difficult member of the tour. Unlike other reviewers, I very much enjoyed interacting with locals in the mountain villages (Gazza & Voru). Although Samarkand, Bukhara & Khiva were interesting, I found the commercialisation (Shops & tourist shows) too much at times. Overall a good balance of sights, culture and activities with little unutilised time.Show more
  Traveled in August 2025
  

  Reply from: Steppe Journeys

  Dear John Thank you very much for your kind and valuable review on the trip. Hope you really had a great time in Central Asia with and enjoyed nature, history and culture of Stan’s. Thank you Odil Akhmedov Steppe Journeys & team.

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• AO

  Antony5.0•October 2025
  Central Asia in Three Weeks --------------------------- The Central Asia Combined Silk Road Tour (21-day trip)...
  Central Asia in Three Weeks --------------------------- The Central Asia Combined Silk Road Tour (21-day trip) had everything. Mountains, deserts, lakes and cities. The historical, cultural and natural. And even the spice of danger (Anzob tunnel, alias the Tunnel of Death). Most of the guides were good and competent, but two were below standard. At short notice Steppe Journeys provided a replacement for one of these without being asked, thankyou. There were three excellent guides - Nurissa (Kirghizstan), Natasha (Turkmenistan) and Bek (Tashkent). Our personal favourite parts of the trip were Bukhara and Khiva. In fact, at almost the end of the tour, we liked Khiva so much when we arrived that we asked to stay an extra night. Steppe Journeys made the arrangements at minimal extra cost, thankyou. The trip was full-on. The travellers on our tour were not in the first bloom of youth and we reluctantly opted to miss two places that would have required a lot of travelling, namely Shakhrisabz and Old Urgench. The itinerary of the Fan mountains and the seven lakes, included a stay in Nofin by the lakes. This was changed to a stay in Gazza far away, which necessitated a long night-time ride over unmade roads. It was too dark to see the village when we arrived. Staying nearer the lakes would have saved a lot of time and uncomfortable travelling. The diversion to Gazza added nothing. One of us is asthmatic. Prior to our holiday we had been assured that we would be helped in obtaining a small oxygen cylinder in Dushanbe for use in case of delays in the Anzob tunnel, which are notorious. When there. the driver and guide were uninterested in helping us, despite our request to them. In the event, our drive through the tunnel was free of blockage and quick, but could have been risky otherwise. We are a couple, and one of us thought that the overnight trip to the Burning Gas Crater in Turkmenistan, across very poor and bumpy roads, was unnecessary. On the other hand, an experience of the desert under different circumstances gave the flavour of so much of the territory of Central Asia, we spent a night in a yurt, and the Crater itself was redolent of a volcano. Let the reader decide. Our main criticism is the arrangements for crossing frontiers. Wonderful Nurissa personally took us across the frontier to the waiting driver in Kazakhstan, but the arrangements at the other frontiers were more hands-off. There were two frontiers where there was a problem, one of which was the responsibility of Steppe Journeys. We recommend that, in future, guides/drivers on both sides of the frontier should be in phone communication with the travellers and with each other, to avoid or at least ameliorate potential difficulties.Show more
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  Traveled in September 2025
  

  Reply from: Steppe Journeys

  Dear Antony Thank you very much for sharing your thoughtful and detailed feedback — we truly appreciate the time you took to reflect on your 21-day Central Asia Combined Silk Road Tour. It’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed the diversity of landscapes, cultures, and experiences across the region — from the mountains and deserts to the historic cities of Bukhara and Khiva, which we’re delighted were among your favorites. We’re especially pleased that you recognized the efforts of our team members — Nurissa, Natasha, and Bek — and that our quick response in arranging a replacement guide and an extra night in Khiva helped make your trip smoother and more enjoyable. Your kind acknowledgment means a lot to us and to our guides. At the same time, we sincerely appreciate your constructive suggestions regarding border coordination, local guide communication, and logistics around Nofin/Gazza and the Anzob Tunnel. We completely understand how these situations affected your experience, and we’ve already started refining our frontier-handling procedures to ensure both sides of each border stay in active phone contact with travelers. We’re also reviewing the Fan Mountains routing and accommodation selection to minimize unnecessary driving and maximize time in scenic areas. Your feedback helps us continue improving our tours for future guests — thank you again for your honesty and for trusting Steppe Journeys to show you Central Asia. We hope the memories of the Silk Road, the desert skies, and the warmth of the people will stay with you for a long time. With warm regards and gratitude, Odil Akhmedov Steppe Journeys ???? www.steppejourneys.com | ✉️ info@steppejourneys.com

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  Jinny4.0•August 2025
  I went on the Central Asia combined Sile Road tour with Steppe Journeys in Sep 2024. Steppe Journeys is one of the...
  I went on the Central Asia combined Sile Road tour with Steppe Journeys in Sep 2024. Steppe Journeys is one of the few tour operators that go to all five Stans. All in all, it was well organised and the tour covered a large number of amazing sights in all five countries. All hotels were three or four stars. Some were excellent and some less so, but they were all clean and comfortable. Also the transportation was good and comfortable. Ilya, our guide in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan was a gem. Also Ahmed in Tajikistan was very good. Our experience of guides in Uzbekistan was not a good one. It was very disorganised and we had several guides in each city and some were with us for a few hours only. Often the English was not good and it was difficult to understand. Steppe Journeys is a good operator but will be better if they improve communications. My suggestion to the company is to create a WhatsApp group chat with each group so that the company can communicate directly with the members of the group and not through the guides, which is not always effective. Also, please give the group members the names and telephone numbers of the local guides, if possible. If you go on this tour, please bear the following in mind: 1) If you need a visa for Tajikistan, book well in advance as it takes time. the website crashes, payments do not go through etc. 2) If there are any problems contact Odyl (the owner) directly as the members of his team are not that quick and effective. 3) Get the contact details of the local travel agent in each country that Stepp Journeys works with and also the telephone numbers of Odyl and staff members. We were stuck in the Turkmenistan border for over two hours as the local guide did not turn up. It was not a nice experience. Our phones and internet networks did not work inside Turkmenistan. After a lot of attempts, one phone worked and we managed to contact Odyl. It would have been far easier if we had the local agents contact details. 4) In Turkmenistan, there are buses to take the passengers at the borders on either side and they charge a dollar or equivalent local currency per person. We did not have the right money as we were not aware. Therefore keep some local currency or one dollar notes for the buses. 5) Crossing the borders was a hard but interesting experience. You need to walk long distances on broken roads carrying your luggage. So, keep the suitcases light. 6) Download Taxi.Yandex app before you leave home. You cannot download it when you are there. I am so glad I went on this tour and Stepp Journeys did a lot to make us comfortable. A big thanks to Odyl. I will never forget Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva in Uzbekistan, the natural beauty of Kyrgyzstan and the amazing capital cities. I wish I had more time to visit these countries in more detail. Well worth going on this trip.Show more
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  Traveled in September 2024
  

  Reply from: Steppe Journeys

  Dear Jinny Pohl Thank you very much for sharing such a detailed and thoughtful review of your Central Asia Combined Silk Road Tour with us. We are truly delighted to hear that you enjoyed the overall organization of the trip, the comfort of the hotels and transport, and especially the professionalism of Ilya in Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan and Ahmed in Tajikistan. We will make sure to pass along your kind words to them. We sincerely regret that your experience with the guides in Uzbekistan did not meet expectations. Your feedback is very important, and we take it seriously. We are already reviewing our guide assignments and training to ensure more consistency and clearer communication for future tours. Your practical suggestions about creating WhatsApp group chats, sharing local guide/agent contacts, and providing clearer instructions for border crossings are excellent. We are grateful for these insights and will work on implementing them to make the experience smoother for our guests. We usually give some freedom to travelers providing only guides during city tours because Uzbekistan is more flexible and easier for foreigners. But of course we will consider your practical and useful idea to provide one guide for the whole part of Uzbekistan too. On behalf of Steppe Journeys, I want to thank you again for trusting us with your travels and for recognizing the effort of our team. We hope to welcome you back to Central Asia in the future and show you the improvements we are making. Warm regards, Odil Akhmedov Steppe Journeys

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• DD

  Dipendra5.0•June 2025
  Excellent trip from start to finish. Very happy with all the sights visited in the short time. The only thing I would...
  Excellent trip from start to finish. Very happy with all the sights visited in the short time. The only thing I would change is the time spent in Bukhara felt excessive and the time spent in Almaty was too short. If those could be switched around it is a perfect trip. Furthermore, the stay in Issyk Kul felt wasteful we literally drive hours and just stay there and head back to Bishkek the day after. It would be good to include a some activity or a short trip to the lake itself even if its the following morning. The guides were exceptional, Nurisa, Amin, Utkir and finally the best Nur-Mohamad.Show more
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  Traveled in June 2025
  

  Reply from: Steppe Journeys

  Dear Dipendra Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback and for joining us on this journey through Central Asia. We’re delighted to hear that you had an excellent trip overall and that you enjoyed the sights and especially appreciated our guides — Nurisa, Amin, Utkir, and Nur-Mohamad. We’re particularly pleased to know that Nur-Mohamad stood out and left such a strong impression — we will be sure to pass on your kind words to him and the rest of the team. Your suggestions are very valuable to us. We understand your point about the time balance between Bukhara and Almaty, as well as your thoughts on the Issyk-Kul segment. You’re absolutely right — a brief stop or activity at the lake would enhance the experience, and we will look into incorporating that in future itineraries to make better use of the time and add more depth to that portion of the tour. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your insights — they help us improve and continue delivering memorable journeys. We hope to welcome you again on another adventure soon. Warm regards, Odil Steppe Journeys

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  Piet-Hein5.0•June 2025
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  In April'25 we were participants on this fantastic 21-day trip. Since only the organization Steppe Journeys offers...
  In April'25 we were participants on this fantastic 21-day trip. Since only the organization Steppe Journeys offers all 5 countries in Central Asia, we chose this trip. The group size of 9 participants (max. 10) was ideal. The trip was well organized except for a few points (postponed night flights, Almaty on Monday when everything is closed). To compensate for this, we were given delicious food. The tour guides and drivers were friendly, nice, punctual and well prepared in all countries/cities. In Uzbekistan, the tour guides changed for each city. The hotels/accommodation were good/very good and mostly centrally located. We also had good weather, only rain on 2 days and temperatures between 2 degrees in the mountains and 43 degrees in the desert. We had doubts about the departure on April 10th because we thought that it might still be cold in the "early season", but the weather was perfect and we didn't need a winter jacket. A transition jacket is still recommended for the mountains. The road conditions are sometimes very adventurous (maybe think of travel pills), at the border crossings you need a lot of patience. Only Uzbekistan was very touristy, but we saw few tourists in the other countries. From our point of view, the stay in Bukhara was far too long and in Kazakhstan (Almaty) and Dushanbe far too short. Thank you for a very good and varied trip! We recommend TourRadar to others.Show more
  Traveled in April 2025
  

  Reply from: Steppe Journeys

  Dear Piet-Hein Thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful and detailed feedback following your April 2025 journey through Central Asia with us! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the 21-day adventure and found the itinerary diverse, the group size ideal, and the local guides and drivers to be friendly, punctual, and knowledgeable. It’s especially encouraging to know that even when minor itinerary shifts occurred—such as the night flights or the Almaty visit on a Monday—you still felt well taken care of, and the delicious food helped balance things out. Your insights about the weather, packing tips, road conditions, and the varying levels of tourism in each country are incredibly helpful—not only for us but for future travelers as well. We appreciate your note about the length of stay in Bukhara versus the shorter time in Almaty and Dushanbe—this is valuable input as we continue to fine-tune our programs. Above all, we’re grateful you chose Steppe Journeys for this incredible five-country experience, and we’re honored to have helped make your Central Asian adventure a memorable one. Warm regards, Odil & the Steppe Journeys Team

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