Originally Posted by
Fliar
Thank you for a wonderful TR!
Thanks for reading!
Originally Posted by
CosmosHuman
Your TR is marvelous. Would an older single female be able to see some of these sites, alone with a guide? Can you recommend a guide service, please?
Thank you!
Certainly, I don't see why not. These countries are generally very safe; typically safer than most large US cities. Language is the biggest hurdle and learning to read Cyrillic in advance of my trip was quite useful. Google Translate is also useful.
If you're interested in traveling independently and doing all the planning yourself, you can easily do as I did. There's a lot of research involved, but there are some excellent websites devoted to this topic. Where practical, I use freelance tour guides for cost and flexibility. I used: TourHQ.com in Baku, Almaty, Tashkent and Samarkand; ToursByLocals.com in Bishkek; Ayan Travel in Turkmenistan; and AAA Tours in Dushanbe.
There are also a number of tour operators that offer group (and private) tours of the region. I ran into several of these groups. I've never taken a group tour like that, but Advantour is a reputable tour operator. If you'd like the names of my guides, some tips and/or additional info/specifics, please PM me. I'm happy to help.
Originally Posted by
halfcape
Thanks for sharing a really interesting report, your photos were amazing.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Originally Posted by
moondog
+1. The trip itself was awe inspiring, and the trip report was beautiful.
Thank you so much! Being my most ambitious trip thus far, I was a bit surprised that everything went so smoothly.
Originally Posted by
nequine
Thanks for the TR, I enjoyed very much reading it.
I glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for all the great questions.