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I recently completed Arara Tours’ “Wonders of Central Asia” tour, covering all five Central Asian countries, and overall I couldn’t recommend the experience highly enough. 

The tour is a fantastic way to experience a small but meaningful taste of five very different countries in a relatively short space of time. It is, inevitably, a fast-paced itinerary with a very full agenda, but I thought the logistics were extremely well thought out. You get to see and experience an incredible amount, while there are still little pockets of free time here and there to explore destinations at your own pace. 

All of the transfers and transport were extremely well organised and, importantly, timely. Considering the number of internal journeys, border crossings, flights and connections involved, I was genuinely impressed with how smoothly everything came together. The accommodation was also consistently above and beyond what I had expected, and whenever food was included, it was exceptionally good. 

The hospitality of the people throughout Central Asia was another highlight. Everywhere we went, we were met with warmth and friendliness, and the whole experience gave us a wonderful insight into the people and cultures of the region. 

The guides were truly phenomenal. Each brought their own knowledge, personality and passion to their respective country, and they played a huge part in making the trip so memorable. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to introduce us to Central Asia. 

Arara Tours themselves were efficient, thorough and very well organised throughout. There were regular check-in points during the tour, including contact from Florena, our tour operator, which gave reassurance that everything was being monitored and that support was available whenever needed. 

If I had one point to mention for future UK passport holders, it would be the Tajikistan visa process. I absolutely do not believe this was the fault of Arara Tours, but my experience of trying to arrange the visa myself was particularly difficult and, for whatever reason, can apparently take months. Arara initially offered me their guaranteed visa option, and having gone through the process myself, I would now say that this should probably be highlighted much more strongly to UK passport holders as being closer to a necessity than simply an optional extra. It would certainly save future travellers a lot of uncertainty and stress. 

I also want to personally thank Florena for her patience with me during what can only be described as a period of hysteria when I was booking the trip! She was incredibly patient, reassuring and helpful, particularly at times when I really needed that reassurance. That level of personal support made a real difference. 

Overall, this is an incredibly well-planned and brilliantly executed way of experiencing so many countries in such a short space of time. It is busy, but that is also part of what makes it so rewarding. You come away having experienced five fascinating countries, their cultures, history, food and people, with memories that will last a lifetime. 

I would absolutely recommend Arara Tours and the Wonders of Central Asia tour to anyone looking to explore this fascinating part of the world. It was an unforgettable experience and one I am very glad I chose to do. 

Dear Sati, 

we had a wonderful time in Armenia, and we’re very grateful to Arara for that. We saw so much of Armenia; we got to discover new dishes from Armenian cuisine time and again in beautiful locations; we came to appreciate Armenian wine and brandy; and the performance by the “Garni” choir at Geghard Monastery was one of the highlights of our trip. This time will remain unforgettable for all of us. 

Even though we didn’t get to meet in person, I know that you, Sati, did a lot of organizing behind the scenes. Thank you so much for that. 

Many thanks also to Karine, who helped us gain a deeper understanding of the country and the history of the Armenian people. 

Best regards 

Doris Schwarzner

I wish to thank you and Arara for our wonderful tour. Everything went smoothly from our pick-up at Baku Airport till our final transfer to Yerevan Airport. All hotels were good, with many exceeding our expectations. All 3 guides - Rugiya, Ira & Raffi - were excellent and they clearly enjoyed showing off their countries. It was a pleasure to meet them and we learned a lot. The drivers were also good and helpful. We visited many interesting places and created many memories. Possibly a few too many churches/monasteries for our liking, but we knew that in advance and appreciate how important they are to the history of the Caucasus. We were also fortunate to have a good group and we all mixed well.  Overall rating 10 out of 10. As to the future, we are thinking of visiting Central Asia (5 Stans) next year. I know Arara offer a 19 day tour but ideally we would like a slightly longer tour. Maybe we could add a few days on at either end like we did this year or do a little tour on our own before joining the tour. If we wanted to proceed, would we contact you, or is there someone else who is the contact for those tours.

Everything was perfectly planned. Tazo in Georgia was a wonderful guide, and our driver always kept water in the minibus for us. We felt completely safe the entire time. The only thing I wished we had had a little less time on the road and more time exploring the villages; on some days we spent 4 hours in the car. But I understand the distances between regions are vast. I was prepared before the trip and didn't feel too tired. There were 4 of us in the group and I really enjoyed it. Thank you for organizing my trip.

A long but amazing journey. Georgia's nature is breathtaking. Arara organized all the logistics perfectly. Everything was authentic. I asked my friends to join me, and it was wonderful traveling together. We are very happy with the tour, guides, drivers, hotels and of course the great tour itinerary.

Dear Arara Team, this was a trip of a lifetime. A whole month traveling through 8 countries! It is sometimes tiring, but what a trip!! Seeing 8 countries and being able to explore so much and still have some free time is all a seasoned traveler needs. Hasmik and Arara team in all the countries did an amazing job with all the tour arrangements, visas and flights. This was my first group tour, I am used to traveling alone and doing all the arrangements myself, but not this time as I could have never done the whole organization on my own. I enjoyed the trip and was lucky enough to have wonderful group companions.

Dear Arara team and Hasmik, thank you for organizing our 21 day trip to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. The countries, sites, itinerary, guides, hotels and everything else exceeded our expectations. I wish I visited your beautiful region earlier. Small countries but yet so much to see and experience.

Even though I booked the 3* hotels option, in some towns we were given 4* hotels, which was very lovely and much appreciated. Thanks also for always checking in on us during the trip, it really made us feel like we were being looked after very well. Your whole team did a great job and I was pleased to meet our tour manager Hasmik personally at the end of the tour. We met also the Georgian staff during the tour and received lovely gifts from the team.

Fantastic cultural trip. exploring the old monasteries with a glass of local wine in the evenings is exactly what my wife and I were looking for. The drivers were good and professional, always making sure the car was cool before we got back from walking in the sun. The guides were knowledgeable and again very experienced. We loved the winery visits in both countries. Most of the hotels were very cozy, clear and comfortable. Thank you for a great trip.

The small group format was perfect. Only 9 of us. We loved Uzbekistan the most, the architecture is stunning. Our guide Javid was so patient with all our questions, specially when half of our group kept wandering off to take photos at the Registan square. One piece of advice: bring comfortable shoes, the cobblestones and uneven paths can be rough on the feet. The internal flight was delayed by almost two hours but Javid kept us entertained at the airport cafe. Great service from start to finish.

Dear Arara team. Thank you for the trip. Our guide Anahit in Armenia was amazing and knew so much. The itinerary was packed but totally worth it. I really enjoyed the stop at Lake Sevan and the fish restaurant we stopped at for lunch. Still a great time overall. Thank you. 

We booked a trip with an international tour company which got cancelled last minute. We were lucky enough to find Arara and our manager, Ani, who offered us to join their  9-day Georgia-Armenia tour. 

I am so glad we could sort out our tour plans last minute, both countries were in our bucket list for several years. 

The tour was very well-planned. The border crossing from Georgia to Armenia wasn't difficult, so by the end of the day we were energetic, and we walked around the city in the evening. Everyone in the group was very friendly and kind. The guides were terrific and absolutely perfect at their job, probably the best ones we have every had after visiting more than 100 countries. The hotels were good and centrally located. We enjoyed the trip very much and will certainly visit the 5 Stans of Central Asia with Arara next year. Thank you Ani and Arara for the great arrangements and especially assisting us with all our stressful requests last minute.