Intrepid Travel
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Premium Uzbekistan
It is a month since I returned from an Intrepid Premium Uzbekistan trip. I had never been on a small group tour. My impressions are mixed. Uzbekistan is worth going to. You will find: good honest people, many interesting monuments, great countryside and decent weather (October). It’s cheap and has good local wines and beer, and some good food. Hotel staff were always friendly and helpful. On the downside Tashkent airport is pretty chaotic. However: I booked my trip through Trailfinders (TF) who made sure the flights, extra hotel and Uzbekistan trip all tied neatly together. A few weeks before departure I rang Intrepid with a question. I was non-plussed to be told to ring TF as I had booked through them. I rang TF who said the answer was on the Intrepid website and talked me through how to find it – click by click. Trailfinders 5 * Intrepid 0 * Our tour guide appeared to be new but actually had 13 years experience. To quote Intrepid, their Premium trips are ‘led by our most experienced and highest-rated local leaders’. Her style did not suit experienced travellers. She did not give us the desert walk to look for plants and animals which is listed in the detailed itinerary. On one occasion she suggested to one of the vegetarians that she could remove the meat from her food! Our group gelled well and, on the occasions where there was no meal arranged by Intrepid, we easily found good food and had a great evening. In contrast, Intrepid organised meals were perfunctory and not enjoyable. On 2 days I elected not to join the group on the route marches around sites, preferring to wander and enjoy the local area by myself, whilst still covering sites that interested me. On the final evening we had an Intrepid organised ‘celebratory’ meal in an empty restaurant with no atmosphere, no wine available and no choice of food. It was a 45 minute drive across Tashkent, when there were many decent restaurants local to the hotel. Perhaps the tour guide lived nearby. The evening was dismal. In summary, go to Uzbekistan but not with Intrepid.