The 5 Stan-s - Follow in the footsteps of Genghis Khan

Customer Reviews

• SS

  Sheryl lynn

  · November 5th, 2025
  It was amazing! Penguin was well organised and the sites were incredible. The frontier of travel. Highly recommend the 5 Stans with penguin travel!
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  Trip date: October 2025
• JM

  Jeffrey

  · October 31st, 2025
  The tour certainly opened my eyes to the little known region of Central Asia. The history of the region, the architecture, the natural beauty of the landscape and the very friendly people helped create a memorable experience
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  Trip date: October 2025
• J

  Jenna

  · October 21st, 2025
  This tour is fascinating and our group of 15 people all have fantastic experiences. We met friendly people, visited interesting places, explored different cultures and had unique memories. Special thanks to our tour leader, Andrey Asenov, very knowledgeable, very patient, arranged everything perfectly. Without him, we might not have such a smooth trip. We crossed borders between countries 5 times, each time, Andrey was over watching every detail of steps. He worked tirelessly for this group. We were very lucky to have Andrey.
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  Trip date: September 2025
• 

  Jeffrey

  · October 17th, 2025
  This tour is incredible value and provides a really good overview of the 5-stans. There are similar tours from better known operators, but these are often 2x the price or more. The tour offers a good mix of comfortable (but not luxurious) hotels, home stays, and yurts, so that you can experience the history Silk Road at multiple levels. Local guides are knowledable and passionate, and you'll have access to interesting food, folk shows (if that interests you), museums, and outdoor activities. Horseback riding in Kyrgystan and hikes in all countries were my favorites.
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  Trip date: August 2025
• ST

  Swee Hoe

  · October 16th, 2025
  Overall the tour was well organised. Except for the bus, which was too small to take the bags. So passanger seats were used to store bags. The trip up 7 lakes, the driver was speaking on the mobile while driving up the winding narrow road up hill and down hill. Driving only on one hand. Really dangerous. One mistake would plunge the vehicle down the hill slopes. The last night train ride from Samarkand to Bukhara was disappointing(too long waiting, from 12pm to 10pm. Then arrived Bukhara at midnight ) . Penguin should have organised a bus instead.
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  Trip date: August 2025
• BD

  Barb

  · October 8th, 2025
  Just back from an amazing trip of the 5 Stan’s. Everything went off without a hitch and our tour leader Margarita was knowledgeable, well organized, and kind with a great sense of humour! Nice variety of city stays, rural towns, mountains, deserts, lakes, yurt camps and warm welcoming people. Definitely recommend!
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  Trip date: September 2025
• RF

  Rex

  · October 8th, 2025
  Enjoyed a fantastic tour of the 5 Stans with Penguin Travel, our tour leader Margarita was insightful & always helpful. The logistics of the tour are quite amazing & everything worked perfectly, the small group size of only 14 people ensures quick & easy access to all sites visited.
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  Trip date: September 2025
• 

  luiz

  · October 8th, 2025
  We had a very nice and relaxed tour, everything worked well, althought it is not a very easy tour to get done so easily. That means, of course, that from one side the work of the company, Penguin Tours, was very well done and from the other side, that the work of the leader of the tour, Biliana, matched our expectations as well. There were no problems that could not be overcome and the end result was that as a whole, the group was very pleased with the tour. I had a very nice and relaxed tour and by what I saw, so did the rest of the group. I'll most certainly travel again with Penguin! So, see you soon!
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  Trip date: August 2025
• 

  Jens

  · October 7th, 2025
  Looking for a rare tour through all five Central Asian countries I found the offer of Penguin Travel for a surprisingly good price with a pretty rich itinerary. Contact was great from the beginning. Due to self-arrival I got picked up solo at the airport and could refresh at hotel in Bishkek before the first meeting with all tour members and our guide Margarita, from Bulgaria, as well as the seat of the company. After some necessary organisational issue, the adventure started with a first city tour. We dived into nomad lifestyle in the beautiful countryside of Kyrgyzstan, with some glimpse of the real high mountains around the Issyk Kul lake. First accommodation were shared ones in guest houses and yurt camp, so we had a good chance to know our tour members better, which was an absolute plus. We were pretty different characters from ten countries in an age range of nearly 50 years. Soon we realized this would be different than other tour group or cruise line experiences. It became great. We went to the busy old capital of Kazakhstan Almaty, unfortunately only for one night, since Air Astana had changed its operation days months ago, but there was still enough time for a good city tour and night walks on our own. The flight to Tajikistan was smooth. Duschanbe surprised with its modern architecture, while the other destinations were more archaic, like the overwhelming mountainside. We have been at a lake Alexander the Great had been once. What was his motivation to go so far? We made a day trip to the seven lakes on narrow unpaved lane the lakes below the mountains above us. Uzbekistan welcomed us with the parks of Tashkent and the statue of Amir Temur, who once ruled biggest parts of Central Asia. The bullet train carried us to the famous silk road centers of Samarkand and Bukhara with their famous architecture. The longest day on the road was ahead to reach Khiva, the compact pearl beyond a strong city wall. Plenty of souvenirs, friendly people, no pushy salesmen. All city tours were with great information to connect existing mosaic pieces. Final destination Turkmenistan. We all were nervous due to a lot of claims it would be a second North Korea. It is not and I have been there. We even made pictures with the image of the current president and did not go to jail as some clickbate suggests. You can also take pictures with guards on it in the distance. Just the presidential palace is taboo and close ups of uniformed. Not so different to other destinations. The border procedure was time-consuming. It is the only country that still conducts a hilarious PCR-Test. Luggage was opened, but no strict check. After two and half hours we were in. Before Uzbekistan we were carried in Marshrutka minibuses, after in buses. Always enough space. Heading to Derwaza burning crater we used modern SUV´s to survive the bumpy never maintained relics of a Soviet highway, partly driving smoother through the desert beside. Poor, slow truck drivers. All of our drivers did a great job. The crater and surround was fantastic, night and day. Last stay in a partly shared yurt camp. Since Almaty we had hotel rooms of our own, which didn´t hinder the great atmosphere among our group. Ultimate goal Asgabat. A Fata Morgana, previous visitors wouldn´t remember anything. Wide alleys, only white buildings with some accessories, interesting architecture, roundabout installations and remarkable memorials. Actually a kind the realization of "Reichshauptstadt Germania" in the desert, with plenty of LED effects on some buildings at night. The people were friendly, open and exceptional beautiful. Accommodation was overall good, sometimes small problems with cleanliness, adventurous wiring of plugs, lamps or creative bathroom installation. Margarita tried, if possible, to solve problems, for which she was of course not responsible and will help to improve this aspect for future tours. Still complaint on high level, since you get so much experience on this fascinating tour for that price. We loved the variety of food in the region as well. Best for last. Margarita! Our charming tour guide, who has safely led us through five countries and all the borders in between, was a gem. While in charge for the general success of the tour, she was still full of information about every place and tried to improve herself permanently. She arranged the meetings with our drivers and the local tour guides, who gave us then the deeper information about their countries and cities. Sooner or later we all got some struggle with flu or diarrhea, she was also not immune, but never withdrew, answered our questions, gave information for the upcoming destinations via our WhatsApp group, we were all actively participating. We were always up to date about next days breakfast and departure times as well as proposals for restaurants and sightseeing on our own. I had never the impression she is just following a stubborn program. A lot of young people in our home countries could take a leaf out of her book carrying this responsibility and processing it so well. On our last day with a farewell dinner at the local tour operator restaurant, she surprised us with a breathtaking Turkmenian robe. Great dinner, local dances and finally we participated in a traditional Turkmenistan wedding of our own. Robes, rituals and dances included. There was no moment of sadness, just happiness, although our family, yes, we became a family, would split in some hours. We handed over personal presents to our Margarita and of course envelopes of appreciation. She was more than a tour guide, she was listener, friend and sister. Is it too much to say, that if I had a daughter I would wish she were like her? Thank you very much Penguin Tours, thank you beloved tour family and thank you Margarita! I can only recommend this tour. This was a three weeks magic carpet ride.
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  Trip date: September 2025
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  Nimpa

  · October 7th, 2025
  Really enjoyed the tour, lots to see! Well organized! Our tour guide, Margarita, was knowledgeable, very approachable, and always informed us (in advance) on the daily schedule.
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  Trip date: September 2025