2/5 Ashmi B. 4 months ago on Google • 14 reviews
In
November
2023,
I
arranged
a
trip
to
Uzbekistan
through
Travels
Mantra
for
our
group
of
11
people,
with
Tashkent
as
our
destination.
Ten
of
them
had
already
arrived
and
booked
their
packages
together.
I
joined
them
a
few
hours
later,
having
booked
my
package
separately
to
join
the
group.
Initially,
my
communication
with
Travels
Mantra
was
satisfactory,
and
they
were
generally
responsive.
However,
our
experience
with
the
Uzbekistan
guide
was
unsettling.
As
a
woman,
I
found
his
behavior
to
be
uncomfortable,
marked
by
inappropriate
remarks
such
as
addressing
me
as
"dear"
and
displaying
creepy
conduct.
Despite
having
a
pre-scheduled
airport
transfer
with
him,
I
had
to
cancel
it
due
to
the
discomfort
he
caused.
My
friends
had
left
the
night
before,
and
I
was
scheduled
for
a
private
airport
transfer
with
him
the
next
morning.
Even
after
informing
him
I
wasn't
interested
in
the
transfer
the
previous
night,
he
appeared
in
the
hotel
lobby
and
tried
to
persuade
me
to
join
him.
He
only
left
when
someone
else
intervened,
causing
the
entire
incident
to
leave
me
feeling
frightened.
I
sought
a
refund
for
this
portion
of
the
trip
from
Travels
Mantra,
but
my
request
was
ignored.
Additionally,
the
tour
guide
exhibited
questionable
practices.
He
took
us
to
restaurants
where
he
received
commissions,
disregarding
the
dietary
preferences
of
clients,
especially
vegetarians.
On
numerous
occasions,
vegetarians
in
the
group
went
hungry.
At
the
same
time,
the
guide
ordered
food
for
us
based
on
his
preferences,
with
the
added
surprise
of
having
to
pay
for
his
"sumptuous"
meals,
which
was
not
mentioned
in
the
package.
Furthermore,
the
guide
avoided
taking
us
to
Charvak
Lake
(until
the
waters
and
parked
the
car
on
some
hill
pretty
far
away),
citing
payment
issues
and
claiming
that
vans
were
not
allowed
there.
However,
some
friends
who
ventured
there
reported
seeing
no
charges
and
observed
a
four-wheeler
path.
Despite
having
time,
the
guide
only
allotted
15
minutes
for
the
visit.
Sightseeing
was
also
rushed,
with
limited
time
allocated
to
most
places,
even
though
our
schedule
allowed
for
a
more
leisurely
exploration.
After
evaluating
the
prices
in
Uzbekistan,
it's
evident
that
Travels
Mantra
does
not
provide
value
for
money.
I
caution
solo
female
travelers
considering
Uzbekistan
trips
with
Travels
Mantra
to
exercise
caution
based
on
my
experience.