We did two separate tours with Visit Alay, first driving the Pamir Highway from Dushanbe to Osh, and after that a 6 day tour in Kyrgyzstan from Osh to Bishkek. Our driver in Tajikistan was Shamil, a young guy from Alichur that was very friendly and an excellent and safe driver. He helped translating as he spoke some english and was always in time. Accommodations are hit and miss in this area. Some guesthouses were really nice, but there were some not as good. Options are limited due to remoteness. In Kyrgyzstan our driver was Muhammed. He spoke better english but was a bit more aggressive behind the wheel. Friendly guy who helped us with everything and was always on time. With regard to the organization a couple of improvements can be made, especially with regard to communication. To start, we only got an email confirmation of our tours and not a document (word or pdf) with the itinerary, what to expect and advice what to bring (snacks, water, clothing). In such document they can also mention that meeting time for the start will be communicated the day before departure. It’s a small thing but can help give guests more comfort before the tour. A second improvement would be to also have options for accommodations with ensuite rooms if available (like in Khorog or Karakul), to offer more comfort and privacy. Otherwise everything was well organized and we enjoyed our trip to the fullest. Both countries are absolutely stunning.

Best and easiest way to see the Pamir Highway. First and foremost, special thank you to Daniyar, our driver and now friend, who went above and beyond to ensure our tour was exceptional and safe. Definitely recommend requesting Daniyar if he is available, he is an absolute gem. We travelled at the end of August and were paired with two solo travelers from Australia. We rode in an older Toyota Land Cruiser that was spacious enough for the journey. All of our home stays were selected beforehand by Daniyar and we enjoyed all of them. 9 days was the perfect amount of time, not too long nor not too rushed. Make sure you bring enough cash to pay for the home stays, most were 250 Tajik Somoni per person (included dinner and breakfast). Be sure to exchange money before getting to the border (could not exchange at the border). When doing the longest hike to see Engels Peak, reference maps.me and stop at the lake just after “Peak Engels Meadow & Campsite.” Two of us—myself included—insisted on walking all the way to the massive rock scree (where the trail ends on maps.me). Don’t be silly. Do not do this, as it completely cuts off your view to Engels Peak, and it will add another two hours to your hike.

A long bouncy ride through wild & beautiful mountains. Sali Polotov in the Osh office was very helpful and friendly. Both drivers were great - good English, polite, considerate and helpful. Border crossings were easy and quick with the drivers assistance. Checkpoints for the GBAO permits were all handled by the driver. All accommodations were OK and food offerings at all stays were good. The trip is not a 5 star hotel but basic - adequate and OK - enjoy the wild beauty of the towering mountains. Most of the trip is bouncing along an improved goat path. People you meet all along the way were friendly and interested in the fool tourists. All in all, I loved the 13 days. Thanks to Sali, Kuba and Abdi! My pleasure meeting you!

I am so glad I booked our Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan travel with Visit Alay. They are a very professional community based travel agency based on Osh. I cannot fault any part of the trip, pre departure communication with Azi through WA was so helpful, the authentic guesthouses and yurt stays incredibly beautiful and authentic, the hikes, challenging but worth it, the lovely drivers who through their knowledge and expertise made the trip an adventure of a lifetime. We had 18 days in total. 9 days Dushanbe to Osh with driver Shamil then 9 days travel in Kyrgyzstan with driver Nurash. I wouldn’t change a thing about this trip and cherish the incredible kindness and hospitality of the people we encountered everywhere.

I went on two separate treks with Visit Alay in August, 2024. The first was the Sary-Chelek Adventure Trek (7 days) and the second was the Asian Patagonia Trek (10 days). Both treks were exceptional and very well organized. The landscapes and experiences were absolutely amazing and unforgettable. The areas through which we trekked were pristine and virtually empty, which was perfect. We're talking pure, undisturbed nature with no crowds: the way it should be! Visit Alay provides a cook and a guide for each trek, as well as [ack horses and/or donkeys. I had Rustam and Adilet for Sary-Chelek and Marat and Suleiman for Patagonia. All were amazing and made the experiences as positive as they could have been. A special thanks to Aziret in the main office in Osh also. He was extremely helpful in helping me select the right treks and plan for them. All in all, I highly recommend Visit Alay for any Kyrgyzstan trekking adventure!

We had a great time with Homar and Nur Sultan in the Alay mountains. Our kids enjoyed a lot, the landscapes are amazing, the horses very kind and well treated. The organization of the tour was very efficient. We fully recommend!

Azi and his team are the best in the business. From the start they were amazing with communication and organised everything perfectly including our very complicated requests. We are from Australia and we travelled for 3 weeks and they were one of the few groups who could organise self drive car hire for the Pamirs. They went above and beyond and organised all paperwork for border crossings and several car transfers and a horse trek all on a custom basis. Azi was available at all times to help with any issue we had. A special shout out to Erlan who was our guide on the horse trek who was excellent and kind mannered.

This company's prices are extortionate compared to what you will pay if you book locally. We did a 3 day horse to Song Kul. The tour we did was no different to that which others we met paid hundreds of dollars less. Also, they didn't follow the route as described on the website and so we spent much less time at the lake than we had planned and expected. When I challenged them on this afterwards they just said I should have done more research. Don't book with them, wait til you get there and you'll have just as good an experience for 3 times less.

I had a 7 days Pamir trip with other 3 people. The organization and communication was good; the team helped also with GBAO permit after the self-submitted application did not go through. The home stays/ yurts were authentic and hosts kindness and availability stood out. The team has a great network. Our driver, Iqbol, was amazing at finding solutions in challenging moments (eg. road blocks, altitude sickness, plan changes) and making us feel like a real group. It would not have been the same trip without him! The trip could be cheaper if done in self service. As someone who has been driving thousands km even in remote areas though, the second half I think it would have been quite challenging without local/route expertise. Personally, the only thing I’d change is doing more hikes; while the trip had 2 included I would have done some more.

We just come back from 6 days private tour from Irkeshtam pass to Bishkek. Azi was always very quick and professional on our request. Joomart is very good driver even in difficult offroad itinerary and a kind person.. every time smiling and helpful with everyone. Good homestay and perfect yurt camp in Lenin Peak and Song Kul lake. Wonderful adventure in Kirghizistan. Thank a lot.

It was a wonderful experience. Riding in these wild territories and being in contact with a nomadic family and living their life was truly a life lesson. Thanks in particular to our extraordinary guide Daniel, a young man of 24 years old, very prepared and professional. With him it was possible to interact with the nomads and discover many curiosities of these wonderful people. Thanks Daniel, simply extraordinary

I took the 9 day pamir highway trip from Dushanbe to Osh. I would highly recommend Visit alay. They were very organised and professional and kept in communication ahead of the trip. They were also flexible when I needed to change my departure date, matching me with a new group. We had a wonderfully friendly and helpful driver Kokon in Tajikistan who was extremely kind and could communicate with us in English. He found us good homestays and places to eat along the way. The scenery throughout the trip was spectacular, and we were even able to adjust our itinerary during the trip to see the Tajik Afghan market along the route. I would highly recommend the trip and company.

I had a fantastic time on my 8 day “best of alay” trek. Azi, our guide was fantastic. He’s full of energy, works hard, is open to feedback and makes the trek fun through dance breaks. My only feedback for visit alay company is to improve the food. The meals were very carbohydrate heavy and there was hardly any protein provided throughout the week.

We took the 5 day horse trek through the Alay mountains. It was a great experience. The typically day had about 2 hours of horse riding in the morning, then lunch, then 2 hours of horse riding in the afternoon. This was plenty for us. Then, we stayed at yurts in the evening. We had a wonderful guide and two horsemen during our trip. We had very little (essentially zero) horseback riding experience and the terrain was rugged sometimes, with steep drop-offs. I have a fear of heights, but was ok on the horse. The journey itself is beautiful. More parts of it than I thought had no obvious trail - you are going over grass or stones. There were two about 10-11,000 ft passes that we went over. The yurts were all great. Typically only one yurt for guests and a resident family that was authentically living the herding lifestyle. Food was great and appropriate. Bathrooms were surprisingly clean. We didn't see any other tourists on our trip.

Terrible experience, specially from the owner/manager of the company, Sally. At the beginning of the tour, we had a problem with a flooded road, so the tour agency had to provide a new car and a taxi trip from Penjikent to Dushanbe. But, instead of paying for it, Sally wanted us to pay for it. He called us and he was extremely rude, and he told me to shut the f*** up (I didn't even say anything to him and he was so angry). Just very unprofessional behavior. Additionally, without prior notice he wanted us to pay for the tour at 10pm in Dushanbe, to one of his representatives there. The problem was not paying at that point, it was the rush all of a sudden and at night without prior notice. He also wanted to cancel the tour without giving any reason. The tour itself was ok and the drivers were in general fine. Just one thing, though, the tour agencies advertises them as English-speaking drivers but in reality they just speak a few words. I would recommend to book the Pamir tour with another company other than Visit Alay. Maybe if there are no problems and if everything goes smooth you won't experience what we experienced but if some problems arise the unprofessionalism and unacceptable behavior of Sally could ruin your holidays. He seems quite a dangerous and angry human being, so you'd better book your tour with someone else.