Wilderness Travel — Local services in Berkeley

Just got back from a fantastic trip with Wilderness Travel aboard a luxury train in Uzbekistan! An amazing experience in a country that has fascinating historic Silk Road towns, museums, mosques, artisan crafts, delicious food and more. Uzbekistan is a true mixture of ancient cultures and modern life. Go before mass tourism discovers this welcoming, clean, friendly, easy to navigate destination!

Thanks to Wilderness Travel for finding the “Treasures of Uzbekistan” - an 11 day journey aboard the Golden Eagle train where passengers have comfortable individual cabins with bathroom and shower, and enjoy the bar lounge car and delicious dining in the restaurant. We visited famous Silk Road cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva - departing the train and boarding a bus with local, English speaking guide to tour UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as ancient Old Towns, museums and mosques. Put on your scarf, ladies, and everyone take off your shoes. Uzbekistan is mostly Muslim but does not feel as restrictive or strict as Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia.

From a traditional Uzbek barbecue on the train platform to enjoying “plov” the favorite national dish (like a pilaf), fresh vegetables and other varied cuisine at artisan homes, restaurants and aboard the train, we were well fed and passengers shared meals and wines.

Writing a short review about this outstanding trip doesn’t nearly render the joy of discovery and experiences of this WT journey. So much to learn about Uzbekistan’s history with rulers like Emir Temur (related to Ghengis Khan), Arab Khans(leaders), Russian Tsars, then Bolsheviks, Soviet Union then finally independence in 1991. Ancient walls, palaces, mosques, and Madrasahs are testaments to the past travelers explore. And there are also the colorful markets, visits to craftsmanship of ceramic art, creation of silk fabric in family run “factories” and visit to a miniaturist painter’s studio.

Uzbekistan also has a gorgeous, clean, efficient metro system built by the Soviets and decorated with artwork at each station. A ticket was about 20 cents and you could hop on and off to view the chandeliers, tile decor and architectural delights at various stops.

This was a great experience thanks to WT for finding it for me. I’m a solo “elegant age” (that’s what the Uzbeks call elderly people😉) traveler and found other passengers (couples, singles, friends) well traveled, interesting and friendly. Expedition leaders and staff on the Golden Eagle train were excellent - experienced, enthusiastic and...

Wilderness Travel exceeded our expectations. Our private journey to Morocco was our first time traveling with Wilderness Travel and they exceeded our expectations on every front. I highly recommend them and plan to do another trip with them in the future. Barbara Wright worked with us to tailor our trip to our interests and our available time window and Rebecca Streicker-Cale handled the details and logistics of the trip admirably. A good trip manager exceeds ones expectations and Wilderness Travel did just that. Given that it was a private journey, much of the work was done before we departed … designing the route, selecting private riads, extending our time in the Sahara Desert, and perhaps most importantly, assigning us the perfect guide. What more could one ask for?

Our guide, Ali Ait Ichou, was amazing! We have traveled the world and he was one of our best guides ever! It is hard to imagine how anyone could have done a better job leading our trip. He was patient, kind, caring, sensitive, personable, engaging, and most of all knowledgeable. His demeanor put us at ease throughout the trip. Ali has a clear sense of pride in his people and Morocco and he answered our many questions with facts and insights. He shared his love for Morocco and his experience as a Moroccan Berber. He taught us about his country’s cultures, religions, food, people, history, and geology. His attention to detail was simply outstanding. His handling of the trip was seamless. In many aspects he made the trip what it was … excellent. He exceeded our expectations and made it a memorable trip … an unforgettable experience. I can't think of a single thing Ali could have done better! We especially enjoyed the special things that would have been impossible for us to find or do on our own, such as our lunch with a Berber family in the mountains, our walks through community gardens, and our visit to a nomad family in the desert near the border with Algeria. We wanted to experience the local culture and Ali made sure that all our meals were special … local non touristy places for the most part. Ali listened to our interests and then worked to fulfill them. If I mentioned a topic or a sight or showed him a photo of something we were interested in, he worked to include it in our itinerary. He made our visit a once in a lifetime experience. He was an outstanding leader and guide in every aspect … and now he...

A group of us went on a Wilderness Travel safari this month to Tanzania, and what an incredible trip. We all met in Arusha at their beautiful lodge and spent a couple days before flying to the Tarangire National Park for 3 lovely nights of game drives. Then flew to northern Serengeti National Park for 4 nights, before flying back to Arusha. I watched YouTube safari videos for the last year, anticipating what it would be like. I saw things like “bring a water bottle with a filter in it”, “bring bars and snacks for the early game drives”, “bring a beanie and gloves”, etc. Oh no. NO NO NO. This trip was not like the YouTube videos. The lodges / camps we stayed in are all privately-owned, and exquisite. Coffee and cookies brought to our tent patios at 6am while it’s still dark, and we were getting ready for the morning game drive. Complete lovely FULL breakfast in the main dining area (family style) prior to departing for the morning. Beautiful full lunch either back at camp, or under a tree while still out on the game drive… unlimited PURIFIED water at camps, in our tents, as well as in all Toyota Land Cruisers… unlimited drinks in coolers while on game drives. Guides who were the most amazing, knowledgeable gentlemen, who you could not throw out a question they could not answer, whether it was about an animal, a custom, politics, history, etc. Each return from a game drive is met with all the staff, and cold wash cloths, and champagne/cocktails/drinks by the fire pit… sometimes with animals right there in the camp. The staff members at the lodges were INCREDIBLE! So hospitable, polite, friendly, and SO hard-working young men, they were a real treat to be around. They tried so hard to even remember our names, which was so nice. The food at each lodge, AMAZING! 10 days of 3 different lodges/camps, with breakfasts, lunches, dinners, that were all completely different, and completely fabulous! These were multi-course meals, fresh fruit, and some wonderful dessert! The chefs are amazing. Then being escorted back to our tents each evening (mandatory when it’s dark), our beds were turned down, and ready for a lovely night (maybe hearing animals), to do it again the next day! They completely blew the YouTube videos out of the water. Pampered safari living was truly a dream come true. A trip of a lifetime. Thank you...