It is good to be home after 2 weeks of travel. The trip was great! Japan is an amazing country, with very different cultures. But this trip was also great because it was a Discovery trip which takes great care of the members. Also, it was great because of Katsumi, our tour guide and Manager. He is a great organizer. Overall, we are very happy with this trip.

We had a fabulous experience in Japan. We were pleasantly surprised with the calligraphy session, chopsticks gold leaving, kimono dress up, geisha performance and discussion and kodomnomi maki dinner. But most impressed with our tour guide, Hiroshima. He was well informed. Organized, patient, professional and courteous throughout the entire trip. Gate 1 hired excellent staff in this trip. It was our first experience with Gate 1 and will book with you again.

I just wanted to say that Rumi, our tour guide, was phenomenal! She was funny, organized, kind, and went above any beyond when taking care of our group. She was an outstanding guide and a very kind human. I wish there were more people in the world like her. She made the Japan trip that much more fabulous. I learned so much, I laughed so much, and enjoyed myself so much.

Mie is a very knowledgeable tour guide! She knew exactly where to take us and what to expect! She had great advice on what stores, restaurants and sites to visit on our personal time. She was very funny and she seemed very concerned that all her guests got the most out of their experience.

We knew that Uzbekistan is an interesting country with a lot of history going back to the b.c. era, but we were a little hesitant to go as this is a relatively new destination for Gate 1. However, we were up for a huge surprise, not only did this Gate 1 trip once again exceed our expectations, but also Uzbekistan turned out to be an amazing country with great people. Our tour manager and guide Maruf (Mark) not only was able to share the great history of his country but also he allowed us to learn the culture of Uzbek people . They turned out to be the most welcoming and friendly people who are proud of their history and happy to share it with visitors. Their tolerance to all world religions and cultures impressed us the most. Uzbekistan is very welcoming to tourists, English is widely spoken. Once again Gate1 didn't disappoint us on their choice of tour managers, guides and drivers. Thank you, gate 1 for another great vacation.

I am the travel agent but I also traveled with my clients in this trip. This is one of the best tours that I have experienced with Gate1. This is like "the road not taken", unknown destinations, but surprisingly, everybody enjoyed the trip! The Armenia guide, Nane, is topnotch - she is the gold standard, 10 out of 10. In fact, after visiting 109 countries, she is in my top 3 best guides. She has the knowledge and organizational skills that I look for in a guide me. Armenia became one of my favorite countries because of her. Georgia is another amazing destination. Our guide David is also great but because he took over the group from Nane, there will always be a comparison. Not bad - I will rate him as 9 out of 10. I will recommend Armenia and Georgia to my clients. These countries should be in the bucket list of all seasoned travelers.

We had yet another wonderful trip with Gate1: 10 days Uzbekistan - this time with Davron as our manager, director and guide. The country of Uzbekistan is safe, clean, hospitable, super comfortable for tourism. The architecture, historical significance sites and nature are amazing. All have to be seen, its is hard to describe the beauty. Davron is one of the best travel experts seen by us so far, he is just made for this difficult occupation. He is well educated intellectual, has deep knowledge of history, complicated politics, exotic traditions and skillful presentation of material, excellent people skills, including fine diplomacy to maintain harmonious climate in the group, he has smooth sense of humor, sincere, very tactful and genuinely politically correct, helpful and caring, always ready to make extra effort to provide his guest more comfort, true ambassador for his beloved country, not to mention very physically able to assist many "mature" wards. His organizational skills are of very high level, scheduling was always to the minute. Logistics of the trip worked like Swiss watch! Which brings me to the commendation to the trip driver: he was excellent professional, kept the group safe on the road, maintained the bus in spick and span condition, always stocked with road trip necessities, provided snacks and hot drinks on the road, handled luggage and was overall very friendly and hospitable. Thank you Davron and Gate1 Travel!

The trip to Uzbekistán was fantastic. The tour manager Ilham was very professional , he took care of every details for us to have great time. The drivers very professional also.

Our experience and stay in Andong was really special. This experience permitted us to experience the food and culture more than anything else we did. We helped make our lunch, Bibimbep. Delicious! I've been to Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, but visiting the Bongjeongsa Temple and having a conversation and tea with the head monk was an experience outside-of-the-box. We also got to experience the making of rice wine and visited the brewery. I believe it was this day that we also got to see the process in making paper, in fact, we got to make our own sheet of paper first hand. This was what I wanted when I saw the title of this discovery tour "Life and Culture of South Korea." This trip did not disappoint.

I had a wonderful time in Mongolia because we had wonderful tour director who is known as " TS". TS has a vast knowledge about his country. He is intelligent and very caring and concern of the needs of everyone on the tour. TS is an excellent Tour Director! It was indeed a beautiful tour, especially visiting the Nomadic community and the trip to the Gobi Desert. I will definitely recommend this Gate 1 tour to Mongolia. Thanks for a very nice tour!

I just wanted to add that our guide in Mongolia - Mars - was outstanding. I've been on many guided tours through various tour groups and Mars really stands out. He is very proud and knowledgeable about his country, his English is excellent, he is exceedingly patient and very flexible. He was very responsive to our group of fourteen - no easy task. We were all very impressed with him.

We recently completed the tour of Mongolia. I am writing to share feedback that our tour guide Erke was one of the best tour guides I have ever encountered. She had a wonderful attitude and amazing customer service. She quickly resolved every issue that arose. She overcame every challenge with ease and always reassured the guests. I highly recommend your company continuing to utilize her as a guide. Thank you.

We had a fantastic trip to Mongolia. Our tour manager, Mars, was wonderful. He was available to everyone 24/7. He was extremely knowledgeable. We had a great time and look forward to booking more Discovery Tours with Gate 1. Thank you once again.

Our Trip to Mongolia was excellent. Gate 1 Travel did an excellent job creating itinerary & Tour Guide TS is very good. Mongolia is a great destination. Very Unique, untouched & everyone is very friendly. Ulaanbaatar City is like Modern City & we did not see any hostility or Bad people. This was our first trip with Gate1 & we will do more trips with Gate 1 for sure. We will highly recommend Gate 1. I would like to thank Gate 1 Team, who has arranged a Land Package with selected Hotels, Site seeing places, Local flights, Local Hotels & Local Gers with Bathroom & Hot water, also local SUVs, Food, Drinks Just all was arranged High class & smooth. In such remote Places, providing daily comfort for bathroom & travel is just impossible for anyone to do alone with Google searches!!!! If you can Provide " Business class Upgrade option" on Such a long Flight with discounted rate, if Possible can be very helpful. Arranging local tribe people's home, meeting them, meeting Reindeer tribe -Just amazing experience. Gate 1 Travel is a very good company who has arranged such a Tough Trip & made it so easy working with local Tourism & local vendors prior to our trip. Just an amazing job. Bravo. You guys had arranged Vegetarian Food days for us...which we thought was very difficult BUT you did it. TS out tour guide is a very good English speaking person, he knows about Mongolia and he knows the local language. There is nothing I can see to recommend to make our trip better. I cannot stop writing about all the good things we experienced. Also, in 10 days we met new people & got the feeling of a new Family. Selection of Destination & Itinerary is #1. This is not our usual tour....

We had an incredible time on our trip! I was adopted from Korea and traveled with my family (my husband and 2 adult children) and my dad and stepmom. Our travel guide, Sharon, made a huge impact on the trip as she shared history of Korea and her own personal stories. They helped connect me to the culture and gain an understanding of the life and culture of your beautiful country. I would love to go back again and if I did, having Sharon as a tour guide would be essential to a successful trip. She made us feel like family and it was a very special trip.

This tour of South Korea was my 8th tour with Gate 1 and I have to say that Joy was the best Tour Manager I've ever encountered. More than any of my other tours with G1 or any other tour for that matter. Joy's chosen English name certainly fits her personality perfectly. In addition to being very knowledgeable about her country and extremely well-spoken, she was attentive to every single individual. No one was left feeling left out and every single person felt like they were special to her. You always felt like she was speaking directly to you. Her constant smile, infectious laugh and coolness under pressure made this trip the smoothest it could possibly be. I understand that this was only her second time leading a G1 tour and that G1 is relatively new to South Korea. I can only hope that you keep her engaged and happy.

Feedback: 1. Excellent design of the overall trip in terms of sequence of the places visited and timing of the daily events with 9 am daily starting time. We started in Tashkent and reached a crescendo at Samarkand. 2. Very inclusive of important historical places. 3. Flexible additions of a few places illuminated at night. 4. Ilkhom was extremely well informed, courteous, helpful, caring and fun to be with. He welcomed us in our national language of Urdu/Hindi at the airport and maintained its usage during the tour. He is an asset to Gate 1. 5. Restaurants and visits to markets were memorable. 6. The meals were really good when polov, sheesh kabob and mid-eastern cuisine was served. 7. The Komil Banquet Hotel in Bukhara was exceptional. 8. Transportation between cities was comfortable, safe and timely. 9. Unlimited supply of water was appreciated. 10. We received value for the money.

My May trip to South Korea was one of the BEST taken with Gate1 in terms of food (variety of buffets, local food, "hands-on experiences), group size (18) and sights seen at each location. Only suggestion to improve this trip would be a bit more "free time" to explore the local markets and shopping opportunities. Many thanks for a great trip!

If I could , I would rate Davron as not just excellent, but Extraordinary. It was not only his ability to impart information but his style of doing so which communicated his command of the material and his desire to 'teach'. His response to questions , at times, difficult ones, demonstrated his ability to answer the question and communicate the context in which the answer was being generated. A difficult and refined line to walk. Given the physical restraints of some of the party, he handled this with delicacy so as to make the individuals involved and the group as a whole feel as though everyone's needs were being addressed. As my partner and I have stayed on an extra week he had been generously forthcoming in terms of assistance and information. I guess on a scale of 1-5 I would rate him a 10.

First of all huge kudos to G1 for adding Uzbekistan as a tour destination - I have waited a while to take this trip Discover Uzbekistan, as had originally booked it during the pandemic - and was it worth the wait! My 48th G1 trip and this one was the road less traveled for sure. It exceeded expectations in every way - Uzbekistan was super clean - not a speck of litter anywhere, lovely, friendly people, surprisingly modern, sophisticated cities in Tashkent the capitol and Samarkand. The Silk Road cities were remarkable and it felt so privileged to see them - photos do not do justice to the splendor of the sites - just magnificent. Hotels were lovely and each perfect for the location. Included meals were plentiful and delicious - loved the national dish of plov! The drivers in Tashkent and Abdulavale for the rest of the trip from our pick up in Urgench were helpful, kind and skillful and our tour manager throughout Timur was above and beyond excellent - kind, funny, perfect English, so knowledgeable and an engaging storyteller, supremely organized and just a sweet and nice man - one of the very best tour managers I have ever experienced. We had a small group of six and it felt so personal and the group got along well and enjoyed the spirit of adventure! We explored Uzbekistan by plane, train and automobile and on reflection it was one of the most incredible journeys I have ever taken. Excited to see that tours to another Stan, Kyrgyzstan, has just been added for 2024. Again kudos to G1 for providing us with this gateway to Central Asia and for the chance to explore off the beaten path destinations. I can't wait for more!

Our Uzbekistan Trip was great. All credit goes to MS Hellen, our tour director from Uzbekistan. She took care of every need of ours .The best tour Director we ever had for long time.

Our recent trip to Uzbekistan was amazing (April 2022). Our guide Murafkhan or Mark as many of us called him, was outstanding. He honestly made the trip- with his knowledge, friendliness, humor, and organizational skills. He went beyond to help all of us when necessary. He suggested restaurants and ate with us on our nights on our own. Our tour ended Friday but my husband and I stayed an extra day and Maruf insisted on accompanying us on Saturday to show us more of his beautiful city of Tashkent. We invited him and his fiancé to supper with us. And then returned to our hotel at midnight to see us off at the airport. You have hired a gem. A great ambassador for the beautiful country of Uzbekistan. A fantastic trip.

First, I would like to congratulate Gate1 in selecting Uzbekistan as a destination. It is a superb country and offers fantastic sightseeing opportunities. While seemingly off the beaten path as most, even seasoned, tourists don't make it there, it is of course anything but given that the Silk Road traverses the country. Typically I don't get around to writing feedback after trips, but I feel inspired to do so after this one. I also want to let Gate1 know that our tour guide, Marufkhan , was really excellent! I have taken 5 tours with Gate 1 already and believe all our guides were good (especially Anil in Thailand and Leo in Peru). I also have taken many other tours with other companies, multinational and local, and those also featured competent and agreeable guides. Nonetheless, I would say Marufkhan is among the very best I've had. In addition to his superb management, I really appreciated his erudition and enthusiasm in providing us sophisticated and detailed explanations about the sites we were seeing. Moreover, he was extremely attentive to our needs. I should mention we were only a group of three friends form Canada. Unfortunately, other friends of ours (4 from past gate 1 tours) backed out due to the unfolding crisis in Ukraine. Apparently, so did the rest of the originally-reserved group. Thus, he only had the 3 of us to cater to. While that might appear straightforward, other guides might not have felt the desire to be so attentive, perhaps preferring to have their own well-deserved time especially in evenings. Marufkhan also facilitated quick visits to places not on the itinerary, such as a greenhouse and a Sandovar, knowing we had an interest in civil engineering and irrigation. Upon our return to Tashkent, he ensured that we were well taken care of until our departures even though the tour was technically over and we were no longer his responsibility. Naturally, we reflected all of this in our tips (which he most definitely earned). Thanks for providing a venue for this feedback.

This was our first Gate 1 tour and my wife and I had an amazing time and fabulous experience in China. What better way to enjoy the people, the history and culture of China than with our awesome Gate 1 tour manager Susan. The sites (Great wall, Terracotta soldiers, Emperors and Summer places, Shangai by night), the culture (Tang dynasty show, Jade Buddha Temple), the tastes (all the Chinese restaurants we ate at, dim sum dinner) were all amazing! I can't forget to give props to our awesome local guides Dary(Xian) and Jeff(Shanghai). I'll be recommending Gate 1 Travel to all my friends and family. Thank you Gate 1.

The trip was so amazing, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable and took the outmost care of us all!! Those two things made for a lovely memorable discovery trip ever! I will for sure look forward to another trip with Gate 1, Discovery Tours.

We had a great trip. Jason was a wonderful tour director. He came up with impromptu additions to the program when one of our inter-China flights ran late. He took us to the open air market at Chongqing. It was a great experience. He immersed us into the culture. He also added dancing with the locals in a park at Xi’an and on the streets of Beijing. He was a lot of fun and very energetic. He seemed to really enjoy his job! This was our first trip with Gate 1 and we plan to use Gate 1 again. We saw more of China than some of our friends who had paid almost twice as much!

AMAZING!!!! Beyond fabulous!! We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!! Met some wonderful people, ate some good food and saw some incredible sights!! Jason, our Tour Director was the best!! And all of our Tour Guides - Jenny, Hailey, Christina we’re all fun and sooo knowledgeable!! We are looking for our next Gate 1 trip!! Thanks for another experience of a lifetime!!

Our Discovery tour of China with Tibet is one of the best, if not the best of the sixteen Gate 1 tours (and fifth Discovery tour) that we have taken. All the arrangements were perfect, especially the checking-in of our luggage and getting boarding passes before we even get to the airports for our domestic flights (service that we have never experienced in any other country)! Our tour guide Frank is the best guide in all respects that we have had on any tour. He is obviously very experienced, concerning, caring, always there when we needed him, full of knowledge about the locations and history. One of the most admirable qualities of Frank was that he never seems flustered, always prepared and concerned about our safety, warned us ahead of time what to expect and how to prepare ourselves for good parts and possible difficulties that we may encounter on the next stop, such as the high altitude of Tibet and the difficult hike of the Great Wall. He is always very concerned about some of our group who had special needs, however inconvenient, such as special diet needs, or travel difficulties. And there were some very demanding people in the group. Frank also worked very well with all the local guides and the drivers. This small Discovery group travel is wonderful, especially since we only had sixteen in the group. We had a vey nice group that traveled well together. This has been a wonderful tour of THE highlights of China - Great Wall, Forbidden City, Ming Tomb, Terracotta Warriors, panda bears, Tibet Potala Palace, Yangtze River cruise through the Three Gorges, Shanghai sights especially the Bund night scene. What our group talked about was that Gate 1 should also have a "follow-up reunion" Discovery tour of some lesser well known but could be equally spectacular sights of China such as Jiuzhaigou, Zhangjiajie, Huangsan, Guilin, etc. The group talked a lot about traveling together again in the future, but a true "reunion" in China with Frank as our guide would be very attractive. We have traveled to China a lot in the past, but this trip has truly been very special, different and memorable. All the details of the trip, some however small, were handled beautifully by our guide Frank and everything about the trip went smoothly and comfortably.

This was my 5th trip with Gate 1, the first for my younger brother Stephen who traveled with me. We were both overwhelmed with the scope of learning and understanding gained, as well as the precision and attention to detail ...the details that make a trip smooth and enjoyable for the group. I believe a key to this success in in "managing expectations," a feat our guide did with finesse and kindness. This China/Tibet trip is mind expanding and comprehensive in scope, personal, yet international in focus. Every time I try to decide what was the very best part of the trip, I think of 15 different times, places, interactions, guides, meals, all worthy of the descriptor "best." True of this trip--as it has been in the other trips I have taken with Gate 1--was your selection of a singularly professional, knowledgeable and personable Guide. Tom truly made this difficult and comprehensive trip feel as if he was leading his "friends" to enjoy and understand his country. For me these trips are about international interactions--with guides, artisans, chefs, historians, scholars, and also, with each other--disparate travelers who come together for experiences and friendships, and spread the excitement and understanding with friends and family at home. Details--the Chendu pandas were only outdone by the ladies and gentlemen in the park who helped us learn mahjong. And the ladies and gentlemen in the park in Xian who danced and sang and "hake-sacked" with us--Wow! The lectures in Tibet and Shanghai sated our curiosity, as did the Hutong and Shanghai lunches sated our appetite. And, when we got on the cruise, we practiced our newly learned mahjong skills, and taught other cruisers. Who goes on a trip, eats three meals a day (love the lazy susans!), and comes home 4 pounds lighter! Someone who climbs The Great Wall, the steps of the Potala Palace, the 9 floors of the Red Pagoda, and the steps to the White Emperor Pagoda...and dances with the ladies in the parks!

My trip to Mongolia was great!!! Our tour guide, NAMJAA, was wonderful. As a mater of fact the best guide I have had yet on any of my Gate 1 trips. He was fun, interesting, well informed, helped us all understand the pride he has in his country and its history. Because we were traveling into the early fall season, and there were unpredictable weather events, that caused changes in our itinerary, NAMJAA was able to navigate and reroute our course seamlessly an with great humor. To me, a great guide makes or breaks the experience and the journey. Please tell NAMJAA how much I appreciate his sharing his country, his insights, and personal family stories so much so that, I would like someday to return, so I can see the Rain-dear people.

OMG, the cultural experience in China was awesome. All 4 of my Gate 1 trips have been spectacular, but this was a unique opportunity bonding with many of the people in China. Having people, especially young children & teens approach to have their picture with an American. A morning in the local park doing Tai Chi and singing and dancing with the locals was the type of moment I will never forget. Frank the guide was awesome and made the trip as great as it was. Thank you for all you and Gate 1 do to make our travel experiences so excellent.

Our trip was great! The pace was active and we liked that. We covered a lot of territory in a relatively short time. We also loved that our group only had 15 people in it. Our guide, Jessica, was phenomenal. She was calm under pressure and took so much care to check in with all of us individually to make sure we were all happy and felt well.

It was wonderful! I've seldom enjoyed a trip more. Our tour manager Sam was superlative, so organized and on top of everything as well as helpful and friendly. Our local guides Ivy, Nora, Jack, Michelle and Tom were great, all very knowledgeable. We had a lot of fun and a lot of laughter at their stories and anecdotes. We had no problems anywhere. Our tour mates were a great bunch of people, we bonded really well. China and Tibet are great places, so much history beauty and everything else too. The trip was well organized in its choices of the cities to visit and activities. Hotels were well chosen and the food was superlative. The home hosted lunches were definitely a highlight for me.It was a truly memorable experience to meet the local people in their home Well done Sam, well done Gate 1 ! Looking forward to the Egypt trip in October.

The China-Tibet Trip was great and our tour manager Andy was outstanding in managing all aspects of our travel plans and details! Of course the local tour guides were excellent in services and site-seeing knowledge. We will continue to use Gate 1 as our favorite International tour agent.

Our trip was fabulous! Everything about it was far beyond our expectations. Melinda was an outstanding tour guide. Louise & Shirley were wonderful, as well. Hotels were first class, restaurant choices were excellent, itinerary & optional tours were interesting & fascinating and organization was exceptional. Well done, Gate 1! Can't wait for our next trip!

Tracey and I had a wonderful trip, we're so glad we went to China, such a fascinating country. From beginning to end logistics was made effortless by our wonderful tour guide Frank! Didn't have to think about handling of any luggage throughout, everything was all taken care of as well as boarding passes for each internal flight. Fantastic. This was our 2nd trip with Gate 1 and would definitely consider another- price point- value for money- excellent.

The trip was great. What made it great was the tour guide. Our tour guide name was Frank. He was terrific and went out of way to make it comfortable for all of us. He spoke English well and helped us in translation to go to stores and restaurants. He made sure we had enough food to eat and drink and continuously check in with us as to whether we had enough and whether the quality was good. When we went out on our own, he walked with us to make sure we knew where to go so that we wont get lost. He was a terrific guide in every way.

Our trip to China and Tibet was excellent. This was our first group tour and we were quite pleasantly surprised by the experience. Our tour manager, Sam, was exceptional! He was accommodating and personable from the very start and his professionalism showed every day with his communication skills and ability to manage every detail for all of us on the tour. We were impressed by the knowledge, communication, and friendliness of every one of our local guides as well. Good job all around Discovery Tours!

My wife and I had an awesome time on the 17 day China Tour Trip. We saw and learned so much about China and it easily surpassed our high expectations. This was our 3rd Gate 1 Trip and we have come to expect the care for detail and their ability to provide quality lodgings, meals and transportation. However, what made the trip so special for us was our luck in getting Melinda as our guide. She made the the wonderful trip remarkable. Her knowledge, her sense of humor, her organizational skills, her sensitivity to each individual's needs, her efforts to teach us everything -from basic Chinese language to the history of various periods of Chinese history and customs were wonderful and memorable. As you can see, I can't say enough good things about her. She is a treasure.

The most wonderful "WOW" experience of my life. The China trip exceeded beyond our expectations. Our tour manager, Jason, other tour guides especially Jenny. Our drivers, hotel, restaurant and cruise staff were all excellent. They made our stay very special that I felt sad saying goodbye to them. From the historical places, the pandas, the flowers, the lights, food, music, cultural presentation, people's interaction in the park...doing Tae Chi, singing, dancing etc. all these indeed were the total China experience that satisfy the basic human senses: sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. Jason indeed made this trip personalized, we were all touched when he and Cristina played the music in the bus on our last night at Shanghai "Leaving on a jet plane" and we all sung. I am so glad I was with this group!!! I have to commend all the people who coordinated this trip. Gate 1 Travel indeed is so fortunate to have Jason as their China's tour manager, he does not only do his job he goes beyond what is expected of him in taking care of us and how he values his job with Gate 1!!! I have been sharing stories and experiences with my family, office mates and friends inspiring them to travel with Gate 1!!! Keep up the good work!! MORE OF THE WORLD FOR LESS!!!

I would describe our trip with one word PHENOMENAL. Our tour guide Johny went above and beyond in taking care of us with whatever was needed to keep us safe ... And all kinds of other little things. He also was very informative about the old empires of China and the new China. We couldn’t have wished for any better. From the beginning of the tour to the end where he took us to the airport to ensure our take off went well. The boat cruise up the Yangtze River was fantastic, I enjoyed myself so much. The sight of the mountain range up the shore line was breathtaking. And then the excursions were fantastic. Well I could go on and on, but to make it short I had one of the times of my life, and trying to figure out where I’m going to go for my next vacation. Don’t know yet. Only one thing is sure it will be with Gate 1.

The trip was great! Frank, our main guide was above and beyond- can’t even describe how he was knowledgeable but also able to keep the group happy. The other guides: ivy, Scotty , Steven were also superb plus excellent drivers. Great hotels and perfect food. It was over the top. I would recommend this trip highly, but be ready for whirlwind time. But it really was Frank that made this trip fabulous. Can not say enough about him!!!