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Hello dear friends! Welcome to the land of turquoise lakes and mountains of Tajikistan! My name is Ardasher! I was born on February 17, 1995 in one of the most beautiful villages in Ruknobod, which is located in the Zarafshon Valley, in the city of Panjakent. I graduated from the National University of Tajikistan, and now I live and work in Dushanbe. I have worked as a tour guide and provider since 2013 throughout Tajikistan. My work experience began as a guide-interpreter in some travel companies. The reasons for choosing this profession grew in my heart, when I used to study at school. Also, my birthplace Ruknobod is in a place where a lot of foreign tourists visit, I used to have a shop in the center of the village and when tourists asked me about recommendations, I would happily show them, inform and help them. The other reason for choosing this activity is my father, he is an English teacher and during the summer holidays he used to work as an interpreter for travel companies. He invited a lot of foreign tourists to our house, so he used to try to speak English with them. I like to meet new people of new cultures, traditions and different places of interest and historical importance. I also like to know more and more about the geography of all the countries in the world, especially about the geography of my country, Tajikistan. I speak Tajik (my mother tongue), English and Russian. My goal is to provide and organize a unique and best quality service for everyone.
Very Disappointing Experience – I Don’t Understand the High Rating I honestly don’t understand how this guide has such a high rating on GuruWalk, which I’ve generally found to be a very reliable platform. From the very start, the experience was disappointing. The night before the tour, the guide messaged me—not only to tell me we’d be starting two and a half hours earlier than advertised, but also to try to sell me additional tours and services around the country. The original tour was scheduled for 10:30 AM, but he insisted we meet at 8:00 AM, supposedly because of the heat. However, during the tour he admitted the real reason: he had booked a private tour at 10:30 and could not keep the original schedule. This was unprofessional and misleading. His knowledge of the city, country, culture, and history was extremely limited. One of the main reasons I enjoy walking tours is to learn about the background, context, and stories that make a place come alive. Instead, this tour was simply walking past a few of the main monuments and buildings in the city of Ushambe, with very little explanation. When we asked about cultural or historical topics, he often had no idea, and at times it seemed he didn’t even understand the question. About 30% of the tour was spent inside the National Library, where the guide handed us over to a library employee who gave all the explanations, while he stood aside doing nothing. I usually tip between €20 and €40 for a walking tour, but in this case I initially intended to give the equivalent of only €2 because I felt he was taking advantage of me as a tourist. However, he became insistent—almost demanding—that I give him at least €10. In the end, my travel companion and I gave him a $10 bill just to end the uncomfortable situation. In short, this guide showed zero passion, zero effort, and treated the job as a way to take advantage of tourists in a growing destination. I cannot recommend him, and I believe GuruWalk should reconsider hosting tours from someone with such poor professionalism.
We very much enjoyed the tour and would recommend it. We liked the energy of the guide and learned a lot about the historical side of Dushanbe. The tour wasn't too long, which was good given the heat.
Ardasher was very enthusiastic & knowledgeable on the town of Dushanbe. I was on the tour on my own and felt that it was rushed but being in a group situation, I think this is where Ardasher would thrive.
Es hat sehr Spaß gemacht, ihm zuzuhören. Ich habe viele Eindrücke von der Stadt bekommen, die ich selbst mit der Geschichte dahinter nicht so nah erlebt hätte. Ich kann es auf jeden Fall nur herzlichst weiterempfehlen.
