Testimonials 

​I had such an amazing 9 days away with Experience Ukraine.

I had such an amazing 9 days away with Experience Ukraine. It was so authentic, fun, delicious, memorable. Although we saw plenty this trip was about stopping and getting to know a pocket or two of Ukraine rather than dashing here there and everywhere trying to see all the sites. Starting in Kiev and finishing in Lviv was great but the in between, in the deep Transcarpathian countryside was the real highlight. I highly recommend one of these trips! And Nataliya is the best host. Budmo!

Samantha Vaughan - Food Tour with Olia Hercules - July 2019

What a unique holiday!

What a unique holiday! I returned home feeling I’d had a full immersion in the culture of the Carpathians, with its charming traditional villages and vibrant culture. Nataliya and Tanya did so well shepherding our little group around, always friendly and attentive. There was plenty of feasting on the delicious local cuisine, not to mention drinking potent home-made vodka. In fact, when I try to recall the few words of Ukrainian I learnt I find that most of the words are toasts! It just goes to show how friendly and welcoming everyone was!

Robin Haig - Carpathian Cultural Experience - July 2018

Real love and respect for nature, produce, people and their future

When I agreed to accompany Nataliya and Tanya on their Transcarpathian tour as part of the crew - all I had in my mind was two things - the fading memory of the stunning mountains (I haven't been there since I was ten) and hope for some amazing culinary discoveries. What they gave me and the people who came to my tour (who are now friends, how lucky I am to have had such an outstanding group of people - from Australia to Bangkok!) was more than just a tour around Transcarpathians. Yes there were beautiful mountains with tiny wild strawberries and porcini size of my forearm; thousand year old birch forests; great markets brimming with cornucopia of most outstanding vegetables and meat; but also incredible people. What those people do for the area and its new generations has inspired me beyond belief. If you want an amazing adventure, drinking home-made moonshine with goat shepherds at 3pm, lots of cooking together and eating, and also life inspiration and healing your heart and soul - go! Book either one of the tours, they are all made of the same excellent stuff - real love and respect for nature, produce, people and their future. It is a tour that you will never ever forget. I still get the warmest letters from Surrey, Australia, Bangkok and Scotland - from my crazy, beautiful group who are made of the same stuff as the good folk of Ukraine.'

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Olia Hercules - London based Ukrainian chef, food writer and food stylist - 2017

I don’t want another week to go by without writing this note to say, thank you

I don’t want another week to go by without writing this note to say, thank you - dyakuyu- gracias! You surpassed my expectations and to say that we “Experienced Ukraine” almost seems like an understatement! :) Maybe your name should be, “Fall in Love With the Ukraine.” You, Tanya and your entire team did an amazing job, thank you.

You do an absolutely amazing job, you work from your heart and that is the icing on the cake

Hi Nataliya, I reflect daily with great fondness on my trip to the Ukraine and when I speak to people about it I tell them about my experiences but also the care and attention given to us by yourself, Kie and Tanya. I am a very critical person but on this occasion I cannot find any fault. You do an absolutely amazing job, you work from your heart and that is the icing on the cake. Many, many thanks for what has been the best holiday and experience in my life.

Love to you all x x x x Transcarpathian Adventure 2016

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I had an amazing time with Experience Ukraine!

I had an amazing time with Experience Ukraine! The tour was packed full of incredible sites and experiences, and our hosts were wonderfully accommodating. I was really struck by just how much we got for our money on this tour, and it was especially heartening to see our contributions helping the local community so much. I've been zealously recommending these trips to my friends and family, and I'm definitely keen to go again.

The listed itinerary only really scratches the surface of what's on offer on these tours of this amazing part of the world - give it a go and you will not be disappointed!

Review by Harry Richardson (Transcarpathian Adventure May-June 2016) He is on FB as Harry Krishna Richardson

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I want to go back!

Although I’d bought (2nd-hand!) a very good Bradt Guide, I really didn’t know what to expect of the Ukraine. I was either brave or stupid enough to be not only Nataliya and Kie’s first volunteer for their proposed and meticulously planned holiday, but also to ask them to arrange a further 2 weeks in the village of Nizhnie Selische, our destination. I think I speak for all of my fellow adventurers, in saying our stay with families was very interesting, most hospitable and welcoming. Personally, I’d much rather live amongst “real” people, than stay in a same old, same old Holiday Inn, which could be Disnayland. 

As far as I could tell, this was authentic, the real deal. The successful efforts of the village community to improve its quality of life, and general circumstances, were most impressive. The various social projects, such as “The club” community centre, the cheese farm and the renovation of buildings, to name a few, are obviously of benefit to all.

Perhaps my only criticism is that, trying to show us all the many varied and fascinating facets of the area, Nataliya and Kie tried maybe a little too hard! Of course, ours was rather a trial run, but I was happy to be a guinea - pig. Some of our group said they would have liked to have a bit more free time.

I brought with me half-a-bagful of various tablets, plasters and ointments. I came back with half-a-bagful feeling unusually healthy. The food was very good, pretty much everywhere: even catering for my semi-vegetarian foibles.

A distinct lack of traffic, especially trucks, on the dreadful roads (with exceptions, of course, such as the road we took to Lviv), together with the vast forests and mountain ranges, few factories in the area, and a much more relaxed lifestyle all made for low pollution and low stress-levels.

There isn’t enough space to describe all our well-organised outings and visits. Highlights for me would include the local bee - hives, the volcanic lake, horse-&-cart ride, & the Ukrainian party, just prior to our departure for Lviv. The local band at the party was good with Jurgen an excellent clarinetist, & the senior ladies in local costume put us all to shame, with their dancing!

I am a keen walker, & love to lie in the countryside, so the Mala Uholka primeval beech forest was something else. The steep gradients up to visit the natural Karst stone archway were a little challenging even for 65-year-old on 18 fags a day. But, hey, I wasn’t last! And it was easier coming back down, of course; though I would have liked to catch glimpse of the odd bear or wolf, or especially a lynx. 

I’d need to write a whole chapter about Lviv. I was enchanted by an exotic mix of architectural styles, evidence of many different nationalities, minorities, religious faiths and different periods. The museums we saw there, together with churches, as elsewhere, were all fascinating.

I was particularly interested in the Jewish and Armenian cultures, and could well have spent month there. It reminded me a little of Prague, soon after the fall of communism, perhaps somewhat more cosmopolitan and sophisticated. I’ve had to miss out so much, like the actors we met there, but from the village I returned to, with them.

Like all the kindness shown nearly everywhere, Nataliya & Kie’s friends. Like the following 2 weeks solo. Altogether, a very rewarding and memorable holiday. Best wishes

Tuesday 1st January 2013 (Trip in 2012)

Theres just too much to mention!

I wanted to thank you again for funding the trip to Nizhne Selishtye, Zakarpats'Ka Oblast, Ukraine and wanted to give you a little snippet of some of the stunning sights and what we got up to on our adventure!

Where to start! We stayed in a small village with a local very welcoming and friendly family who supplied us with gorgeous cuisine in the evenings as well as for a party on the last night with the local band, Hudukai. Sadly there was a language barrier but it wasnt a problem, we met local shepherds up in the picturesque transcarpathians and sampled their fresh cheese as well as visiting a cheese factory to sample more varieties of cheese!

Theres just too much to mention! We went to a herbalist and beekeeper via a horse carriage ride round the village and got to see how they combine the hive with the herbs to dry them out, although a member of our team got stung! But we had some gorgeous herbal tea with the local honey as well so the tea had healing qualities for the sting!

We spent the evening with the younger locals who were so welcoming and excited to talk with us about their lifestyle and the contrasts with my own. Seeing the local schools and play areas, we were considering going back to help build childrens playgrounds and helping the locals.

We went trekking up in the transcarpathian mountains, the largest beechwood forest in Europe, and saw so many breathtaking scenes with continuous rolling hills of thick woodland to the horizon. At the top there was a cave like structure which had been formed due to erosion from water but very unusual and precarious place to stop for lunch!

We also saw a local waterwheel used to power a mill but they redirected the water to be able to wash their clothes, but a few of us jumped in to cool off in the small waterfall as it was so hot during our stay! After the woodland walk, we visited two wooden monasteries which resembled a very gothic style, reminded me of where dracula or an evil villain hideout! But the architecture was incredible as well as the locals singing folk songs for us as well as inviting us back to her house to show us her craft of traditional textile and homemade wine! Was an excellent example of the way of life and hospitality i have witnessed during my stay.

We visited a more modern monastery where the priest spoke to us about the history and transition of religion due to the Ukrainian Independence from the Soviet Union. We also went to Mukachevo castle where i got more awesome photos as well as a tour around this epic stronghold, sadly we didnt get the opportunity to visit some abandoned rooms which would be very similar to my previous work but still so exciting to be there!

The last few days we spent in a more modern city of L'viv, sampling the local galleries and museums from Arsenal supplies, Icon Museums, Printmaking Galleries and Local statues and architecture of Ukrainian Heritage! We climbed to the top of City Hall and had such a great panoramic view of the whole of L'viv!

Throughout my whole trip i was incredibly snap happy with my camera and this will be the basis of my next batch of work, please find a small selection attached to the email In my description, i have missed out the incredible variety of meals and drinks we sampled and i can assure you there was nothing i tried that i didnt like! From restaurants to picnics by a volcanic lake, it was all excellent! Apologies for just listing off my adventures, but there was just too much to talk about and i'm so glad to took pictures to document everything!

Thank you again for giving me this opportunity, was very much appreciated and has definitely fueled my wanderlust to see more of the world and different cultures! This is what i want to document and produce in my Artistic practice and I would like to send you a piece of my printmaking work as a small token of my appreciation.

If you would like, please could you send me your address for my to post it.t's this item about? What makes it interesting? Write a catchy description to grab your audience's attention..

Thursday 16 August 2012 (Trip in 2012)

Unique experience, outstanding value!

5 star unique experience, outstanding value, exceptional and very knowledgeable host, unique experience, outstanding value, exceptional and very knowledgeable hosts

17 July 2013

Herefordshire

We have arrived safely at airport and passed through customs. It was fortunate that we were met by Olga as all three of us were expecting to go one more station. She saved the day and delivered us in style.

Thank you and Tanya very much for all your efficient organisation and detailed planning which allowed us to see many of the important and interesting sites in Carpathia. I am certain everyone enjoyed themselves immensely throughout. I am sure you must be tired from all the work involved and hope it has proved financially viable. If required I would be very happy to supply a glowing testimonial to anyone who may think of joining one of your tours in the future.

Before too much time lapses, I wanted to say.. what an incredible, wonderful, experientially inspiring, and happy trip I had with you!!! and Tetiyana, and all of your wonderful supporters – Witold!!! Olga, Zoyjana; your doctor friend, sister and wife and their lovely family dwelling in the hills; the households I stayed in; the cottage industries we visited; and more I’m sure. Thank you so so so much.

I am catching up with life back here in Herefordshire but carrying all that I have experienced in your Ukraine.

Wednesday 19th August 2015