08 Mar 2020
First off - let me say this tour gave us a solid 8 hours at the park..... lines were 5 minutes or less, so this was great- it was almost too much time!
The reason for 3 stars is their shuttling logistics. I received email that I’d be picked up at 1015; another email updated that to 0945. I got a phone call at 0915 asking my to be in the lobby at 0920. Left at 0930, and sat in a van for >1.5 hours painfully going hotel to hotel (5) to pick people up. Eventually rendezvoused with a bus about 45 minutes out of town bd transferred on. The guide spoke for up to 10 minutes in Russian, then switched to English but somehow fit the same discussion into a minute or two. Not sure how that worked.....
We were asked to be at the pickup/drop off area at 1930 - we were there early but the bus didn’t show up until about 1940 - just mare late enough to get me pretty nervous.
Again switched into a small van outside of town. Driver drove very fast, and texted while driving.
I’d probably choose another company if I had it to do again - would prefer one direct ride and a smaller group.