References

Kharkiv and the war zone trip experience.

In the spring of 2017 I began putting a trip to Eastern Europe together. My research of Russia and the Baltic States proved that I would be seeing many churches, museums, monasteries, and take several walks thru park like areas. I have no problem with that but after four weeks I could foresee that it would become quite repetitive, which it was.
For the past couple of years I have been following the war in Eastern Ukraine between the Ukrainian armed forces and the separatists who are backed by Russia and their Russian supporters. I did not want to travel that far from home and not visit the Ukraine.
I contacted several tour guide agencies in Kiev who offered tours of more churches, museums and monasteries. I inquired as to if they could get me to the eastern part of the country and tour the war torn areas. They answered ” no we don’t have anyone who can take you there”.
I decided to pursue this further. I contacted UkraineTour.com and spoke with Dmytro. I explained that I wanted to visit the war torn areas of the country and see for myself, first hand, how the war has affected those living there. I further mentioned that I would like to visit with forces / troops on the front line if that was at all possible. I believe that I caught Dmytro by surprise as when I made these requests I asked how many tourists he has arranged to visit this part of the country he responded ” none as no one has asked”.
Dmytro advised that the heavy fighting has died down but that sporadic flare ups were quite possible. I acknowledged his advise and thought what the heck, let the chips fall where they may, let’s go for it. An unscripted tour is just what I was looking for. Dmytro told me that he may be able to connect me with a volunteer group that takes supplies to the troops on the front lines as well as other affected areas in the war zone. I had no idea that I was about to go on the trip of a lifetime. I am not a military veteran so what I was about to witness was new to me.
We went thru no less than 20 military checkpoints and visited a dozen or more front line positions. Here I witnessed live incoming automatic rifle and mortar fire. I watched others to observe their reactions. If they would duck , then I would duck. Fortunately it didn’t appear as if the fire was directed at us but it wasn’t too far away. It caused concern among the Ukrainian forces. Through binoculars we could watch the opposing forces. Only a river or a hill would separate us. I was told that this is a daily occurrence. Spent mortar rounds littered the alleyway near a position that we visited.
We then drove to a remote village where the Ukrainian government deems it to be under separatist control but the separatists don’t occupy it. A true no mans land. I learned that propane deliveries are non existent because the propane delivery truck drivers claim that they would make too much of a target for the separatists.

In a different community I visited a classroom of elementary school children ( 1st graders ) whose school was riddled with bullet holes from earlier battles. This was just unbelievable. These children were very disciplined and polite. They are being taught English and I was invited to feel free to speak English to them. I was so impressed. I will remember them forever. I saw hulks of buildings after having been shelled with Katyusha rockets.
Americans are very rare in that part of the Ukraine. Much to my surprise I was given a TV interview as well as a separate interview that was put on U Tube. My trip was also mentioned in the Kharkiv newspaper.

I will say this. Dmytro took my unusual requests to visit the war zone and he delivered. I doubt there’s much that he can’t do when it comes to putting a customized trip together. If you want a personalized tour / trip of the Ukraine then you need do nothing more than contact UkraineTour and ask for him.
In closing, I want to thank Dmytro, my interpreter Vlad, Olga and Artem. The Ukrainian people are very resilient and generous. I was treated with great respect and kindness. I have left many friends in the Ukraine that I hope to visit again. They have left a lasting impression with me.

Thanks again,

We enjoyed our custom made tour of central and southern Ukraine. In a short span of time we were able to visit Odessa, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Poltava and Cherkassy with a few days in Kyiv on each end. We had several excellent historical tours, particularly noteworthy with our guide Sashko at Khortytsia visiting the Zaporizhian Kozak Sich, and an all day historical tour with Mykola in the region of Chyhyryn, Subotiv and Kholodniy Yar. Our guides and drivers were always prompt and courteous and it was a pleasure to speak with them in Ukrainian. We gained insight in the history, culture and present day political and economic situation.

UkraineTour made it very easy to organize the tour, provided options, made adjustments to fit our needs and schedules, and were always available for assistance. In particular, Dmytro, our tour organizer, worked very efficiently, cordially and professionally. We most highly recommend UkraineTour.

Traveled in Ukraine from September 6 – 15, 2017. The main purpose of the trip was to visit the cities where my father’s and mother’s families lived before they emigrated to the US in the 1920s. My father and his extended family lived in Berdichev before they emigrated. My mother and her extended family lived in Odessa before they emigrated. I had previously visited Ukraine in 1989 and been to Kyiv and Odessa then, but had not taken any tours with a tour guide at that time. I coordinated with Dmytro at UkraineTour to select the tours.
The tour guides arranged by UkraineTour were excellent. In Kyiv, I was given a Kyiv city tour, which included Babi Yar, and a Jewish Heritage tour. Helen, the tour guide in Kyiv, gave an in-depth description of the Babi Yar statue, in addition to many other sites in Kyiv, which was all very informative. Thanks to Helen’s assistance, I was able to attend a Shabbat service at one of the main synagogues in Kyiv. A tour of Chernobyl was also arranged for me. Visiting Chernobyl was a highly unusual experience. A Chernobyl tour is a must for anyone visiting Ukraine.
From Kyiv, I was driven with my guide to Berdichev, which is just a few hour’s drive from Kyiv. The main roads from Kyiv to Berdichev are now expressway-type thoroughfares and were quite modern. There were even sound walls along much of the highway. When we arrived in Berdichev, Helen gave me an extensive tour of Berdichev. She also helped me connect with the Rabbi who I had contacted when I was planning my trip. A couple of things that Helen told me about Berdichev helped me solve a couple of pieces of the puzzle regarding me father’s family in Berdichev. For example, Helen showed me a building, which is now a factory but was once a synagogue in the early 20th century, which was, at that time, the great choir synagogue of Berdichev. From my notes collected many years ago, I was able to conclude that my grandfather, who was a Cantor and was a member of a renowned choir in Berdichev, had most assuredly been part of that great synagogue. Also, I was able to conclude from other notes that my father’s family must have lived close to that synagogue. I took several pictures of that area.
From Berdichev, I took an overnight train to Odessa, arranged by Dmytro. Four beds on the train secured a very private room on the train and I slept fairly well.
In Odessa, my tour guide, Yuri, gave me an Odessa city tour, a Jewish Odessa tour, and a Catacomb tour, all of which were very informative. I also visited the neighborhood where my mother and her family lived in Odessa. I had previously been there in 1989 and it was interesting to see how things had changed since Ukraine was now not part of the Soviet Union. I took pictures which I will use to compare some of the apartment buildings on the street where my mother’s family lived with the pictures I had taken in 1989. Odessa has become much more commercialized and lively.
Dmytro had suggested to not travel to Ukraine during the summer. Visiting in September after the main summer season was a very good. The weather was warm, but not hot. An overnight train trip in the summer would have been quite uncomfortable. Walking on the tours would have also been very uncomfortable.
Overall, the trip was very enjoyable and definitely most memorable for me. I had studied Russian in college in the 1960’s and had forgotten much of it, but I still remembered how to read Cyrillic and a few basic words, which helped quite a bit. After a few days in Ukraine, I was able to get by using mostly English. The tour guides also helped me with a couple of things, such as purchasing a SIM card for my phone and suggesting that I request an English menu when I go into a restaurant.
I did have some difficulty with my apartment in Kyiv and would have preferred direct phone contact with the apartment manager. I did not know how to unlock the door to my apartment, which made it more difficult because there was no light in the foyer hall. The door locks are much different than door locks in the US. There were also a few more issues with the apartment. The hotel rooms in Berdichev and Odessa were both very commendable.

Thank you so much for showing us around Odessa and braving the road to Sarata!
During our 4-day visit we’ve learned so much about Ukraine’s rich history and about my mother’s side of the family.
Thank you again!

We just came home from our trip to Ukraine. We wanted to thank you for all the arrangements and we wanted to let you know your team of drivers and guides was excellent. They were prompt and knowledgeable about the historical sites and the history of Ukraine. We really appreciated the countryside visit in Sumy. We recognize that the special arrangements required extra effort. We truly appreciated how your team extended themselves.

Please extend our heart felt thanks to everyone.

I must say, I enjoyed my time immensely in the Ukraine. All of the tour guides were exceptional, especially Helen and the guide we had in Poltava. The guide in Poltava was truly exceptional and a delight to be with. I will never forget my time at Gogol house because of her. That tour, and the guide at the Gogol house, were the highlight of my journey.
Best/thanks

WE ARE BACK HOME AFTER A SUPER WEEK IN ODESSA!!!!
NICE CITY,FRIENDLY PEOPLE AND… A VERRY GOOD TOUR WITH A PROFFESSIONAL GUIDE-LENA .
SHE IS A”MENCH-IN YDISH!! OR IN HEBREW-MOTHEK!!!!!!
THANKS !!!!!!

We had an amazing trip, and everything went as planned. Thank you for your planning and all of your emails in setting this trip up, I am hoping to do it again soon. I will definitely refer anyone I know who may be planning a trip to Ukraine to UkraineTour.

The apartment in Kiev was great. It had everything we needed, clean,comfortable, and a great central location to walking everywhere.

Our tour guide Helen and driver Vadim were wonderful in Kiev. Helen is very knowledgeable in her history and very passionate about her job. She definitely is a quick walker! Sometimes we were not even able to keep up with her! My only one comment is that I know she was trying to fit a lot of sites into our time but I felt a few times that we could not even stop and take some photos as she was way ahead to our next site or destination. She is a lovely lady and again very knowledgeable about the history, political climate, and Ukraine’s unstable past. You can see her love of churches and knowledge of them. She gave us great information on sites to see on our own time and how we could access them. Vadim was a great driver, I never felt like we were not safe driving with him at anytime. He was punctual and very happy every time we saw him. A great tour of Kiev.

We really enjoyed our tour of Chernobyl, our guide for the day was great and it really was interesting. The pickup was prompt and the day seemed to go as planned.

Our hotel in Lviv was good but unfortunately even after the 5 hour tour our rooms were not ready. A little tiring after a loud and bumpy train ride(thanks to Vadim he took us right on the train) then a 5 hour tour we just wanted to shower and rest. No worries, the rooms became ready about 2 hours later.

Our tour guide Alex and driver Bohdan were amazing! Alex’s depth of knowledge of Ukraine, history, political climate, and social views were top notch. He made our time Lviv, Vozyliw, and Kolomyia outstanding. Alex was excellent in helping me navigate my less than stellar Ukrainian language and was so helpful in our time at my fathers village. I am extremely thankful for that. He also gave us tips on where to see other sites and recommendations for superb restaurants in the Lviv area. Bohdan our driver was superb, he was very skillful in his driving and very safe. He definitely knows how to navigate the less than excellent roads of Ukraine. A really great time with this part of our trip, probably the highlight of all of it.

The hotel in Kolomyia was good, a kind of weird breakfast, but all was good.

Our tour guide in Ivano-Frankivsk was good, she was knowledgeable, nice and gave us a great tour of the city. Unfortunately we did not have but a few hours to do our own touring so I am sure we missed some things. All the more reason to come back!

The Hotel Nadia was good and would be a definite stay if in Ivano-Frankivsk again.

Not sure what else I have missed but really just wanted you to know that we had an amazing time and our thanks to you for making it happen. We feel your company is wonderful and that your service was superb.

Thanks again,

Everything went very well with UkraineTour drivers and guides. The guides were very informative and helpful. People, in general, we’re also kind and helpful in spite of the language barrier. I would recommend seeing Ukraine to anyone, there is much to see and do. Helen, in Odessa, lean us a cell phone for the trip as mine did not function even with the Sim card. The ballet was wonderful. Thanks for your help s well. Yours truly,