Scott Hynek

address: 986 3rd ave #5, Salt Lake City, UT 84103 telephone: +01-801-581-4271 email: scott.hynek@gmail.com

Scott and Mars having breakfast with an ethnically Kyrgyz couple they stayed with in western Tajikistan

Scott's Reference:

Traveling Kyrgyzstan is an amazing experience.  Amazing landscapes tower everywhere and it is impossible to escape rewarding cultural experiences.  Over the years I’ve tried various strategies to maximize the experience.  It is possible to hire a vehicle, driver, and translator in Bishkek and go anywhere imaginable.  There are two major disadvantages to this approach; 1) the cost is well over $100/day at the low end, and 2) depending on the guides and staff hired, cultural encounters and itinerary flexibility are often compromised.  While the many talented and genuine people working in the Bishkek tourism industry will ensure a successful trip, they often know very little about the landscape or culture you are traveling through.  Another approach to traveling Kyrgyzstan is to simply hire shared long distance taxis between major towns.  This is a very rewarding and cost efficient way to travel, though it becomes increasingly difficult as your backpack swells with gear and your destination veers from the obvious.  I’ve been in situations where we’ve agreed to pay the driver a fixed rate for every kilometer he drives into the mountains, even at times waving the money and urging the taxi onward.  This can (and does) result in wonderful adventures – such as being dropped off at 4,000 m on a mountain pass beneath hanging icefields as you begin to trudge upward into the dark while the driver turns the car around and races the daylight back to his village.  The broad spectrum of adventures I’ve had in the mountains of Central Asia led me to team up with Mars.

            Mars and I began working together to successfully run geologic, ecologic, mountaineering, and tourist trips in 2004.  The many experiences we’ve had together only reinforce my initial observations about Mars.  He is smart, skilled, culturally aware, and satisfaction oriented.  Mars top priority is that his clients return home with fond memories of their experience in Kyrgyzstan and many of their goals achieved.  This often involves leaving his family for weeks (even months) at a time and devoting every minute of every day to making your trip a success.  Importantly, Mars’ skills as a driver are outmatched by his skills as a mechanic, cook, and translator.  If you are flexible and ready to see some of Central Asia’s most incredible landscapes Mars can make it a reality.  Mars often refers to himself as a ‘village Kyrgyz’, an important distinction from the increasingly western lives of those in Bishkek – Mars can comfortably navigate yurts, horses, sheep, and guesting in the most remote corners.  His Kyrgyz, Russian, and English are all excellent and he uses these skills to foster warm host-guest relationships wherever he travels.  These aren’t yurt stays, this is traveling the countryside and experiencing the famous Kyrgyz hospitality.  Mars is conveniently based on the north shore of Issyk Kol, an ideal place to launch any number of expeditions.  Mars’ experience with research and mountaineering expeditions as well as with western tourists is critical to the success of any trip.  Mars understands that every trip has different goals, destinations, and constraints.  He can easily tailor the style to your needs.  Pick a point on the map and get in touch with Mars, the rest will take care of itself.

Scott and Mars checking out the museum at Sulaiman Too in Osh