The Story of Viola travel — Two Lives in the Mountains

People often ask us: "How did you become mountain guides?" The answer is different for each of us — but the mountains brought us together, and the mountains keep us here.

Viola: The Beginning (1993)

I took my first multi-day mountain trek in 1993. I was immediately captivated. The Tien-Shan range — with its alpine meadows, rocky passes, and endless skies — felt like home. Over the next few years, I kept going back. Week after week, season after season.

By 2000, I began guiding international travelers. Word spread — an English and Italian speaking guide in Uzbekistan who knew the mountains intimately. Soon I was leading groups from Europe, America, Asia. By 2010 I had completed over 500 guided expeditions. Today that number is over 1,800.

I graduated from the National University of Uzbekistan. But my real education came from the mountains themselves — learning weather patterns, safe routes, and the hidden valleys that no map shows.

Andrey: Son of a Meteorologist (2001)

I was born into the mountains. My father was a meteorologist, so I grew up reading mountain weather — understanding wind patterns, cloud formations, and the subtle signs that tell you when a storm is coming. By 2001 I began guiding in the Tien-Shan, and I've never stopped.

But guiding is only part of who I am. I'm also a photographer — my work has been featured in Info.com magazine. I developed unique software for depth-of-field image processing, and I create hand-made 3D topographic maps of our trekking routes. Guests have called me a "cartographer, programmer, geologist" all in one.

One guest wrote: "Best instructor in the world. 1500 treks. Son of a meteorologist. Never seen someone so free in the mountains." That freedom is what I try to share with every traveler.

How We Met

Two mountain guides in Uzbekistan — it was only a matter of time before our paths crossed. We discovered we shared the same vision: offering guests the combined experience, local knowledge, and language skills of both of us. By 2012, we joined forces officially.

Today we lead expeditions together. I (Viola) handle the logistics, languages, and group management. Andrey reads the weather, scouts the routes, captures the photographs, and keeps everyone safe with his deep knowledge of the terrain.

The CSE English Club

In the early 2000s, I co-founded the Original Club of Spoken English (CSE) in Tashkent. The idea was simple: combine mountain hiking with English conversation practice. Members would hike together, camp together, and speak only English the entire time.

The club grew quickly. Dozens of members joined — Ira, Dima, Garik, Nastya, Daniel, Olga, and many more. We'd wash rocks to build waterfalls, plant flowers along the trails, and clean the riverbanks. For many members, the CSE Club was their first time speaking English outside a classroom. For others, it was their first time in the mountains at all.

One member, Olga, wrote: "I can't express my feelings about the beauty of Nature. Several of us dug Otabek's garden and cleaned his home free of charge, speaking English the whole time. If you need active life, welcome to our Club!"

Andrey later co-founded the CSE Mountain Club — a community of young climbers exploring remote Tien-Shan peaks with proper mountaineering training.

The Philosophy

We believe mountain tourism is about creativity. Every route is different. Every group has its own energy. We don't run standard tours — we craft experiences. As I wrote in our article published in January 2012: "A true mountain tourist CANNOT NOT go to mountains. They go for the mountains themselves."

We've guided travelers from France, USA, Italy, Germany, Japan, UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Mongolia, and many more countries. Each brings their own story. Each leaves with new friends — because as Danny from New York said: "Get friends in the mountains! You will always get friends in the mountains."

Today

33 years. 1,800+ expeditions. 2,800+ travelers. 450+ winter trips. And still discovering new routes every year. That's what we want you to understand: the mountains are not our workplace. They are our life.

As one of our album pages puts it: "What are the mountain hikes for us? Is it rest or work? Neither rest nor work. Mountains is our life!"

If you're reading this and feel the pull of the Tien-Shan — trust that feeling. Reach out. We'll take you to places most travelers never see. And you'll leave with more than photographs.

You'll leave with the mountains in your heart.