Stefan Ebert (Founder and Guide): Epic Trails was founded in 2014 out of a passion for Central Asia and traveling by mountain bike. I met Artiom and later Tilek, and together we organized and conducted the first mountain bike tour, "Adventure Tian Shan," in Kyrgyzstan. Since then, we have offered countless group and individual trips. We also added Uzbekistan and the Pamir in Tajikistan as destinations, and our types of adventures have expanded to include horseback riding, hiking, and motorbiking.
A shared enthusiasm drives us in all our travels. It can be summed up by the old saying, "The journey is the destination." We love to be present in the moment on each trip and share that enthusiasm. In other words, no two trips have ever been the same! It's the encounters along the way, the tea invitations, or spontaneous visits to a yurt that matter most. For us, these journeys often feel like traveling with friends—definitely not like a job.
If you're excited about this, you're in the right place with us!
Our guiding principle is to work as locally as possible. In every country and region, we collaborate with the local people—guesthouses, guides, craftsmen, drivers, chefs, etc. In Kyrgyzstan, we work with Kyrgyz people; in the Pamir, with Pamiris; and in Uzbekistan, with Uzbeks. It’s natural for us to operate this way, as it creates a win-win situation: we benefit from the knowledge and experiences of the locals, and in turn, we can contribute to supporting the local community.