The Untold Story
Created in 2022, The Untold Direction is the brainchild of Ganesha Balakrishnan. Wanting to share his infectious love for travel to places less visited, Ganesha founded this boutique travel agency specialising in trips that heavily emphasise culture, history and nature. As a staunch believer in lifelong learning and that no one should break the bank to travel, Ganesha created The Untold Direction whose trips aim to give travellers budget-friendly, culturally authentic and immersive experiences.
Come, explore with us, and dive into the rich culture and history of the places we visit.
Trips by The Untold Direction are meticulously planned and painstakingly curated after extensive on-the-ground research. Owners Ganesha Balakrishnan and Mikhail Vasilev personally met many of the local contacts and service providers during their hitchhiking trips across Central Asia, the Caucasus and Iran.
With ethical travel being one of our guiding ethos, we work directly with almost all of our partners -- guesthouse owners, homestay families, transport providers, and guides -- and without any intermediaries. This ensures a fair distribution of trip proceeds with our partners. In other words, when you travel with us, entire communities benefit!
Our team of trip leaders are a highly passionate, energetic, knowledgeable, resourceful and a young bunch.
The Untold Direction is a Limited Liability Company based in the Kyrgyz Republic. It is officially registered as “Зе Антолд Дирекшен ОсОО”, registration number: 214538-3306-OOO.
Ganesha Balakrishnan
Founder & Co-Owner
Ganesha is from Singapore. He has travelled solo since the age of 18, visiting and hitchhiking in exotic lands -- such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Iran, Oman, the Stans, and North Korea -- and in the process of doing so becoming a seasoned and experienced globetrotter.
At the age of 20, Ganesha travelled from Singapore to Canada without taking a single flight. He wrote a book about his flightless nine-month journey titled The Long Direction.
Ganesha has a penchant for history, food, and the arts. He particularly loves Soviet and Islamic history, as well as the cultures of Central Asia and the Middle East.
He had previously worked as a French Language Teacher and is currently a Commercial Pilot and a Certified Flight Instructor.
He speaks English, French, Tamil and Russian.
Mikhail Vasilev (Misha)
Co-Owner & Trip Leader
Mikhail hails from Saint Petersburg, Russia. He loves to travel to new places to learn about cultures and ideas, and always happy to experience something new!
Since the age of 18, Mikhail has cumulatively travelled for more than 2 years. He has hitchhiked all the way from South East Asia to Saint-Petersburg 3 times!
Previously, he was an English teacher in Saigon, Vietnam and also has experience bringing travelers on tours both in his hometown and abroad.
He speaks English and Russian fluently, and is conversational in Mandarin.
When not leading tours, Mikhail actively researches for new places and hideouts to visit and plans future trips for The Untold Direction.
Marjona Mukhamedova
Trip Leader
Marjona is originally from the Jizzah Region of Uzbekistan and currently lives in Tashkent, the Uzbek capital. She had previously worked for the Uzbek Ministry of Tourism.
She takes pleasure in bringing foreign visitors around her beautiful country and introducing them to Uzbekistan's rich and diverse culture and history.
Marjona has been featured on numerous popular TV programs across Uzbekistan, sharing her expertise in tourism and travel.
Marjona is a talented dancer in Uzbek traditional dance.
She speaks English, Uzbek and Russian.
Zukhra Ruzikulova
Trip Leader
Zukhra is from the historical Uzbek city of Samarkand.
A graduate with a degree in Mathematics, Zukhra decided to undergo a career change to pursue her passion: introducing foreign guests the beauty and rich culture of her beloved country and region.
Zukhra is passionate about culture, history and the outdoors.
A polyglot, Zukhra speaks Uzbek, Kyrgyz, English, Russian and Tajik fluently. (Our team has a knack for languages, amongst many other things!)
Altynbek Tleuov (Altuha)
Trip Leader
Altuha is from Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty.
An avid-traveller, Altynbek has visited more than 40 countries. He has hitchhiked extensively across South East Asia back when he was working as an English Teacher in Vietnam.
During his free time, Altynbek loves exploring new places and cuisines, camping, the outdoors and playing board games!
Altynbek speaks English, Russian, Kazakh and Turkish fluently.
Zhanibek Musaev
Homestay Owner & Accountant
Zhanibek is from Borbash, a small village nestled in Kyrgyzstan's fertile Ferghana Valley.
It's at his countryside abode where many of our travellers to Kyrgyzstan spend some days as part of the homestay experience.
So far, he has hosted over 300 guests from all five continents. Ask him, he'll be able to tell you the names of all the guests who have stayed at his place.
Zhanibek is also our main finance accountant.
