Private Guide in Galicia, Western Ukraine

Viktor is a treasure. I had a good feeling about him accompanying me on my journey to see my family towns in the western Ukraine following many months of email exchanges with him about possible itineraries and plans. However, the time with him exceeded any expectation of what this trip would be like. Viktor is a wonderful human being—kind, thoughtful, adventurous, energetic, and willing to share his thoughts and ideas on any number of subjects. He was well-prepared for the “planned” part of the trip—but what made the time with him so outstanding is how he facilitated conversations, meetings and interesting side adventures on the fly. It was an extraordinary experience for me and I will be forever grateful to Viktor for sharing his knowledge of his country with me and for opening up my grandparent’s towns to me in a way I could not have imagined. Thank you Viktor for this amazing adventure.

My sister and I were in search of our pre-World War II roots in what was then southeastern Poland, and now Southwestern Ukraine. We had read a book documenting a similar trip by an Israeli man trying to solve a familial mystery. He mentioned Viktor, his Ukrainian guide, and described a special experience with him that made the journey even more memorable through personal interest in the author’s quest and a genuine inquisitiveness to discover answers. We were lucky to find Viktor available for our journey in July 2018. From the moment of pick up at the airport, through challenges of bureaucracy and a bit of bad luck, we had nothing but an easy rapport, sincere interest in our stories, fearless inquiries with people on our behalf, and a lighthearted sense of fun amidst the backdrop of tragic family circumstances and period in history. Viktor is knowledgeable about the region and shared the facts amidst colorful stories, human insights, and practical travel observations. He was flexible with us and took the lead when needed. Challenges were overcome practically but with humor and an easygoing sense of confidence. We had to share painful and difficult parts of our family history but laughed about the lighter aspects; and Viktor did the same. We felt secure, safe, and at ease to explore our past in a country where we could not speak or read the language; where there has been a difficult history much like ours; and, where we would have been lost on our own without Viktor’s advocacy and eagerness to help us. He also documented our trip with photos, a map, and an eagerness to learn more after the trip. I cannot speak highly enough about Viktor: if you are considering a journey in western Ukraine, engage Viktor—-someone I now consider a friend.

Viktor picked me up from my hotel in Lviv and showed me all my hometowns near Ternipol He added places so I can see other places besides memorials. He did his research before. He was very cordial. And the price was comparable Highly recommended

One of the best travel decisions I ever made was choosing Viktor Yedynak as our guide-interpreter-driver for a "family history tour" of western/central Ukraine. Viktor exceeded our expectations giving us all we wanted and so much more. After eight days, we had visited all the towns and villages where my family once lived, thus completing my original itinerary. We were having such an incredible time, however, that we extended our time with Viktor to 13-days, looping back from Zhytomyr to L'viv past Kam'yanets'-Podil's'kyi and Kotyn Fortress into the Carpathian mountains. Viktor is knowledgeable, dependable, resourceful, flexible, conscientious, attentive, meticulous and hard-working. He believes that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well, and he enjoys making people happy. He is also an excellent and commendably careful driver with a comfortable, air-conditioned, reliable van (with a high wheel base for navigating rough back roads). Viktor's social skills opened doors to us toward our search for traces of ancestors. He interacted comfortably and efficiently with a range of people on our behalf: people we met on the street, archivists and community officials. When we arrived in Lanivtsi, where my mother's family lived from at least the mid-19th century, probably much longer, until WWI. It is a small town, much of it destroyed during WWII, so my expectations were low and Viktor's lower. When we stopped to take a photo of me at the "welcome to Lanivtsi sign," Viktor crossed the road to the old watermill and started talking to some babushkas waiting at the bus stop. One thing led to another and soon the Lanivtsi archivist and his friend, a local amateur historian and photographer spending several hours with us, giving us a tour of everything Jewish in Lanivtsi. After which we met with Volodymyr Androshchuk, a Christian dedicated to keeping alive the memory ofthe Jews of Lanivtsi. Viktor wasn't always able to pull such miracles out of his hat, but his gentle, low-key way of approaching people opened many doors for us. He even served as photographer when our cameras failed us. He is a consummate professional who is also fun to be with. He loves learning, has a positive attitude and a great sense of humour. We could not have found a better guide and travel companion. --Rick Coe & Paule McNicoll

Viktor is the most Wonderful Guide you could hire in the Ukraine. He is kind, willing to please every minute of the day (or night). He really cares about you and he wants to show you his country, as much as you want to see it! His English is good, his knowledge is enough, and he is willing to research if he is unfamiliar with a topic. We did a trip emphasized by Jewish roots and Jewish History and he satisfied our curiosity our questions and took us to places we didn't know still existed. When we first decided to go to the Ukraine everyone asked us "Why the Ukraine"? Go with Viktor to find out "why the Ukraine"! It was a most fascinating trip and Viktor made it exceptional!!!!!!!! Also not only will you have a driver, a guide and an interrupter in Viktor, you will have a photo journalist who will present you with an album of your entire trip!