Car rental - current status?

[DSO_Canuck]

Hello everyone,

Am thinking of renting a vehicle on our arrival in Almaty for 4 days to explore the national parks in the NE region: Altyn Emel national park, Charyan, etc. I read the page on this website for Nikita's car rental (https://caravanistan.com/car-rental/nikita/), and had a question about the "Power of attorney to drive in Kyrgyzstan – 125$". Is this fee because the cars are registered in his personal name? I didnt see this fee when I looked up car rentals at Hertz Kazakhstan. I was under the impression that the "Power of attorney" was only needed if you cross an international border. Does anyone have more info on why this is needed?

Has anyone rented a vehicle from Nikita recently (in the past 2 years)? Has the experience been good, bad, ok? Are the vehicles in good working order? Is Nikita reliable and easy to deal with, does he speak any English? What is the advantage of renting from Nikita instead of Hertz?

My other concern is the many posts I read (on other forums/websites) about the corrupt police on the hwy's in Kazakhstan. As a foreigner, even though I will have a ID Permit and a valid licence (from Canada) I could be stopped numerous times (during the 4 day trip) and have the hassle and cost to either pay bribes or visit the local police stations to pay the fines. Has anyone of this forum (foreigners) had this experience recently with paying bribes to police? Is getting the "power of attorney" document helping to remove the ability for the police to fine me for NOT having this document?

I have rented vehicles in other countries, so this is not something new, it just seems to have more challenges for rentals in Kazakhstan.

Would also consider just booking a private tour for 2-3 days to the national parks and avoid all the complications of car rental and potential police hassles? Just looking for ideas and feedback, many thanks!

[bwv812]

Kyrgyzstan is a different country, which is why PoA is needed to go there.

[DSO_Canuck]

Hello bwv812, your are correct... it does say Kyrgyzstan. Somehow my brain just scanned over it and assumed it said Kazakhstan. I guess I have been reading way too many forum postings these days. So that does answer this question, it only applies if I go over the border, thank you.

Still wondering about the viability of the vehicle rental though... if anyone has any recent experience with this... thanks!

[steven]

Just a few things to answer your questions:

Nikita speaks English. I won't comment on experiences from people renting cars, but so far I have only heard good experiences. Otherwise he wouldn't be on our website, we remove people if they stop giving good service.

What's the difference with Hertz? Not sure, have a look at the mileage limit and their conditions for going offroad, as well as the price. I think those are the only differences. Of course Hertz is a big brand, that's another difference. But in the end, they are all just renting cars.

About the police: if you follow the rules they won't stop you. The times I have been stopped by the police was always after breaking the rules. Rules are sometimes idiotic though so it takes some restraint to follow them all the time. But it might make sense for you if you want a stressless experience to go with a tour, in any case price-wise, it will be not much more expensive, and you get the extra service.

[DSO_Canuck]

Steven: thanks for the info on Nikita, if we decide to go the car rental route then we will definitely contact him. To be sure I am aware of all the road rules in Kazakhstan I will certainly do more reading on the subject before renting a car. Appreciate your help.

[yvette22]

Hi,
car rental in Almaty to explore the national parks of the NE region. The "Power of Attorney to Drive in Kyrgyzstan" fee appears to be related to the fact that the cars are registered in Nikita's name. This may be standard practice for local agencies, but it's best to check with them to be sure. These costs could also be linked to the possibility of crossing the international border. you should take a look at recent online reviews for renting from Maurice Car Rental.