Alex

Traveling around in the van was a great way to see some of what Kyrgyztan has to offer. It's a reliable and comfortable van and well set up as a camper. We did a couple of nights in the van and then a night in a guest house (for showers). We didn't use the 4wd much but the van has a pretty high clearance, so I'm sure it will get you where you want to go within reason.

Alex is very helpful in showing you how the van works and making suggestions for itineraries that might suit what you want to see and do.

One thing to bear in mind when planning your trip is that travel is pretty slow going. The van sits nicely at 80 km/hr (I'm sure it will go faster if you put your foot down), but you need to slow to 40 km/hr to pass through the many villages and there are lots of police with speed cameras. I'm good with not ripping through villages leaving a trail of dust, but it means 50Km/hr is about right for your average speed over long distances.

I thoroughly recommend both Alex and the mighty UAZ Buhanka. Have fun!

Alex and his UAZ Buhanka van were amazing! Right from the booking stages Alex helped us get our driver's license translated in Bishkek. Then when we picked up the van for our 5 day adventure he willingly showed us the ropes of how to drive it, what was inside and where things were. This tutorial was very useful and helped set us up! Driving the van was great, Alex also suggested itinerary routes and we took his advice and seen so much. Kyrgyzstan was beautiful in early February, we seen mountains, lakes, canyons, dry desert like landscape and snow all in the space of 5 days. If you are considering taking a trip off the beaten track you can certainly do that in this UAZ Buhanka. The van comes well equipped for a winter trip - there is a heater in the front and back of the van. In terms of cooking, Alex provided us with a gas hob to cook meals on and the van comes with utensils and crockery.

The 4x4 on the van also helped to get to some places off road, this ability was very useful especially when roads are muddy/snowy. We felt safe in the van the entire time and we were sad to drop off "Bianca The Buhanka" off.

We had a short, but truly mind-boggling trip in Kyrgyzstan! In 4 days we got everything from early autumn warmth and sunsine to rainshowers and fog through sub-zero snowstorms and ice-packed roads. But the UAZ Buhanka did amazing in every conditions, comfortable driving on the road and cosy sleeping in it, no matter where you are. Thanks for Alex and Vlad for the easy-going and helpful service, we're eager to be back for a longer tour one day!

Alex is a great and truly helpful guy. He even bring Buchanka to our hotel, show everything which was important, took a practise ride and gave us lot of useful tips. He is extremely caring about his Buchankas which is great. The one we rented was amazing and we had perfect time in Kyrgyzstan. I hope that I will visit Kyrgysztan again next year and I will definitely rent the Buchanka again. Big thanks Alex. See you next year mate.

Had a fantastic time with Alex travelling through north Kyrgyzstan on a 45 year old Lada. An unforgetable experience thanks to Alex. Will definitely contact you again on my next trip to Kyrgyzstan. Thanks a lot and see you soon.

Alex

Look no further for a breathtaking, rich, and spellbinding experience in Kyrgyzstan. After my tour with Alex, I felt as if he’d truly brought me closer to the heart of the country. He is a talented facilitator and guide who was able to provide an extensive body of knowledge while we witnessed, first hand, the beauty of Kyrgyzstan’s landscape and culture via the Issyk-Ata Gorge and sanatorium, local (and delicious) cuisine, and more. We saw jagged mountains, whose slips were dotted with wild horses drinking from the streams. Alex is also a great communicator and knows this area intimately, so you can trust that you’ll receive the highest quality, most authentic experience possible. I would recommend his services to anyone.

We had an AWESOME time in Kirgistan, and mainly thanks to Alex! Not only did he trust us with his beloved vintage Buhanka, but he provided us with excellent advise and great suggestions about guesthouses. Much appreciated. Communication was easy before and during our trip. And the van itself... oh. Marvellous. What an experience. NOT your average rental car :) We mis her a lot. Definitely hope to be back one day and when we do, we will absolutely reach out to Alex again!

We rented the van for 2 weeks and the experience was very positive.

The car is super cool and the assistance very effective.

Even if we had some mechanical issue the second day, Alex send a person to our place in mountain to fix the car.

He has always been present when we need advice and assistance, and he also help us to (successfully) face a police officer that wanted to cheat on us.

We strongly suggest to rent Alex’s car to explore the wild and beautiful Kyrgyz’s mountains.

Alex is fantastic and a true fountain of knowledge when it comes to Kyrgyzstan. There isn't much he doesn't know about the country. He went out of his way to advise us on our planned itinerary, pinning places on the map that we would otherwise never have found, or heard of. We hired one of his bunhanka's for 2 weeks and, whilst the driving is a lot more slow going than we thought it would be, it was a massive amount of fun and sucha good and easy way to see this incredible country.

We came to Kyrgyzstan three months ago for our tour to the South Inylchek Glacier and back, organized and planned by Alex. Sadly, it didn't all go as planned and we had a terrible accident along the way which left me, my travelling companion and several others injured. Alex took full responsibility and did everything in his power to help us in the days after the accident. He personally drove us to hospital, made sure to get us a full refund and let us stay at the Blue Camel guesthouse for our recovery. After all that, we still managed to have a good time in Kyrgyzstan thanks to the great help and support from Alex and the guesthouse staff and we were still able to take some good memories home aswell. Alex, I'll never forget how you helped us back there. Without you we wouldn't have known what to do and who to turn to. Thanks for everything.

David and Robin