Two-day Aral Sea tour is a trip on jeeps crossing the bottom of the once big sea where only 50 years ago there used to be ships; it is a landscape of wastelands and cliffs of Ustyurt plateau; harsh road to the current shores of the lake with the extremely saline water. There will be stops on the way where you will hear about the past and the present of this land and pay a visit to the ships graveyard on the way back, which is the sign of the ecological catastrophe. The final trip will be to the Mizdakhan necropolis surrounded by legends and the walk along the ruins of the Gyaur-Kala fortress. This tour is surely to be full of impressions.
Tour itinerary:
Meet your guide and driver to start a full day trip to Aral Sea through Ustyurt Plateau. The distance till the water line of Aral Sea is 450 km and it takes approximately 8-9 hours to cover it. Pass via Kungrad district, which used to be one of the trading centers on the Silk Road. On the way, see remains of a lighthouse; pass by the ruins of abandoned settlement Urga. Photo stop at the Lake Sudochie. Have a picnic lunch on the way. Continue driving on the immense Usturt Plateau. Arrive at the Aral Sea late in the afternoon. Set up the tent. Camp-style dinner. Overnight in tent.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Early wake up to take pictures of sun rise. After breakfast head back to Nukus. Stop to take pictures of beautiful canyons and the collapsed land. Drive on the dried bottom of the sea. Stop in Muynak to have a look at the former port with abandoned ships in the sand – “Cemetery of ships”. In Muynak, visit Local History Museum (might be closed without prior notice). Picnic lunch. On the way to Nukus*, stop at Mizdakhan memorial complex Gyaur-Kala Fortress. Arrive in Nukus. Transfer to local airport/hotel. End of services.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Note:
Due to weather condition, the overnight in tents usually starts from 15 April till 15 October.
Other days the overnight takes place in a guest house at Moynak.
- All transfers on 4WD type of vehicle (max. 3 persons + 1 guide in one car);
- English-speaking escort guide;
- Full board;
- Accommodation in the yurt camp;
- Entrance fees to the local History Museum and Mizdakhan memorial complex.
- Travel insurance;
- Round-trip tickets for flight Tashkent-Nukus-Tashkent.
Accommodation:
| Aral Sea - 1 night | |
| Tent | Tent |
