Auto photo tour to the Ustyurt Plateau, Kazakhstan. Evgeniy Androsov

Behind these dull names and little familiar to Russian tourists lies a huge and unique world, filled with natural and historical monuments, geological objects that are on a par with the famous American Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. We decided to open this world to a wide range of Russian tourists and are one of the first, if not the first, to offer a car / photo tour of this beautiful area for a price comparable to a trip to the Black Sea (perhaps even cheaper)!

So what we will see:

Beautiful colorful multi-layered mountains, in many places topped with pillar-monuments

These are not great mountain systems, like the Himalayas or the Pamirs, but their beauty and unusualness will not leave anyone indifferent - we guarantee! They have many caves, faults, bizarre shapes of all colors and shades. Of course, we will not be able to see and explore them all, but we will definitely go through some of them, climb some peaks from which a beautiful and majestic view opens. And if there is a common desire of the group, then we can spend the night on one of the peaks, spending the sun to the west and meeting it in the east the next morning.

Karagiye Depression

Karagiye Depression “Black Maw” a real mystery for geologists. The exact nature of its origin cannot be determined to this day. It is located at the foot of the Karahau mountains. The length of the depression is 50 km, width – 30 km. Karagiye – is in fifth place in the ranking of the deepest depressions in the world, its absolute mark is 132 meters below the level of the World Ocean, and 100 meters below the waters of the Caspian Sea.

Mount Sherkala

A lonely round mountain more than 300 meters high in the middle of the bare steppe, one of the attractions of Mangyshlak. If you look at it from one side, the mountain resembles a huge white yurt, but on the other — Shergala resembles a sleeping lion, resting its huge head on its paws. That's why they named the mountain — Shergala, which translated from Turkmen means “Lion Mountain”.

Palaeontological Open Air Museum

The remains of marine organisms that can be found in the Cretaceous deposits of Ustyurt are extremely diverse: ammonites, numerous shells of bivalves and gastropods (including large oysters), perfectly preserved shells of sea urchins, teeth of sharks and rays, vertebrae of bony fish.
Dragon eggs and stone mushrooms

These, of course, are just stones, shaped like huge eggs and equally huge mushrooms, but their number and scale are amazing!

Shahbaghat Temple

The ancient underground temple, distinguished by its scale, dates back to 9 – 10 centuries, and is one of the main mysteries of the Mangyshlak Peninsula. It is located off the southern coast of Sary-Tash Bay. The entrance to the temple is skillfully decorated with various emblems, animal figures, inscriptions, epitaphs and Arabic script, which are woven into an ornament. All elements form a complete and thoughtful composition.

Ancient settlements of the Mangyshlak Peninsula

For many years, the Mangyshlak Peninsula has been a platform for scientists studying its mysteries. During this time, the Paleolithic team discovered more than a thousand monuments dating back to the Middle Ages. Among them are above-ground and underground temples, necropolises. Small rooms carved directly into the rocks, which served either as tombs or abodes for Muslim hermits, are found throughout the Mangyshlak peninsula.

Sand dunes

They are found not only in the Sahara, but also on the Mangyshlak Peninsula. We will have the opportunity to wander around them for our own pleasure, as well as ride down the sandy slope on a sandboard – analogue of a snowboard.

Caspian Sea

And not only will we see it, but we will definitely take a swim!

The cities of Fort Shevchenko and Aktau

Aktau, the largest and most civilized city in the region, a major port, and regional center. Fort Shevchenko is the oldest, former royal outpost of Russia in the Caspian Sea.

Monument "Motherland" in Volgograd and the Astrakhan Kremlin We will definitely visit these objects on the way to Kazakhstan.

The program described below by day assumes a journey from Moscow, but we can adjust the route and start our journey in Kazakhstan - in Astana, Almaty or Aktau. Such a program, based on your wishes, will be provided to you.

Duration

11 days

Comfort

Group

up to 4 people

Age

16+

Region

Mangistau, Western Kazakhstan

Itenarary day by day:

1 day

Early in the morning, the group gathers at the appointed place, loads into cars, leaves Moscow. We've been on the road all day. Overnight in tents on the banks of the Volga near Volgograd or in a suitable place, a little before reaching it.

2 day

A quick camp breakfast, we reach Volgograd, examine the Motherland monument, and continue along the highway to Astrakhan. After lunch we explore the Astrakhan Kremlin, leave the city and stop for the night in tents.

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3 day

Camping breakfast, we cross the border with Kazakhstan and then drive almost non-stop across the deserted Kazakh steppe until the evening. Overnight in tents in a suitable place.

4 day

In the first half of the day we reach Fort Shevchenko, examine it and then move towards the city of Aktau. On the way we admire the deserted shores of the Caspian Sea, stop and swim where we like. We spend the night in a hotel in Aktau – after several days of travel, roads and desert, a hotel with its comfort and the ability to take a shower and wash things will come in handy.

5-8 days

In the morning we leave for the Ustyurt Plateau and travel around it for three days in search of beautiful places of interest using pre-designated GPS coordinates, as well as using intuition and improvisation. We make radial treks to the peaks, explore ancient fossils and caves, visit ancient rock temples, arrange fantastic photo sessions in absolutely fantastic places, watch sunsets and sunrises. We spend the night in tents in the most beautiful places on the plateau! You will never forget these four days!

9 day

All good things come to an end, and so we are coming to the end of the main part of our wonderful journey. After the eighth night, we get into cars and make a long and rather tiring journey across the deserted Kazakh steppe almost to the border with Russia. We also spend the night in the steppe, over the evening fire we share our impressions and outline future plans.

10 day

In the first half of the day we cross the border of Kazakhstan and Russia and again drive all day towards Moscow. On the way, if the group wishes, we can take a break in the tiring journey and explore the sights of Borisoglebsk or Tambov. Overnight in tents at the campsite.

11 day

Camping breakfast and return to Moscow approximately by lunchtime.

The tour price includes:

travel in a comfortable SUV all days of the route,
accommodation in a tourist class hotel in Aktau,
accommodation in a rented apartment in Volgograd (day and night),
accommodation in tents on all remaining days of the route,
three meals a day, snacks, water, tea, coffee in the car while driving,
general camping equipment (tents, pots, burners, gas),
work as a guide/driver,
гgroup and individual photographs of each participant, taken during the entire trip using professional photographic equipment and provided electronically.

The tour price does NOT include:

air tickets to Moscow and back (for residents of other cities),
food in cafes and restaurants,
personal equipment of participants (sleeping bags, mats, trekking poles, etc.),
medical insurance,
clothing and personal equipment of participants (sleeping bags, mats, trekking poles, personal utensils, flashlights, etc.),
souvenirs and other personal expenses of participants,
other expenses not listed in the “price includes” section

?What is the difficulty of the tour? Will I be able to withstand these loads? What are the restrictions?

The tour is not difficult at all. We will walk lightly, the maximum walking distance is 10 km. in a day. This means that with minimal physical training, you can withstand all hiking loads without any problems.

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? Recommendations for clothing and equipment

Recommended minimum set of clothing and equipment:
hiking pants, you can transform them - short pants, or pants and shorts separately, a light hiking jacket, fleece, trekking boots, light thermal underwear for sleeping, a baseball cap or Panama hat, several T-shirts, a 60-90 liter backpack, a 0 degree comfort sleeping bag, a camping mat, a set of personal utensils (bowl, cup, spoon), a headlamp, sunglasses with good UV protection, sunscreen.

? How to participate

1. If you are interested in this tour, leave a request using the form below or call the indicated numbers, we will contact you and answer all your questions.
2. To reserve a place on THIS tour, you must make a prepayment before 01/20/2024 (later applications will not be accepted!) in the amount of 30% of the tour cost - visa invitations and the purchase of air tickets for domestic flights are made in advance. Prepayment is refundable (minus expenses paid and commissions of banks and payment systems) 45 or more days before the start of the tour and non-refundable, unfortunately, less than 45 days before the start of the tour if the refund is related to your refusal to participate (for any reason ). If the tour does not take place due to our fault, due to the group not being formed or due to force majeure, the advance payment will be guaranteed to be returned to you in any case and in full.
3. Final payment is due seven to three working days before the start of the tour or in cash on the spot.

Ustyurt plateau and Mangyshlak peninsula | auto / photo tour

So what we will see:

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Itenarary day by day:

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Ustyurt plateau and Mangyshlak peninsula | auto / photo tour

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