Excursion to the Ustyurt plateau
Tours to Mangyshlak
Reserve tour now >>>
Geographical location. Mangystau region includes the territory of Mangyshlak peninsula, a major part of the Ustyurt plateau and the southern part of the Caspian depression - the Buzachi peninsula. That amounts more than 16 million hectares of natural desert and semi-desert. There are several beautiful landscape areas here:
- shore of the Caspian Sea including a large number of canyons and ravines;
- mountain massif of Karatau;
- chalky and limestone cliffs;
- sand dunes;
- clay and salty surfaces of dry lake beds;
- hollows.
Trees and shrubby vegetation are rare. The Earth is naked "to the bones" in Mangyshlak, which is what gives geologists such a superb possibility to investigate the ancient geology of the region.
The climate of the region is extreme continental. Winters are harsh and windy and snow is rare. Spring is short, dry and windy. Summer is hot, cloudless and long lasting. Autumn is warm and long as well. The caspian Sea surrounds Mangyshlak from three sides but influences only the narrow seaside. The climate there is more humid, and temperatures are lower in summer and higher in winter. Annual average temperature is about +10.5 + 11.5°C. Absolute annual minimum temperature is +26 + 34°C; maximum + 43 +45°C; surface heat reaches +60 +70°C. The hottest period is from the middle of July to mid-August. Autumn frosts begin at the end of October, and the spring thaw starts in April.
Precipitation is poor. Annual average precipitation is from 140-160mm in the north to 90-12mm in the south. Rain showers are common in spring and early summer. In mountainous areas they may cause mudslides.
Snow cover on Mangyshlak and Ustyurt is thin (3-7 cm) and unstable. Not all areas are covered with snow. As a result of the high temperatures, poor precipitation and windy weather, evaporation exceeds precipitation by 10-15 times and air humidity is 40-60% only.
The Program:
Duration: 4 days;
Accommodation: 2 nights in hotel, 1 night in tents;
Category of difficulty: A;
Season: April 15 - October 15;
Size of group: no more than 10.
Travel itinerary: Almaty - Aktau - Basjira valley - Tynymbai mountain - Bokty mountain - Akkurpa valley - Baisary valley - Kamyty valley - Aktau - Almaty
Day 1. Departure from Almaty. Arrival in Aktau. Meeting at the airport, transfer to the "Rakhat"**** hotel, accommodation. City sightseeing: city historical museum, orthodox church, monument to Taras Shevchenko, city square, city embankment, and cape Melovoi. Lunch and dinner at a local cafe. Night in hotel.
Day 2. Breakfast. Early departure from Aktau. Transfer: Aktau - Basjira valley (280 km., dirt road). The route goes through the Tuesu sands, near the beautiful Tynymbai (227m) and Bokty (165m) mountains. Lunch en-route. The Basjira valley is a picturesque bluff of Usturt plateau. A Big dry salty lake Karashek joins the bluff from the southeast. Here we will see the giant formations of globe-shape and petrified Sea fauna. Short walking before dinner. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 3. Breakfast. Walk up the hill to see a superb panorama (5 km). Lunch en-route. Transfer: Basjira valley - Aktau (280 km., dirt road). Our return route winds through the stone galleries and columns of the Akkurpa, Baisary and Kamyty valleys. Arrival in Aktau, accommodation at the "Rakhat"**** hotel. Dinner at a local cafe. Night in hotel.
Day 4. Transfer to the airport and departure from Aktau to Almaty.
| Cost of program includes: |
Cost of program does not include: |
- Visa support to Kazakhstan;
- all land transfers;
- meeting and seeing off at the airport;
- interpreter and guide services;
- cook and helper services;
- accommodation in hotels according to the program (double rooms with breakfast);
- entrance and ecological fees;
- police registration;
- special area passes;
- tea/coffee in the morning during autotrekking;
- tents for 2 pax during autotrekking;
- necessary kitchen equipment;
- full board in the cities and on the tour;
- box lunches and drinking water during transfers;
- guide consultations.
|
- Air tickets;
- visa costs;
- tips;
- medical expenses and insurance;
- additional excursions not indicated in the program;
- personal expenses like excess luggage;
- laundry and cleaning;
- phone/fax/e-mail;
- alcoholic drinks;
- mini bar and other hotel services.
|
Additional information
1. 1. Transport and roads. For the transfers on the tour we use 4WD minibuses of Russian manufacture - UAZ 452 (the "pill").
2. Various wild animals may be seen during the tour: saiga, steppe gazelle, Ustyurt moufflon, wolf, fox, hare, jackal, snakes and lizards, and different birds of prey.
3. Under the cliffs of the Ustyurt plateau, in the Basjira valley it is extremely windy.
We hope you like the program and assure you that we are absolutely open to any suggestions to increase the range of our services for the entire satisfaction of our clients and are happy to meet your special requirements.
You can alter the duration of your tour and places of visits by adding one of the extensions. Our tour operator will work closely with you or your travel agent to carefully prepare an itinerary based on your stated interests.
Reserve tour now >>>
|
