Aral Sea

Day 06/07 “…At 8:00 AM, Zafar, our guide for the next two days, arrives in his Toyota Land Cruiser. Two girls, Anna and Axel, hop out—they’re our travel companions for this desert tour to the Aral Sea. We bounce out of Nukus in this old vehicle while making brief introductions. The roads quickly deteriorate, and soon we’re zigzagging around potholes and cracks. Hours pass as we grind through 210 km to Moynaq. This town used to be the main Uzbek port on the Aral Sea, but now it epitomizes the ecological disaster that struck Karakalpakstan. The Aral Sea is now dozens of kilometers away, leaving behind a ship graveyard, where boats were abandoned when the sea receded, destroying the fishing industry. The desert stretches to the horizon, where there was once water; now there’s only sand. We hit the road again, driving for hours across the dried-up seabed until we climb what used to be the lake’s shore, reaching the top of the Aral plateau. The view is endless. We still have over an hour of driving before we finally see the little water that remains of the Aral Sea. We arrive at the yurt camp where we’ll stay for the night, and before dinner, Zafar takes us to the lake’s beach. The water is extremely salty, and we decide against swimming, knowing that during Soviet rule, besides draining the fourth-largest saltwater lake in the world, they also conducted biochemical tests on the land. We head back to the tents, sip tea at sunset, have dinner, and once darkness falls, we marvel at the magical sight of the Milky Way. The next morning, we wake up at 5:30, hike up a small hill by the camp, and watch the sunrise over the Aral Sea. We jump back in the 4x4, gearing up for another day on the move. This time we’re driving much faster, and the “sights” are few and far between. The goal is to reach Nukus by evening, but first, we stop by the Mizdakhan necropolis, one of Central Asia’s largest cemeteries, with graves over 2400 years old. Legend has it that the cemetery contains the “Doomsday Clock”: every year, a brick falls from the clock wall, and when the last one falls, the world will end. Pilgrims stack stones and offer prayers to delay this moment…” #partitissimi #uzbek

Visiting Aral Sea was the best decision of my whole life. This place is so magical. So beautiful. I liked it soooo much. I initially hated the Soviet Union, but after visiting here I hated it even more.

The Aral Sea is a living story about Men vs. Nature: In the 1960s, the Soviet Union believed that they could transform the grassland in Uzbekistan to cotton plantations by redirecting the water from the sea to the farms. Once the Sea dried up, men were left with powerful sand storms and extreme climate. The region ecology is now on a destructive path with no return, but its economy is so dependent on cotton plantations that it is economically impossible to reverse. In Muynak, you can visit the ship cemetery where fishing boats died with the retreating Sea and most tourists stop there. However, I would strongly encourage you to hire a 4x4 to take you down to the former seabed and experience the powerful sand storm. Your guide will be able to take you to the last remaining of the Aral Sea where you can float on it because the salt concentration of the water is so high and nothing lives in the Sea. Camping in the middle of the desert is an experience like none other. Pay attention to the newly built green wall that tries to keep the sand in the seabed along your way out there.

Trip to the Aral Sea At the end of autumn I was lucky enough to go to the Aral Sea for two whole days and it was one of the unforgettable trips in my life. Although I live in Karakalpakstan, I have never been there and I would like to share with you my impressions and give some tips if you ever wish to visit this place To get to the sea, we turned to the travel agency "Beskala" and took two comfortable jeeps as our company consisted of six people. Our trip was designed for two days from the city of Nukus to the Aral Sea and included visits to places such as the Ustyurt Plateau, Sudochi, Muynak and of course the Aral Sea itself, as well as transport, three-day meals for two days and overnight. Depending on your discretion, you can change the places to visit as well as the place of departure and of course remove or add a place to spend the night and meals. On the day we set off, the weather was very cold and windy, and therefore we had to dress warmly and take warm clothes with us in case it gets colder even more. On this occasion, I carefully recommend that you find out the local weather. The best time to travel is the middle of autumn or the beginning of spring, because at this time the weather is very good. We left at 8 o'clock in the morning, and before leaving we went to a bakery and bought some food so as not to get hungry on the way. Our way ran through such areas as Khojeli, Kanlykul, Shagyrlyk and Kungrad. After a couple of hours of driving, we stopped at a cafe located near the Kungradsky district. After a hearty breakfast, we hit the road again. Our next stop was in Muynak, the owners of one of the local houses were waiting for us there. We had a wonderful rest and had lunch with local food and received positive emotions from the hospitality of the hosts and set off again. On the way, our drivers surprised us with their driving skills and knowledge of the surrounding area and the history of local attractions, but one of the disadvantages for foreign tourists is that drivers speak Russian and Karakalpak languages, but do not know English, for English-speaking people need to take this fact into account. In the late afternoon we arrived at the Aral Sea, but since it was dark, unfortunately, we had to wait for morning. We were fed a delicious dinner, and for dinner we had a traditional dish "Palau". We were provided with yurts for the night, where it was very warm and comfortable. And here it is worth considering the fact that the Internet does not work in this area and if, for example, you want to watch a movie or play something interesting, you need to prepare everything in advance. It's the same with the store, the nearest store is 100 km away. When we woke up in the morning, we couldn't get enough of the local landscape. It was very beautiful there and the smell of the sea beckoned. I already wanted to swim. After breakfast we went to the seashore. And by the way, the night sky there is also very beautiful and very bright. Just right to light a fire and admire the stars all night. After that, we left the Aral Sea and visited Sudochye, the Ustyurt plateau and other areas nearby. On the way, we got very hungry, because there was not enough food that we bought before departure, and for this reason I recommend you to take more food if you are a fan of eating well, since in a desert area you will not find a place where you could buy something. In the afternoon, on our way home, we had lunch at the same cafe called "Naiman Teahouse" and a few hours later we arrived in Nukus. Two days is quite enough to enjoy the trip to your heart's content. I hope that you will visit these parts, because it is very beautiful there and definitely worth it to visit at least once and enjoy the local beauties. I also hope that you will take my advice into account. I had very vivid and unforgettable impressions from this trip and I did not regret it in any way. And I also plan to visit these places again, but for a longer period.

The Aral Sea was once one of the world's largest inland bodies of water, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. However, since the 1960s, it has dramatically shrunk due to the diversion of rivers that fed it for agricultural purposes. This ecological disaster has led to significant environmental and economic impacts, including the loss of fisheries, increased salinity, and health problems for local populations. Efforts have been made to partially restore the sea, with some success in the northern part, but the southern part remains largely desiccated.

It is beautiful but a historical place with so many shipwrecs

Lake is a wonderful place... It worth the long trip to get there. I really loved the boat cemetary.

Dear, Will you please upload Aral sea latest video and this is very helpful for us understand climatic conditions.