Mangystau tour

  Early in the morning in Aktau you will be met by our guide accompanied by cool off-road vehicles - only on such "ships of the desert" you can confidently travel around Mangystau. Our path runs north from the capital of the region, towards the famous Fort Shevchenko. The first stop is in the Tamshaly canyon, which is the best way to get acquainted with the fabulous land. Tamshaly is a huge karst sinkhole, from the bottom of which only sheer walls made of pressed clay layers are visible. Here, in the depths of the gorge, there is a cool spring.
  After admiring the oasis, we will continue our exploration of the underground wonders of Mangystau, going for lunch to a place called Fallen Earth. This is perhaps the most impressive illustration of the amazing land of Mangystau - a 10-kilometer depression, a real landslide 80m deep. No photographs can convey the sensations arising at the edge of this abyss.
  For the night we will stop at the Kapamsay tract, where in the cool depths of the gorge you can comfortably spend the night in tents, and collect a small collection of silicon pebbles as a keepsake, because silicon lies right on the surface here. 

  Today we have a long busy day, which will begin with a tour of the Shakpak Ata underground mosque. This is a truly sacred place, which is known not only for its beautiful mosque and necropolis, but also for the oldest finds in Kazakhstan of the sites of the first people. The Shekpakatasai gorge is no less grandiose in beauty, along the bottom of which we will follow in the direction of the next location - the Valley of the Balls.
  The Valley of Balls (Torysh), as usual, will surprise anyone who comes here for the first time with placers of perfectly round stones ranging in size from pebbles to several meters. A sophisticated traveler will even see prehistoric fossil animals inside many of the destroyed ones. After lunch, we will visit perhaps the most famous mountain of Mangystau called Sherkala - its images are even on 1000-tenge bills. And for the night we will arrive in the local Valley of Castles - Ayrakty Shomanai. 

  The morning of the third day we will devote to the study of the Airakty Shomanai tract, which is also called the Valley of Castles. The landscapes that open up from any gorge of these rocky mountains are amazing - pointed peaks appear in the form of impregnable towers, then hang over you in the form of fantastic animals.
  After lunch, we move on towards the next miracle of nature - the salt lake Tuzbair. Its landscapes with deserted shores surrounded by hills of multi-colored clay are mesmerizing. But the most interesting thing is revealed from the bottom. Rushing across the dazzling white surface of pure salt, you can observe the shores cut by water and wind right from the inside. We spend the night right on the salty bottom, surrounded by Martian landscapes. 

  The fourth day we will start with a visit to the famous Beket Ata underground mosque. It is so popular among pilgrims that a new road was even built here - straight as an arrow and leading to a descent into an oasis valley. Beket Ata is one of the most revered religious leaders in Western Kazakhstan, who lived in the 18th century. Sufi, educator and batyr, builder of many mosques and madrassas. It is here that he is buried.
  After lunch we move to the culmination of our journey - the most recognizable point of the Ustyurt plateau called Boszhira. Boszhira is precisely those sharp stone "fangs" located at the bottom of the white canyon. Boszhirinskaya valley is huge - it is a network of canyons surrounded by sheer cliffs of white-pink-yellow clay. To begin with, we will admire the scale from above, from an observation point. And then we will proceed inside the canyon and stop at the famous Fangs. We spend the night in tents on the Ustyurt plateau. 

  The first impressions of this day come when geometric pyramid of Mount Bokty appears on the horizon, above the white salt marshes. Composed of layers of pink, yellow, red chalk, it looks like a puff treat cake.
  We move further towards Aktau - through the city of Zhanaozen, surrounded by working oil rigs. We rush along the bottom of the deepest earthly depression, Karakiya, where you can photograph an amazing figure of minus 160m below sea level, detected by devices. And in the evening we arrive in Aktau. Here our 5-day tour of Mangystau ends.