Aral Sea Tour

Aral Sea Tour

The Aral Sea was an endorheic lake (one with no outflow). The name roughly translates as "Sea of Islands", referring to over 1,100 islands that had dotted its waters; in the Turkic languages aral means "island, archipelago".

Fifty years ago, the Aral Sea was such a big saltwater lake straddling the border between Uzbekistan in South and Kazakhstan in North, that it had to be called a sea. To meet demands of industrial agriculture (cotton) during Soviet era, Aral sea began to recede, it left fishing villages far from the water and revealed the strange contours of the Aral Desert and the Ustyurt Plateau. Ships were left stranded, gathered into graveyards, and left to rust; communities that remembered the rich marshland ecosystems were suddenly surrounded by desert. A trip to the Aral Sea can be saddening, since it shows how much damage humans can create, yet the landscapes have an eerie and haunting beauty that will stay with you for long after you finish this tour.

Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Aralsk

Pass By: Aralsk History Museum, Street Yesetov, Aralsk Kazakhstan
: Pick up from Aralsk Train Station and drive to homestay to drop off your bags. Local familiarization with the town and a visit to the local museum on the edge of where the Aral Sea used to be. After, we set foot for the first time into the Aral, where you can see the abandoned infrastructure of a port and the extensive environmental damage. You will get to drink mineral water from a water geyser further in the Sea! For lunch we will have local samsa and tea back in Aralsk. For the evening we will return to our homestay where you will be able to see how people live in a remote country town. We will then show you a salt plain and a location where salt is harvested and treated, followed by evening dinner and then relaxing for the night.

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 2: Expedition to Aral sea

Pass By: Aral Sea Tours, Aralsk, Kazakhstan
After having breakfast we will drive 65km along a barren landscape to the Shipyard Graveyard. Once there, you will be able to come close to and climb these abandoned ships and immerse yourself in the post-apocalyptic landscape that makes you feel like you've been transported to another world. It's no wonder Pink Floyd chose this as as a location for their music video; a perfect area for us to have lunch. We will then drive out to Kokaral Dam where you can see what is left of the Aral Sea! We will set up camp here for the night and enjoy the landscape whilst having dinner and finishing up with national food around the campfire!

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 3: Stay in local family

Pass By: Aral Sea Tours, Aralsk, Kazakhstan
After having breakfast at the Dam, we make our journey back to the homestay where you can relax and refresh yourself. We will have some tea and lunch here, and you can play with the farm cow and camels!

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 4: After renergising, we will drop you off back at the Aralsk Train Station.

Pass By: Aral Sea Tours, Aralsk, Kazakhstan
After expedion, we will drop you off back at the Aralsk Train Station or Kyzylords airport

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.