Expedition · 8 days · Spring / Autumn

Great Kazakhstan Expedition — Part II: From Sea to Sea

Eight days across the great emptiness of Central Asia — from the dying Aral Sea to the turquoise Caspian, ~2,400 km via the Ustyurt Plateau.

8 days Kyzylorda → Aktau Spring / Autumn Max 10 guests
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Duration

8 days

Season

Spring / Autumn

Group

Max 10 guests

Distance

~2,400 km

Difficulty

Light — vehicle-based

Route

Kyzylorda → Aral → Ustyurt → Aktau

2,400km

Aral to Caspian

A full west-bound crossing of the Ustyurt Plateau — steppe, salt flat and chalk canyon.

65M yr

The age of Bozzhyra's seabed

Cretaceous ocean floor lifted into chalk spires — the strangest landscape in Kazakhstan.

8guests

Maximum at one time

A small group, a single expedition team, and Starlink at every remote camp.

Route Overview

Eight days across the great emptiness of Central Asia.

From the dying Aral Sea to the turquoise Caspian, the world's largest lake. ~2,400 km of steppe, salt flat, prehistoric canyon and geological wonder across the Ustyurt Plateau. Includes: Bozzhyra chalk spires, Beket Ata underground mosque, Kyzylkup "Tiramisu" formations, ethno-yurt night, and Day 6 with expert archaeologist Andrey Astafyev.

Key Highlights

What you carry away

  • Bozzhyra — chalk spires of a 65-million-year-old Cretaceous ocean floor, most otherworldly landscape in Kazakhstan
  • Beket Ata Underground Mosque (1780) — sacred Sufi site carved into chalk cliffs, thousands of pilgrims annually
  • Ustyurt Plateau — ~400 km crossing of one of the world's last great wildernesses

 

 

  • Kyzylkup "Tiramisu" — layered red & white chalk, shark teeth fossils from the ancient Tethys Sea
  • Andrey Astafyev (Day 6) — expert archaeologist on Kyzylkala fortress and Zoroastrian nomadic sites
  • Blue Bay Caspian — first sight of blue water after days of chalk and salt desert

Itinerary

Day by day

Day 01Onto the Aral

Kyzylorda → Kokaral Dam — first night on the restored sea

~500 km north through the Syr Darya delta to the dam that brought the Small Aral back.

  • Morning — Kyzylorda → Korkyt Ata Memorial.
  • Midday — Kamystybas Lake — flamingos, swim.
  • Evening — Kokaral Dam. Camp beside the restored Small Aral Sea.
Day 02Ghost ships

Kokaral → Large Aral — out across the dry seabed

~280 km of off-road past medieval ruins, an island oasis, and the stranded fleet.

  • Morning — Kokaral → Kerderi — medieval city on the ancient seabed, discovered 2001.
  • Midday — Barsakelmes Island.
  • Evening — Ghost ships of the Aral. Camp at Large Aral Sea.
Day 03Crossing the Ustyurt

Across one of the world's last great wildernesses

~400 km of off-road over salt flat and plateau to a hotel bed in Beyneu.

  • Morning — Drive across the Ustyurt Plateau.
  • Midday — Altay Sor salt flat — relic of a prehistoric sea.
  • Evening — Arrive Beyneu. Hotel night.
Day 04Beket Ata & Bozzhyra

A sacred mosque, then a Cretaceous seabed

~300 km from a Sufi pilgrimage site to a camp among 65-million-year-old chalk spires.

  • Morning — Beket Ata Underground Mosque — Sufi mystic carved it in 1780.
  • Afternoon — Drive into Bozzhyra — chalk spires of a 65 M yr Cretaceous ocean floor.
  • Evening — Camp at Bozzhyra.
Day 05Tiramisu & the yurt

Layered chalk, salt flat, a night around the fire

~300 km of geology, ending under felt at Kogez Ethno-Aul.

  • Morning — Bokty volcanic cone.
  • Midday — Kyzylkup "Tiramisu" — layered chalk, shark tooth fossils from the Tethys Sea. Tuzbayir salt flat.
  • Evening — Kogez Ethno-Aul — traditional yurt night & Kazakh dinner.
Day 06With the archaeologist

The Valley of Castles, a fortress, a fire-worship site

~200 km accompanied by archaeologist Andrey Astafyev.

  • Morning — Airakty-Shomanay — Valley of Castles, drawn by Shevchenko 1851.
  • Midday — Kyzylkala fortress (10th–13th c.) and Zoroastrian nomadic fire-worship sites with Andrey Astafyev.
  • Evening — Sartas Visitor Centre.
Day 07To the Caspian

Canyon, crater, then blue water

~200 km from the plateau down to the first Caspian swim.

  • Morning — Kapamsay Canyon — giant boulder corridor of an ancient sea.
  • Midday — Sultan Upe Underground Mosque (10th c.). Zhygylan Crater — 8 km wide, plateau collapsed into Caspian.
  • Evening — Blue Bay — camp & first Caspian swim.
Day 08Closing on Aktau

Aral to Caspian — the crossing complete

~130 km, a morning swim, and one last canyon before the city.

  • Morning — Swim in the Caspian — you have crossed Kazakhstan from Aral to Caspian.
  • Midday — Ybykty-Say Canyon — 41–66 M year old strata.
  • Afternoon — Arrive Aktau. Expedition concludes.

Before you book

How the expedition runs

Eight days across salt desert, steppe and chalk canyon. Remote, vehicle-based, fully supported — but real expedition conditions.

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Activity level

Light — vehicle expedition throughout. Walking at each site is short and optional. Guests must be comfortable with genuinely remote conditions.

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Camp & meals

1 hotel night (Beyneu, Day 3), 1 ethno-yurt (Kogez, Day 5), 1 visitor centre, 5 camp nights. Full board throughout.

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Access & transfers

Private 4×4 expedition vehicles all 8 days. Starlink at remote camps, bio-toilet tent, full first-aid kit, MChS route registration. Expedition leader Dauren Raptayev; archaeologist Andrey Astafyev on Day 6.

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Season

Spring and autumn only — Ustyurt summers are extreme. Can be booked standalone or combined with Parts I (Kyzylorda) and/or III (Aktau).

Pricing

Per person, by group size

All prices per person · Private departure · Full board included where stated · Excludes flights Kyzylorda/Aktau

2 persons

$3,600

Private departure, maximum attention

4 persons

$2,240

Most popular group size

6+ persons

from $1,640

Best value per person

Included

What's in the price

  • Private 4×4 expedition vehicles all 8 days
  • All accommodation: 1 hotel + 1 ethno-yurt + 1 visitor centre + 5 camp nights
  • All meals throughout (full board)
  • Expert archaeologist Andrey Astafyev (Day 6)
  • All eco-fees and nature reserve permits
  • Starlink + first-aid kit + MChS route registration

Not included

What sits outside

  • Flights to Kyzylorda / from Aktau
  • Travel insurance (required)
  • Personal expenses
  • Gratuities

Begin

Eight days. Aral to Caspian. A different century.

Private dates, your group, your pace. We reply within 48 hours, in person — usually with three options shaped around your brief.

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48 h reply window 24/7 operations desk during the visit One team — design to host