Expedition to Mangystau

Put on your explorer’s hat, as today we embark on our 5-day adventure through the Nature Wonders of the Almaty region. This day will start with a long scenic drive through the Kazakh steppes. We are heading to the Altyn Emel National Park. After a lunch at the National Park’s village cafe, we are going for a "casual afternoon time travel" to the Aktau mountains — believed to be the floor of the ancient Tethys ocean. Hike through a martian-like landscape, wondering at the color palette of each layer of this historic cake, searching for prehistoric fossils — this is our plan for Aktau. Our next stop — volcanic formations of Katutau. Once an active volcano created a lava base, which was turned into whimsical sculptures by the “hands” of the Wind, Rain, and Time for millions of years. A hot dinner and a good rest at the old family guesthouse in the National Park will end our day.

After a village-style breakfast, we are visiting The Singing Dune, a single dune in the middle of the endless steppes, and hope you are lucky enough to hear it singing. While the Dune songs are unpredictable, the next Gem of our Journey stays still through centuries — “Zharkent Mosque” Museum in a city close to the Chinese border, which was once a part of the Silk Road. The mosque was built in 1895 by a Chinese architect with the help of Uighur artists. This work of art combines Chinese, Buddhist, Middle East and Islamic architecture decorated with floral and animalistic motifs, Uighur ornaments, and Arabic scripts. What else can we add to this day? Maybe a little more of endless steppes and a short sunset walk in the Valley of Castles in the Charyn Canyon? By that time, a significant part of the tourists leave, and we can enjoy the little brother of the Grand Canyon in natural silence. 

This morning will start very early with a nice hike through Charyn Canyon. We will walk deep inside up to the river. After a 2-hour hike, we deserve a delicious breakfast in Tary Ethno cafe to refill our energy before heading to another canyon — Bestamak (Moon) Canyon. We will spend the second half of the day enjoying the views of Kaindy Lake. The view of dead spruce trunks resembling the masts of the dozens of sunken ships in a turquoise still water locked inside a narrow mountain gorge is mesmerizing. And this view changes drastically throughout the day. Will your Sunken Forest appear to you foggy and dark, like Tim Burton is filming something right now? Or will it be a fairytale place full of sun, butterflies, and glare on the water? You never know until you come. Home-style dinner, a calm evening, and a good sleep in a village guesthouse will finish this day.

What could be better than a good hike early in the morning to an unknown place? That is how we will start this day. A four-hour hike from the first Kolsay Lake to have a picnic lunch at the second. How are these lakes different? Was the second one worth the hike? You tell us while we are heading back to our now so familiar Satty Village. But maybe let's change the scenery a little and move to a traditional Kazakh Yurt?

Nothing lasts forever, so does our adventure. It is time to come back to the city and city life. But we still have some time to make a little detour to another mountain Gorge — Turgen. Any local will say to you: "Better than mountains could be only mountains that you've never been" and we can't help but agree. And to add a little cherry on top of all these memories we've already created, we will visit one of the most powerful and unique waterfalls in Kazakhstan — Kairak waterfall. By dinner, we will reach Almaty. Do you have some more days to walk through the city, or are we driving straight to the airport? See you on the next adventure!