Aral Sea Tour (Extended)

Tour itinerary: Tashkent → Nukus → Aral Sea → Kurgancha-Kala, Sudochye lake, Kungrad → Mizdakhan → Guitar → Kala → Nukus

Season: April - October | days: 3 | nights: 2

Ship Cemetery

Yurts at a camp in the Muynak

Aral Sea Memorial

Ship Cemetery

Ustyurt Plateau

I.V. Savitsky State Museum of Arts

Discover the tragic beauty and unique history of the Aral Sea on this 3-day excursion. Starting from Tashkent, you’ll fly to Nukus, the cultural capital of Karakalpakstan and home to the famous Savitsky Museum.

On the second day, travel across the Ustyurt Plateau to the shores of the vanished Aral Sea, where ship graveyards and endless horizons tell the story of one of the world’s greatest ecological disasters.

The third day includes visits to the ancient fortress of Kurgancha-Kala, the birdwatchers’ paradise Lake Sudochye, and historical sites around Kungrad, such as Mizdakhan Necropolis and Gyaur-Kala. The journey ends in Nukus, full of impressions and memories of Uzbekistan’s western lands.

Excursion

day 1

Tashkent – Nukus

08:00 Breakfast in the hotel.

09:00 Meet with our driver and transfer to the airport. Taking a flight to Nukus via local airlines. The road will take ~3 hours because we're flying to the other side of the country.

12:00 Arrival in Nukus. Check in at the hotel.

13:00 Excursion to the Savitsky Karakalpakstan Art Museum. It owns one of the biggest collections of Karakalpak art & handicraft, and also a Russian avant-garde arts exposition.

16:00 After visiting the museum, take a quick tour around Nukus. There are some sights you may be interested in - the statue of Berdakh - a famous poet born in Karakalpakstan; Nukus City Hall and the Drama Theatre.

18:00 Transfer to the hotel. Late lunch.

20:00 Leisure. Overnight in the hotel.

day 2

Nukus – Aral Sea

08:00 Breakfast in the hotel. Getting ready for the tough drive to the Aral Sea area. Start driving to Muynaq.

09:00 Arriving in Muynaq. Excursion to the Ships' Cemetery, a place where abandoned ships have found their last haven. Now, all of them look like skeletons of previously fine and useful vessels. Nowadays, they are crying whenever the random wind touches their bones, which lets them tell a story of their lives.

13:00 Quick lunch in Muynaq. After - visit the Local History Museum.

15:00 Continue driving until you reach Ustyurt Plateau. Some part of it was previously covered by the Aral Sea, but the water is gone, so the earth's relief looks unusual but fantastic.

16:00 Reaching the waterline of the current Aral Sea area. The water is still running away...

Quick stop-by to take photos and enjoy the saddening view of the dying nature.

19:00 Arrival in a yurt camp. Dinner. Leisure. Overnight.

day 3

Kurgancha-Kala, Sudochye lake, Kungrad – Mizdakhan – Guitar – Kala – Nukus

08:00 Breakfast in the yurt camp. Short walking towards the beach of the Aral Sea.

10:00 Small driving excursions to nearby memorials and ancient sights: Kurgancha-Kala, built in the 13th century; Kungrad town, which is a whole memorial itself, laying nearby old Silk Road Way; the leftovers of old Urga.

13:00 Arriving at Lake Sudochie. Photo-taking time. In the spring, you will be able to sightsee pink flamingos on the shores of the lake.

14:00 Picnic on the lakeshore. Birdwatching session.

15:00 Head back to Nukus.

16:00 Quick stop by Mizdakhan Memorial Complex - one of the oldest pilgrimage places in Karakalpakstan. The old legend says that Adam was buried in Mizdakhan, so this place became a religious one, and many people come here to pray.

A short excursion to Guyar-Kala - The Fortress of Infidels. Nowadays, not so much reminds us about what happened back in the 4th century when Guyar-Kala was a big noble fortress.

21:00 Arrive in Nukus. Taking an evening flight back to Tashkent.

End of the tour.

Included

Accommodation in standard double rooms in hotels;
Transportation services along the entire route (sedan, minibus with air conditioning);
Certified English-speaking guide;
Entrance tickets to attractions according to the program;
Internal flight Tashkent – Urgench (economy class);
Internal flights Urgench - Tashkent (economy class);
Bottled water 1 l per person per day;

Not included

*
Air tickets for international flights;
*
Accommodation in Tashkent (can be added as extra by request);
*
Extra spendings on souvenirs, meals, etc;

Price per person:

Person count

Standart

1 person

$930

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2-3 persons

2-3

$620

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4-5 persons

4-5

$515

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Accommodation:

Nukus
Standart: Jipek Joli Inn, Nukus , Jipek Joli Art , Pana Hotel , Fayz Hotel

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Notes

- Check-in 14.00, check-out time 11.00. No early check-in/ late check-out is included unless indicated;

- Please note that the tour price does not include seasonal VAT 15 %, VAT can be added to the basic tour price.

- Please note that the drivers do not speak English or can speak only basic English;

- All the changes in the basic itinerary, the timing for transfers depending on the international flight departure/arrival time are to be discussed and pre-agreed;

- Please note that the train trip/s can be replaced for transfer/s by car depending on train tickets availability and trains schedule;

- After the date of publication, any changes in the hotels, air/train ticket prices, tax increase, and exchange rate fluctuation may influence the tour prices;

- Anur Tour is not responsible for the force majeure occasions (weather conditions during the tour, repairing-reconstructing works at some parts of roads, government restrictions).