Tour to the city of Aralsk and the Berg Isthmus - the village of Karateren - Bogen - Lake Kombash
Travel to the Aral Sea region, fishing in the Aral Sea, and a boat trip. Jeep tour from Almaty to the Aral Sea. Let's preserve and save the Aral Sea from drying out and erosion.
After the Soviet Union diverted water from the confluence of the Amu Darya and Sir Darya rivers in the 1960s, the lake's volume shrank dramatically. It was intended to divert water for irrigation of agricultural crops, primarily cotton, in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
After the collapse of the USSR, misunderstandings due to confrontation between the countries that were once part of the former Soviet Union prevented this constant shrinkage from being halted. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which share what remains of the Aral Sea, clash with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the republics through which the rivers that once fed this great inland sea flow.
- Distance of the route:
583 km
- Season time:
May - September
- Best time:
July - September
- Group size:
not more 12 persons
- Days & nights:
3 days - 2 nights
Tour itinerary:
Almaty city – Kyzylorda city – Ayteke-Bi village (formerly Kazalinsk) (332 km).
We will meet in the city and go to the Almaty airport for a flight to Kyzylorda. Upon arrival in Kyzylorda, we are greeted. We are immediately going on a guided tour of the city, which will begin with a visit to the regional Museum of Local Lore, which was established in 1939.
Then we will go to the Korkyt Ata memorial. He is a legendary Turkic songwriter and composer of the ninth century, who came from the steppes located along the Syr Darya River. He was a very multifaceted personality: an akyn, a poet, a storyteller, a composer and a great musician, the creator of kobyz.
After that, we will go to the main square called Tagzym, and then visit the monument dedicated to Gani Muratbayev, a famous public figure, founder of the Komsomol in the Kazakh SSR, which is located on the forecourt. Next, we will go to the architectural monument of national significance – the Aitbaya mosque.
Then we will visit the Syr-Ana monument and the embankment of the Syr Darya River and the monument dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, and finish our trip around the city with a sightseeing tour. After lunch at the Kyz Zhibek restaurant, we will go to the memorial complex dedicated to Korkyt Ata, passing the villages of Shagan, Akzharma, Tanshalapi, and Zhosaly along the way. The road will be 168 km.
After visiting the complex, we will go to the village of Aiteke-Bi, which used to be called Kazalinsk. During our journey to the village, we will meet the Telemetry Communication Center, which belongs to Baikonur, and it will be possible to photograph it. Upon arrival in Aitek-Bi, we check into the hotel. Then you will have a guided tour of the city. After that, we have dinner at a cafe and head to the hotel for a rest.
Aiteke Bi village – Kazaly village – Aktan Batyr village – Bekarystan Bi village – Katankol Lake – Zhanakurylys village – Karateren village (116 km).
After breakfast, we will visit a guided tour and the museum of Gani Muratbayev, as well as visit various monuments and the mausoleum of Karasakal Yerimbet. After visiting the mausoleum, we will visit the Ganibai house and the Nogai Mosque, both buildings of the nineteenth century, then we will visit the building of the regional house of culture, named after Rosa Baglanova, which is a former church built in 1904, and we will also stop at the city square.
Next, we will have a trip to the settlement of Zhankent, which is located near the village of Orkendeu. Arriving in Zhankent (formerly Yangikent), we go on a guided tour of the ancient settlement, after which we return to the village of Ayteke-Bi. We have lunch in a cafe. After lunch, we leave for the village of Karateren, the road will last 116 kilometers, along the way we will pass several villages and Lake Katankol. Next, our way lies to the Kak-Aral Dam, located thirty kilometers from Karateren.
It has a hydraulic gate, which makes it possible to discharge excess water, which, in turn, helps regulate the level of the reservoir, and separates the Small Aral Sea from the Large One. After examining the dam, which is seventeen kilometers long and six meters high, we return back to the village. We walk along the dam, take pictures. After the walk, we return to the village of Karateren and check into the guest house. We have dinner and relax.
Karateren village – Aklaksky hydroelectric complex – Bogen village – Koszhar village – Kombash Lake – Aralsk city (171 km).
After breakfast, the first thing we will do is stop at the Aklak hydroelectric power plant, which is located six kilometers away from us. This hydroelectric complex is located on the Syrdarya River and was built to fill a number of lakes located above the dam.
After visiting the hydroelectric complex, we will go to the Koszhar fish hatchery, on the way stopping at the fishing village of Bogen, where we will visit the local mosque and school, which was built in 1954, and it is located between the dunes. After Bogen, on our way we will meet a bridge over the isthmus between two lakes Kombash and Laikol. There are about a dozen lakes in this area, such as Sarykkol, Zhalanashkol, Karakol and others.
Upon arrival in the village of Kosjar, we go to the factory, the equipment of which was brought from Israel, and the fish hatchery. After the trip to the factory, a 23-kilometer road to Lake Kombash awaits us. Arriving at the lake, we swim, relax, walk and have lunch there. After relaxing on the lake, we go to the city of Aralsk. When we get to the city, the first thing we will do is stop at the city museum, the museum dedicated to fishermen, as well as the museum of the ships of the Aral Flotilla, then we will visit and inspect the railway station and the surrounding monuments.
After the railway station, we will visit several monuments, including the monument to Abulkhair Khan and the monument to Zhibek and Tolegen. After that, we will visit several more sights of the city of Aralsk, such as the stele "Kazakhstan", the monument to the fisherman and the horse of Przhevalsky, our tour will end with a visit to the alley of heroes. After finishing the tour, we have dinner at a local cafe and go to the railway station.
Kyzylorda city – Korkyt Ata Memorial - 168 km.
Korkyt Ata Memorial - Aiteke Bi village (Kazalinsk) – 164 km.
Aiteke Bi village – Karateren village - 116 km.
The village of Karateren – Kok-Aral Dam is 30 km away.
Karateren village – Aklaksky hydroelectric complex – 6 km.
Aklaksky hydroelectric complex – Koszhar village (fish hatchery) – 56 km.
Koszhar village – Kombash Lake – 23 km.
Lake Kombash is 86 km from the city of Aralsk.
Train No. 24 Aktobe – Almaty departs daily from Aralsk at 06.30.
Train No. 377 Mangyshlak – Almaty departs daily from Aralsk at 02.42.
Train No. 34 "Aktobe – Almaty" departs daily from Aralsk, at 08.08.
Train No. 41 "Atyrau – Almaty" departs daily from Aralsk, at 12.41
Train No. 380 Uralsk – Almaty departs daily from Aralsk at 11.43.
Train No. 71 "Moscow – Almaty" departs daily from Aralsk, at 02.28.
All trains from Aralsk to Almaty and other destinations are passing.
1. It is possible to drive UAZ cars, lack of air conditioners, dust in the car interiors.
2. The optimal number of tourists for such a tour is no more than 12 people.
3. From the village of Kazaly to the village of Karateren, from the village of Karateren to the Kok-Aral dam and from the Kok-Aral dam to the village of Bogen, the path lies along a grader road, the recommended maximum speed is no more than 60 kilometers per hour.
4. In the village of Karateren, the toilet in the guest house is located outside the house. There is no shower in the house, there is a sauna in which you can wash with hot water. To spend the night in the guest house, you will be offered to sleep on the floor of the house on mattresses with bedding in a separate room for several people. A guest house is a house in which the owners of this house also live.
Photogallery:
