{"id":8069,"date":"2025-01-29T08:42:10","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T08:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rolfgemperle.ch\/?p=8069"},"modified":"2025-08-28T17:59:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T17:59:50","slug":"kazakhstan-photo-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rolfgemperle.ch\/en\/kazakhstan-photo-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Kazakhstan photo tour"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Deserts and Canyons
\nApril 6th to 16th, 2026<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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The Mangistau region in the far southwest of Kazakhstan feels like it’s from another planet.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The region is bordered by Turkmenistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the east, and the Caspian Sea to the west.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mangistau is a unique blend of shapes and textures. There are huge rock towers, snow-white walls, and castles not built by human hands. The landscapes are special, and they open up for you at surprise. It feels as though you\u2019re driving through the steppe, wondering what could possibly be there? And then you reach the edge of a massive abyss, where the terrain rises in a way that no architect could have ever imagined. And all of this is what we will explore, photograph, walk on the bed of an ancient sea, where fossilized sea urchins and teeth of ancient sharks are embedded.<\/p>\n

Impressive? Of course, it is \u2013 I\u2019m looking forward to this trip!<\/p>\n

A special thanks to my partner Anton Agarkov for the images used.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Trip Details<\/h5>\n
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Dates<\/strong>
\nApril 6th to 16th, 2026 (11 days)<\/p>\n

Destination<\/strong>
\nMangustau (Kazakhstan)<\/p>\n

Number of Participants<\/strong>
\nMaximum 10 people<\/p>\n

Cost<\/strong>
\nCHF 5,900 per person<\/p>\n

Questions<\/strong>
\nWhatsApp +41 79 772 49 93<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

I'm interested!<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Itinerary<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/h5><\/div>
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Day 1<\/h6>\n

Arrival at Aktau Airport (Kazakhstan). Transfer to a hotel on the Caspian Sea coast. We have some time to rest after the long flight. Towards the end of the day, we will head to Aktau’s promenade. Here, the sun sets over the sea, and we may capture some great sunset shots with interesting rock formations in the foreground.<\/p>\n

After sunset, we’ll head to a local restaurant for a welcome dinner. After dinner, we return to our hotel to rest. Our adventure begins tomorrow!<\/p>\n

Day 2<\/h6>\n

After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and load our equipment into the cars. We travel in comfortable Toyota Land Cruiser Prado vehicles, with three people plus the driver per car.<\/p>\n

Today’s journey will be long. Most of the time, the landscape will be made up of steppe and plains. This increases the element of surprise when the wonders of Mangistau suddenly appear before our eyes, with no prior warning.<\/p>\n

The first place we will visit is the Ybykty-Sai Canyon (yes, get used to the local names, they all sound like this). This is a narrow gorge with intricate formations. We will have about 1.5 hours to explore this location. Then, we continue to the town of Zhanaozen. Here, we\u2019ll briefly have lunch at a local caf\u00e9, then head to our first campsite. Our first location is the striped hills of Kyzyl-Kup. Stunning hills with vibrant colors. We will set up camp here and continue exploring this amazing area. This is a great spot to fly a drone and take photos of the colorful patterns. There are also excellent places for sunset shots with the camera from the ground.<\/p>\n

After sunset, we return to our camp (which is about 5 minutes from the shooting location) for dinner and rest.<\/p>\n

Day 3<\/h6>\n

Sunrise shots in Kyzyl-Kup. After sunrise and breakfast, we pack up our camp and continue our journey. Our next stop is Karyn-Zharyk. This is a vast depression literally in the middle of nowhere. The drive takes about 6 hours, but the view is worth it. We will see this vast depression, and in the center, there are striped hills \u2013 as if UFOs landed on a huge spaceport!
\nWe will set up camp here and wait for the sunset, and if the weather cooperates, we will also try night photography.
\nDinner and overnight in the camp.<\/p>\n

Day 4<\/h6>\n

After the sunrise shoot and breakfast, we pack up and head back to civilization to refill water supplies. Of course, we will have lunch on the way.<\/p>\n

Our next stop is one of the main attractions of Mangistau \u2013 Bos\u2019Zhira. Here, we will see another so-called “chink” \u2013 a local term for steep cliffs shaped by wind and rain. The Bos\u2019Zhira cliff looks like a huge ocean cruiser stuck in the endless plains of Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n

We will camp here to photograph the sunset.
\nDinner and overnight in the camp.<\/p>\n

Day 5<\/h6>\n

Today, we move to another location on Bos\u2019Zhira \u2013 the a middle viewpoint. From here, we can see another feature of the area \u2013 the so-called “Fangs of Bos\u2019Zhira.” Two needle-like rocks protruding into the sky! For this shot, we will need to walk for about 15-20 minutes to the viewpoint.<\/p>\n

We will spend the night here to capture the sunset.
\nDinner and overnight in the camp.<\/p>\n

Day 6<\/h6>\n

After the morning shoot and breakfast, we will move to another location \u2013 the lower viewpoint on Bos\u2019Zhira. From here, we can see the Fangs, but from below. They appear especially large from here. Our camp is located at the bottom of an ancient sea, and we will wander around looking for fossils of prehistoric sea urchins. If we\u2019re lucky, we may even find fossilized shark teeth!<\/p>\n

We will stay here for the sunset and the night.
\nDinner and overnight in the camp.<\/p>\n

Day 7<\/h6>\n

After the sunrise shots and breakfast, we continue our journey. Our next destination is the Tuzbair saline. Another vast, saltwater-filled depression. It resembles the famous Salar de Uyuni with its salt-covered mud and hexagonal structures and cracks. But Tuzbair has something unique to offer. The walls of this depression are made of limestone and have amazing shapes! It’s truly impossible to describe how they look \u2013 much easier to see them for yourself and try to imagine them.<\/p>\n

We will stay here for one night to watch the sunset and maybe even take night shots.
\nDinner and overnight in the camp.<\/p>\n

Day 8<\/h6>\n

Today, we head to our final location \u2013 the Ayrakty Valley of Castles. It looks as though an evil fantasy overlord decided to build his castles around blissful meadows. There are so many filming locations here that one day would not be enough to see and photograph them all. So, we will stay two nights here and explore the area in search of the best spots.
\nSunset in the Ayrakty Valley of Castles.
\nDinner and overnight in the camp.<\/p>\n

Day 9<\/h6>\n

We will spend the whole day in Ayrakty without moving our camp. It is a place full of things to see. Locations that can be captured with both the drone and hand cameras.<\/p>\n

Day 10<\/h6>\n

It\u2019s time to say goodbye to the Valley and Castles of Ayrakty. We will photograph the sunrise and then move on to our final shooting location.<\/p>\n

On the way, we will visit several places. The first is Mount Sherkala. From a distance, it looks like a cake. But when we send our drones up, it transforms into a giant jellyfish! Additionally, on the backside of the mountain, there are several caves. Historians say that prehistoric humans used them as shelter.<\/p>\n

Another interesting location is the Valley of the Spherical Rocks of Torysh. Here, there are hundreds of almost perfectly round stones. Some of them have a diameter of 4 meters! Huge! It\u2019s believed these rocks formed when the entire area was an ancient seabed. Debris, small shells, and even pieces of wood were rolled by the waves and covered layer by layer with clay. That\u2019s how these massive spheres were created.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, we will reach the Caspian Sea coast. Here, we will experience one final sunset with interesting limestone formations.<\/p>\n

After sunset, we drive the full distance back to Aktau \u2013 about an hour and a half. We check into our hotel, shower, and meet for a farewell dinner. Here, we will reflect on the journey one last time.<\/p>\n

Day 11<\/h6>\n

Check-out from the hotel and transfer to Aktau Airport. Our journey comes to an end.<\/p>\n

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Looking forward to an incredible journey!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

Travel Information<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/h5><\/div>
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Tour Leader<\/h6>\n