A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea - Uzbekistan https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/ The Independent Travel Enthusiasts Forum is a vibrant online community dedicated to passionate explorers seeking freedom and authenticity in their journeys. It’s a hub for exchanging travel tips, uncovering budget-friendly deals on flights and accommodations, and connecting with like-minded companions. Whether you're planning your next adventure, looking for inspiration, or eager to share memorable experiences, the forum offers endless opportunities for meaningful discussions. Say goodbye to cookie-cutter package tours and hello to personalized, enriching travel experiences, guided by the advice and camaraderie of fellow adventurers. en-US Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:31:44 +0000 wpForo 60 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/paged/2/#post-306 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:48:46 +0000 Here’s a report on our trip to the Aral Sea.

We booked a two-day tour with BESQALA for our group of 8 people. Three jeeps + guide cost us $240 per person. No prepayment; we paid on the day the tour started. We were very satisfied.

We booked via Telegram. The team was always responsive and attentive, didn’t forget or mix anything up. The guide, Irina, a local Russian philologist working at the Savitsky Museum in Nukus, was very pleasant and knowledgeable. She shared so much information about the tour and life in Karakalpakstan. Absolutely 5/5!

One of the drivers, Zafar Dauletbayev, spoke good Russian, while the other two had more limited language skills.

The route was standard and can be found on their website — it’s called the Eco-Tour to the Aral Sea, 2 Days/1 Night.

We traveled in mid-October when it was already cold. Nighttime temperatures were around 0°C. The yurts have heaters, but they were still being fine-tuned since they had just been installed. If you’re planning to go in cold weather, bring thermal underwear, hats, etc. Warm blankets and bedding were provided, so sleeping bags weren’t necessary.

There was cell service at the yurt camp; local Usell SIM cards worked well. The camp was full of people — a complete international mix, very lively!

Overall, the trip was excellent. Highly recommend.

We also booked another tour with BESQALA: Nukus – Khorezm fortresses – Khiva. It cost $180 for our group of eight in a minibus. We liked Irina so much that we paid an extra $60 to have her accompany us and explain everything. We were very happy with that too.

]]> Uzbekistan bondiano https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/paged/2/#post-306 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/paged/2/#post-305 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:47:42 +0000 Thanks!
I don’t think we need a full tour either. What we’d like to do is stand on the cliff overlooking the former sea and explore the old ships.
Would it be simpler to just hire a taxi from Nukus (or ideally Urgench, where we plan to fly from), have the driver wait for us while we explore, and then return?

I understand tours to Muynak for two people can cost upwards of $80 — would a taxi be cheaper? Or is there public transport?
Has anyone had experience getting to Muynak or the former Aral Sea from Nukus/Urgench?

]]> Uzbekistan Freem https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/paged/2/#post-305 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/paged/2/#post-304 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:46:58 +0000 Yes, that’s correct. There’s not much of a tour, really — you can explore the area leisurely in an hour or two. Sometimes, the caretaker, Sanyok, will tell you a few things if he’s still around. I left him a pack of cigarettes, though he asked for vodka — but where would you get that at 5 AM?

]]> Uzbekistan gerasimov https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/paged/2/#post-304 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/paged/2/#post-303 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:46:01 +0000 Thanks for the reply! I’ve seen pictures of people standing on high cliffs overlooking the former sea, now desert, with ships below. That’s Muynak, right? Is it possible to visit on a one-day tour?

]]> Uzbekistan Freem https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/paged/2/#post-303 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-302 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:45:31 +0000 I’m afraid you won’t see the sea from Muynak. The ship cemetery is located on the former shoreline, now part of the dried-up area. It’s interesting to explore, and I enjoyed climbing around there, but there’s no water. You’d have to arrange a pricey deal with someone to take you to the sea.

]]> Uzbekistan gerasimov https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-302 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-301 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:44:54 +0000 Good day! If we only have one full day in Nukus, is it possible to see the Aral Sea?
For example, some tours from Nukus to Muynak include the ship cemetery, which is near the shore of the Aral Sea. Sounds interesting.

We really want to see the Aral Sea, even if just a little.

Thanks!

]]> Uzbekistan Freem https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-301 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-300 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:44:17 +0000 Planning a trip to the Aral Sea for May holidays. Contacted BESQALA, and they quoted these prices: $510 for 2 people, $565 for 3 people. BESQALA seems to have a monopoly there. I reached out to another agency offering trips from Khiva, but I immediately got an email from BESQALA saying, "Dear guest, we’re eagerly waiting for you!"

]]> Uzbekistan FreeZer https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-300 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-299 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:43:22 +0000 here’s our feedback about the trip 🙂 Our trip was short — only 8 days — but incredibly eventful. Everything went just perfectly! We were based in Khiva (inside the Ichon-Qala fortress) and traveled around the surrounding areas. We visited the sea and the fortresses with Islambek Travel (we even stopped by their office in Ichon-Qala before the trips). Both times we had drivers who spoke excellent Russian, so we had great conversations about life. Alisher, who drove us to the fortresses, even brought a rare vintage book with diagrams and photos of all the Khorezm fortresses!

On our way from Khiva to Nukus, we visited the Zoroastrian tower of silence (Chilpyk), which made a great impression on us — highly recommend! In Nukus, we visited the Savitsky Museum (absolutely amazing!!!), then switched to a jeep (a new Land Cruiser Prado).

From there, it was a standard program: Mizdakhan, Muynak (lunch, museum, and ship cemetery), the Ustyurt Canyons, an ancient Sarmatian cemetery, and the yurt camp. We arrived at sunset, changed clothes, and went swimming in the sea right away. Afterward, we had a shower and were served tea in a gazebo overlooking the sea. Then they served us fresh vegetables and pilaf for dinner. After dinner, when the dark reddish moon rose, we went to a bench with weather vanes behind the camp (it’s a fantastic observation point!) and watched the stars.

In the morning, we watched the sunrise from the same spot. After sunrise, we walked to the sea for another swim: we floated on the waves and watched flamingos flying by. By 7:30 AM, we were back at camp, had a leisurely breakfast, and started the return trip.

On the way back, we visited Kurgancha-Kala — an incredibly beautiful fortress, even though it’s much younger than the others we saw (11th-13th centuries). Its integration into the landscape is so seamless that it’s hard to spot at first. Then we stopped by the village of Kubla with its abandoned Soviet airfield, went on a tour of the local school, and visited Urga and Sudochye. There, we convinced a local fisherman to take us out on his boat to the open water. We had lunch in Kungrad (you pick whatever you want from the menu at the teahouse) before returning to Khiva.

Now about the conditions: Olga described everything earlier in great detail. The only difference was that in the yurt camp, we were given large towels (though we had brought our own just in case), and the yurts weren’t wrapped in plastic — it was very comfortable to sleep in them at night. Since there were only two German tourists besides us in the yurt camp, there was plenty of water in the shower 🙂 We were given a six-person yurt for just the two of us.

The weather at the sea was fantastic: while it was around +38°C in Khiva, it was about +23–25°C at the sea with a pleasant breeze. The water was very warm. The horror stories about sinking into mud up to your waist at the shore turned out to be untrue: the first 5–7 meters of the bottom are indeed silty, but you don’t sink in deeper than your ankles. Standing on a slightly raised patch, it’s solid ground. The surf zone is also firm with reddish sand; you can wash the mud off your feet right there in the sea. Of course, conditions may vary by season, but that’s how it was in June for us.

]]> Uzbekistan komijama https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-299 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-298 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:41:26 +0000 Uzbekistan ehosevera https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-298 НА: A Tour to Muynak and the Aral Sea https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-297 Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:37:37 +0000 We visited the caravanserai and the ancient Kazakh cemetery on the first day, while other groups were taken there on the second day. In general, there’s no strict schedule to follow.]]> Uzbekistan mmmmakarov https://eurasia.travel/forum/itineraries-uzbekistan/a-tour-to-muynak-and-the-aral-sea/#post-297