Discover The Aral Sea With Ayimtour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Mizdakhan and Gyaur-Kala are two famous ancient archeological sites located in close proximity to each other. Mizdakhan is mentioned in many legends. It is a spiritual site revered by pilgrims. In Mizdakhan, mostly you will see ancient mausoleum complexes. In Gyaur-Kala, you will see an amazing labyrinth of the ancient inner city and a great view of the Mizdakhan necropolis.

   1 hAdmission included

2. On the way to Kungrad, one of the five ancient cities of the region, you will observe the authentic life of the people of Northern Karakalpakstan. In Kungrad, we will stop at a shop to buy soft drinks, travel accessories or toiletries.

   30 min

3. In Muynak, you will visit the ship graveyard where the abandoned ships seem to be frozen in time. You will walk down the high slope to the ships and listen to the story of a disappearing sea while standing at the very sight of the Aral Sea tragedy. After that, we take you to have lunch at Aunt Bali's, the hospitable resident of Muynak that will prepare for you her wonderful traditional homecooked meals. After lunch, you will visit the Muynak Museum of History and Ecology of the Aral Sea.

   2 hAdmission included

4. You will ascend the Ustyurt Plateau. Leaving behind the modern roads of Muinak, you will journey to the Ustyurt Plateau through the desert that used to be the bottom of the Aral Sea. The table-like plateau with carved walls can be seen from afar. You will ascend the Ustyurt in the off-road vehicles, and your unbelievable journey will begin.

   3 h

5. Arrive at the Aral Sea yurt camp. You can relax in a cozy yurt camp on the Aral Sea Shore. The camp is located on a platform between the Ustyurt and the Aral Sea. You will take a walk to the sea, have an outdoor dinner enjoying the view of the sea, and spend the night in comfortable Karakalpak yurts.

   Passes by

6. After breakfast, our tour will also take you to the ancient Kurgancha-Kala site (Davletgirey). You will hike to the ruins of the huge market that was built in this deserted area to facilitate the trade between the population of the Khorezm Kingdom and nomads. Kubla-Ustyurt is a remote settlement with an airstrip. You will find out why people still live here in the middle of the desert where the nearest settlement is a hundred miles away. You will have a chance to visit the house of the camel herder and try camel milk

   2 h

7. Urga, an abandoned fishing village, looks like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie. You will see the ruins of the Russian city once inhabited by the exiled Cossacks and their descendants, visit a Russian Orthodox cemetery on a hill, decrepit factory, salt-covered lakeshore, wooden fishing boats and vast areas overgrown with bulrush. We will make a quick stop at the fishing outpost. Sudochie Lake with its bulrush-covered islets is home to a variety of birds, so it is often visited by ornithologists and photographers from all over the world.

   2 h

8. A busy road running along with the patches of desert, green fields, and lakes will take us back to Nukus. Lunch will be served at the roadside café in Kungrad, and then we will continue our way back to the modern life of Nukus. Stay at our Jipek Joli Hotel or drop-off at any hotel our tourists checked-in.

   3 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 61 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Phenomenal tour that must be done by anyone who cares about our planet

  What a phenomenal experience. This is a must see if you have any interest at all in ecology and the environment and how poor planning where water is assumed to be unlimited leads to disaster. An economist would appreciate how the mispricing of water could cause such a calamity. But there is much more to this tour then just getting you to what remains of the Aral Sea. There are the bizarre ghost towns left as a result of the disappearing sea but also some great ruins of forts from the time of the active Silk Road. An added feature is the impact of the discovery of natural gas in the region with so many modern wells and pumping stations. Most importantly the key to this tour is the Driver. You are off road for a great deal of this tour and a skilled and experienced driver makes the trip so much more enjoyable. Our driver was not a maniacal taxi driver type but one who drove to maxis customer safety and comfort. My wife and I felt incredibly safe. Everyone in the organisation was very friendly and helpful. Please note that the drivers have limited English so best to read the signs and do your own background research. The yurts were comfortable, the toilets basic but clean. The meals were above expectations for a “camp”. Disappointingly for us, we would have preferred a quiet campfire and stargazing but instead got incredibly loud karaoke until 11 pm. But overall an incredible experience and we are so thankful that our driver was so exceptional. Everyone who cares about the future of our planet should take this tour.

  B8458QEstevefSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Excellent trip to the Aral Sea

  Ayimtour organised two trips for us. The first one with pickup in Khiva, visit to the fortresses and destination Nukus. Guide Yusup and driver Arslan were very competent, professional and friendly. All our questions were answered with plenty of details and the trip helped us to understand and learn more about Karakalpakstan long and rich history. The second trip was a 2-days tour to Aral sea. This time we were with guide Kuuat and driver Rustin on a sturdy 4WD veichles. Also Kuuat and Rustin were extremely professional a guided us through the discovery of Aral Sea history. Despite the extremely sad part of the recent history for this area, the region is extremely interesting, showing stunning views and breathtaking landscapes. The night passed inbthe yurt camp and the sunrise on the Aral Sea is priceless! The experiences along the trip (visit to a farm to see how local bread is baked and lunch ina private house) are a must of you want learning more about this beautiful region. Great job guys! I definitely recommend Ayimtour for their professional behaviour, for their fast follow-up to any question during the preparation not the trip and for the support once we arrived at the departure point.

  enricoge66August 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Unforgettable experience !

  For us visiting Uzbekistan without seeing Aral Sea was not an option. Not only we saw the vanishing sea, we also had the opportunity to get to know Karalpakstan better. Everything went perfect- from smooth communication with Askar from the agency, to the trip itself. As a family of 4 we travelled in one car, joined by two other parties in their cars, and we all shared a guide Ahmet. We prefer travelling on our own, but this trip simply coudn't be done without experienced guide and driver. We appreciate Ahmet style of guiding- providing all sorts of info and fun facts but also being flexible and not rushing us to move if the point was of greater interest of the group. Last but not least, we want to thank our driver Saramat (I hope a wrote the name correctly)- being with him for 2 days in a car, gave us a great opportunity to learn about Karalpak people, their way of life, etc He made the drive over bumpy roads fun and special 😊

  alisjak7August 2026via Tripadvisor

• 4Great excursion

  Very unique, fun and interesting excursion. The guide and driver were very friendly and helpful. Our guide, Yusup, spoke great English. While it is certainly an expensive trip, it is worth it because the things you can see and do on it are unlike anything else in the world, such as seeing the ship graveyard and swimming in the Aral Sea. We faced some minor issues, such as our car having problems and us needing to get in a different one on the way to Moynaq, but it did not hinder the experience in any significant way. Overall, this tour was an overwhelmingly positive and enjoyable experience.

  Q2247RCromansAugust 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5🌵 Three Days in the Uzbek Desert

  We have just finished two incredible tours: the fortresses and the Aral Sea. Three days in the Uzbek desert, covering kilometres and kilometres on truly rough roads… but it was absolutely worth it! An incredible experience that is difficult to put into words: we visited fortresses hidden in the middle of the desert, slept in a traditional yurt, swam in the waters of the Aral Sea, visited the ship cemetery and the canyon, met camels and even tasted their milk. 🐪🌵 But what made this journey even more special were the people who accompanied us along the way. We were lucky enough to have two exceptional guides: brothers Yusuf and Ahmed, always helpful, knowledgeable and passionate about sharing the history and culture of their country with us. You can really see how much they love what they do, and that makes the whole experience truly unforgettable. With Yusuf, we had the opportunity to learn more about Uzbek culture, often comparing it with Italian and European culture. They say that travelling changes you, and never has this felt more true than this time. We are going home with a different perspective, because we met people who see the world differently from us — and Yusuf was able to share that perspective with us. ❤️ A special thank you also goes to our drivers, Ali and Djoldas, who accompanied us with great professionalism and patience along roads that calling “difficult” would almost be an understatement! 😄 And Djoldas, a special thank you for coming to pick us up at the beach at 6 a.m. ❤️🌅 An incredible experience, far away from the usual tourist routes, made of desert, silence, nature, adventure, encounters and so much humanity. We are going home with unforgettable memories and with the feeling that we have discovered not only a wonderful place, but above all some truly special people who will always have a place in our hearts. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of you. ❤️ Absolutely recommended to anyone looking for a different, authentic journey filled with adventure and emotions! 🇺🇿❤️ Barbara, Mattia e Luca. (Milano - Italy)

  Sherpa60989519747August 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Highly recommendable

  We did a three day trip from Nukus through Karapakalstan to Aral Sea and back again. It was a great experience. The tour was very well organized. We went along in a comfortable 4CV, and the driver made us almost forget the rough terrain. Our local guide was very knowledgeable and gave as a lot of interesting information. Although subject to a huge natural disaster the region is a fascinating place with a rich and unique culture.

  399ingomJuly 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Nukus

• Its from-price is 38% above the median of the 16 experiences we list in Nukus.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 1 of 16.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Nukus

Nukus, capital of Karakalpakstan in north-western Uzbekistan, is a desert city known for its avant-garde art museum, within reach of the Aral Sea.

Nukus lies on the Amu Darya delta in north-western Uzbekistan, as the capital of the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan, at the edge of the desert. It is a Soviet-era city of wide avenues and low blocks. Its great treasure is the Savitsky Museum, which holds an outstanding collection of Russian avant-garde art, gathered by the artist Igor Savitsky, who saved works banned in the Soviet era, together with Karakalpak textiles, jewellery and archaeological finds.

See all 16 experiences in Nukus