The Regional History and Aral Sea Museum — Attraction in Muynak

Leaving the city, we move towards the sea. It should be said right away that the road is very bad, deserted and bumpy, you can see how people live in remote corners of the republic. I will mention one moment, the best season for travel is spring, as in winter, due to snow or rain, the roads are washed away, which makes the trip boring, protracted and difficult. Climbing the Ustyurt plateau offers wonderful views of the canyon and sharp cliffs, which is an excellent chance to take a good photos against a post-apocalyptic background. The way to the yurt camp takes about two hours, depending on the conditions. Getting into the camp (which is located on a plateau) offers a panoramic view of the sea, as for me a very good location. The camp has about 10 yurts, there are all conditions, a mini dining room, it is possible to make a fire at night and gather around it and have a good time. Looking at the beautiful starry sky, talking about yurts, each has 4 clean and comfortable beds and a stove in case of a cold snap, but the disadvantage is that you yourself have to watch the flame and throw firewood, and all yurts have lighting. After a long journey, depending on what time of day you arrive there, breakfast, lunch or dinner will be provided.

The moment that we have been waiting for has come, it will approach the Aral Sea. It takes about 10 minutes to get there by car, as you still need to go down the plateau. Once at the coast, it is problematic to approach the water, since the surface is not sandy, but clay. But the view of the sea and the plateau itself is wonderful. I was very happy to be there, to spend a great time with wonderful and interesting people. I advise you to visit such places, because this is an experience and a memory that will remain...

We've driven all the way from Almaty, Kazakhstan to see this place. We've made many stops along the way of course, but this was our ultimate, final destination. We arrived during normal business hours, and the museum was closed. We were very disappointed. I read in another review that someone can be called to come open the museum but I don't know how how to do that. There is no number posted anywhere. We looked. We still drove to the beach to see the ships but we wanted to see the museum first. Normally,it wouldn't be a big problem. We're adventurous. We'd just ask around and find someone that knew someone until somebody knew somebody to get the place opened for us, but regretfully, we have no time for that today. Our visa is running out. We must start toward the border so we...

The Aral Sea region and Moynaq’s eerie ship graveyard highlight a dramatic environmental disaster. Visiting this desolate yet poignant site is both an eye-opening and humbling experience about human...