AMAZING MANGYSTAU, KAZAKHSTAN - NEW TOUR!

My quest to discover new and exciting locations around the world continues, and my latest offering is an 9-night trip to one of the most unusual and little-visited places on earth - the Mangystau Peninsula in Kazakhstan!

Picture unearthly landscapes, amazing multi-coloured mountains, towering rock pinnacles in endless desert, gorgeous light, raw, untouched nature and an almost complete absence of other photographers. What could be better?

For this workshop, I’m teaming-up with multi award-winning photographer Dmitry Arkhipov. Dmitry, like myself, organises and leads photo tours all over the world and has already visited Mangystau several times.

We will explore all the top locations in this remote region – the majestic Valley of Castles (Airakty) with its unique rocks; the amazing valley of balls (Torysh); the stunning Kyzylkup tract, nicknamed ‘Tiramisu mountain’, due to the layers of red and white in the ancient chalk rock; Tuzbair salt marsh where expansive white salt flats stretch to the horizon, bordered by towering white cliffs; Mount Sherkala and of course, the famous Boszhira Gorge, one of the most stunning places in Kazakhstan.

The trip will be a mixture of Hotels (3 nights in Aktau at the start and end) and 6 nights camping. Each participant will have their own tent. This is a remote region and until recently was fairly inaccessible. But we will spend our nights in the most picturesque places, and have meals with views that would be the envy of the most expensive restaurants in the world! You will also be able to recharge your phones, batteries etc from a mobile generator.

NOTE: A DRONE IS PRETTY MUCH ESSENTIAL FOR THIS TRIP IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE BREATHTAKING SCENERY!

Itinerary

Day 1/April 23rd 2027: Arrive in Aktau, Kazakhstan. There are direct flights to Aktau via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines twice a week, making it relatively easy to travel to Mangystau. Advice on what to book will be given once the trip is fully booked We’ll have a welcome dinner and trip briefing on the first evening.

Overnight: Miramar Hotel, Aktau

Day 2/ April 24th 2027: We say goodbye to civilization and head to Torysh – the Valley of Balls. These spherical stones, up to 2m in diameter, scattered around the valley were originally sharks teeth, shells or just plants floating in the waters of the Tethys Ocean, around which minerals gradually accumulated.

Today we will also spend time at the Kokala Tract for its coloured rocks, then after lunch, we will move to the place of our evening photo shoot and overnight stay - Mount Sherkala. From a distance, Sherkala resembles a flying saucer, but if you drive around it, there is what looks like a giant lion's paw (hence the name of the rock - Sherkala means "lion's fortress"). We will capture the rock at sunset and at dawn.

Day 3/ April 25th 2027: After the dawn shoot at Mount Sherkala, we move on to the stunning Valley of Castles - Airakty. It’s only a short drive and absolutely incredible views await us.

We’ll spend the day exploring this area and capturing with both our cameras and drones. The evening light, sunset and twilight can be particularly beautiful, so we’ll make sure we’re in the best spots to make the most of the light.

Day 4/ April 26th 2027: We’ll have a dawn shoot in the Valley of Castles. After breakfast, another amazing place awaits us - the Tuzbair salt marsh. It’s considered the main attraction, but we are more interested in the rock formations around the marsh itself. We will see them both from above and from the level of the marsh..

Days 5 and 6/ April 27th-28th 2027: After a dawn shoot at Tuzbair Sor, we will have a long drive to the pearl of Mangistau, Kazakhstan - the Boszhira tract. Along the way, we will stop for lunch in another picturesque gorge - Kyzylodyr - to capture its interesting stone mushrooms and realite mountains, then hit the road again.

By evening, we will reach Boszhira, and already upon entering it will become clear why this place is called the ‘Valley of Monuments'. There are simply incredible views both at dawn and at sunset. Here we will stay for two nights to be able to have the most effective shooting and capture the most diverse photos of this unearthly place.

Day 7/ April 29th 2027: After dawn shooting in Boszhira tract, we will head for the amazing Kyzylkup Gorge and Mount Bokty – nicknamed ‘Tiramisu Mountain’ due to its amazing colourful strata. We will camp here for the night (this will be our final night camping).

Day 8/ April 30th 2027: After a dawn shoot of Tiramisu Mountain, we will head back to the city of Aktau. On the way, we will visit the ancient necropolis and the underground mosque Shopan-Ata.

Hotel Miramar, Aktau

Day 9/ May 1st 2027: We have a day of leisure in Aktau. This is necessary so we can fly back to Istanbul with Turkish Airlnes as they only fly twice per week. There is the possibility to have an extra day on location at  Kyzylkup Gorge and Mount Bokty instead (at an extra cost of £400 per person), which I'll discuss with the group once the trip is fully booked, but after 6 nights camping, and only one opportunity to shower, you may be ready for a hot shower and comfortable bed!

Hotel Miramar, Aktau

Day 10/May 2nd 2027: We fly home via Istanbul. Flight times will be confirmed once Turkish Airlines publish its 2027 schedule.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT DMITRY ARKHIPOV

• At A Glance...

• Deposit / Price

  £300.00 / £3,500.00

  Sharing Discount - £300.00

• Date

  23rd April - 02nd May, 2027

• Included

  All accommodation (2 nights hotels, 6 night camping), all transport during the trip, all meals (breakfast-only in Aktau), guide services

• Excluded

  Flights, drinks, insurance, lunches and dinners in Aktau

• Fitness Level

  Moderate

• Location

  Kazakhstan

• Max Group Size

  8