Discover the Aral Sea in 2 days and 1 night
- Khiva/Urgench
- 1.Chilpik Kala
- Nukus (Sedan to 4×4)
- 2.Mizdakhan Necropolis
- 3.Muynak Ship Cemetery
- 4.Aral Sea Mueseum
- 5.Ustyurt Canyons
- 6.Aral Sea shore
- overnight
- 7.Kurgancha Kala
- 8.Tomb of Nomads’
- 9.Kubla Ustyurt
- 10.Sudochie Lake & Urga Village
- 11.Nukus Art Museum
- Nukus (4×4 to Sedan)
- Nukus/Urgench/Khiva
Daytrip Duration: 2 days and 1 night
Sightseeing time: 6-8 hours
Driving time: 16-18 hours
Driving Distance: 1200 km.
Included:
Transportation: 4WD & Sedan;
Accommodation: Yurt Camp Stay;
Meals: two lunches, one breakfast & one dinner in the Yurt Camp;
Pick up & Drop Off in your place.
Not included: Entrance tickets, Alcohol drinks & etc.
The Aral Sea was once one of the world’s largest inland saltwater seas. Today, it has been reduced to only a fraction of its former size due to extensive irrigation projects that drained the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers — its vital sources of water.
However, the Aral Sea has also undergone many natural transformations over thousands of years. The riverbeds of the Amudarya and Syrdarya have constantly shifted, and satellite images reveal ancient courses where rivers once flowed into different parts of the sea. Sometimes they bypassed the Aral Sea entirely, running south and west toward the Caspian Sea. Today, these dry channels cut across the desert, yet archaeological discoveries of settlements along their banks prove that water still flowed here relatively recently in historical terms (V.N. Yagodin & A.V.G. Betts, Ancient Khorezm, UNESCO 2006).
✨ Visit our website to learn more fascinating facts about Uzbekistan.
Suggested Aral Sea Tour Itinerary
(The timing below is flexible and can be adjusted to your preference)
Day 1
05:00 – 06:00 → Recommended departure from Khiva or Urgench.
07:30 – 08:00 → Visit Chilpik Kala (Tower of Silence) – a Zoroastrian burial site (Dakhma) built over 2200 years ago.
09:00 – 09:30 → In Nukus, switch from sedan to a 4WD off-road vehicle for desert travel.
12:30 – 14:30 → Lunch in Muynak, followed by visits to the Ship Cemetery and Muynak Museum.
17:00 – 17:30 → Explore the Ustyurt Canyons and the Tombs of Nomad Fishermen.
19:00 → Arrive at Yurt Camps on the Aral Sea shore for an overnight stay.
Dinner under the stars: enjoy a traditional Uzbek Palov, freshly prepared by your driver.
Day 2
07:00 – 09:00 → Breakfast, seaside walk, and sunrise photography.
09:00 – 09:30 → Visit Kurgancha Kala, a 10th-century fortress on the Silk Road.
10:30 – 11:00 → Stop at Kubla Ustyurt – a small Soviet-era town with an abandoned airfield.
12:00 – 13:00 → Visit Sudochie Lake and the deserted fishing village of Urga.
14:00 – 14:30 → Lunch in Kungrad.
15:00 – 15:30 → Explore the Mizdakhan Necropolis (14th century).
16:00 – 17:00 → Visit the Nukus Savitskiy Art Museum and switch from the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (4WD) back to a sedan.
20:00 → Return to Khiva. Tour ends at your hotel, train station, or airport (Khiva, Urgench, or Nukus).
