We sat together and ate tea and plov in a meadow dotted with white flowers, tulip in shape, with sharpened, spear-like petals. Their name—snezhnik—means “under the snow,” as that is where they sprout, opening with the snow melt and returning the land to white.
“Ah! Lepota,” one of the Russians on my tour said. It was from Ivan Vasilivich’s film Minyet Professio. “It’s an old-fashioned word for beautiful,” he said. “Like gorgeous?” I said. “Exactly!”
Another day, I joined Mangystau Safari again, traveling some 150 miles in the other direction, to Bozzyhra, a deep canyon dominated by the hard rock inselbergs that have withstood five million years of erosion. It is a landscape more of vision than observation; the canvas is too grand. It is too large for words, too large even for music. No sound can fill a landscape of that size; everything that is said gets swallowed by the chasm, with not even the faintest bounce of an echo. The monuments that mark the basin—variously named for ships, teeth, and yurts—are as grand and tremendous as America’s famous Monument Valley; they are giant stalagmites on the earth, formed by the mineral-drip of some unseen cave-roof too high to see.
This was once the floor of the Tethys Sea, and these monuments were the roots of tiny islands. Though the water bucket has since run dry, we still are only the size of drops. Aktau grows, but the wilds of Mangystau remain inimitably deep.
There was yet more to see—wild horses and noodle-nosed saiga antelope, coves of turquoise water filled with shipwrecks and sea snakes, and camel caravans on the Turkman border. One day, a friend handed me a small, chunky booklet. Across the cover was written “Mangystau Passport;” each page backdropped with a local wonder. He’d designed the tract as a future gift for the tourists he hopes will one day find his part of the world.
How to get there
Kazakhstan’s national carrier, Air Astana, has four direct flights between Aktau and London weekly, from $500 USD.
Aktau grows so quickly that even Google Maps can’t keep up. Locals use an online map called “2giz” to find their way around; addresses come in a two-digit rubric of micro-district and building number.
Where to stay
Budget travelers will find a great place at Mang’o Hostel, where a private room costs $18 USD. For those wanting more frill, just across the street is the upscale Caspian Riviera Hotel, with two on-site restaurants, sea-front access, and a giant aquarium filled with beluga sturgeon (doubles go for $155 USD per night).
Where to eat
In a city filled with great coffee shops, Mr. Ponchik (aka Mr. Doughnut), in the 4th micro district is the best. Both Aidyn and Bozjyra restaurants offer excellent Mangystan cuisine.
What to do
Private jeep tours run around $500 USD per person per day, while single-day shared trips cost about $30 USD per person. The difference is accommodation, not destination; guests on jeep tours stay in the desert overnight, while the bus-bound return to Aktau in the evening. Instagram-based company Mangystau Safari offers both options.
