Ustyurt Plateau, Mangystau

The Ustyurt Plateau is a colossal landform spanning 200,000 square kilometers, nestled between the Caspian and Aral Seas, across three countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. A defining feature of the Ustyurt Plateau is its boundaries—100-meter cliffs with layered structures and whimsical shapes, sculpted over millions of years by the actions of water and wind. Today, these cliffs draw tourists from around the globe on tours to Mangystau in Kazakhstan and the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan.

The Ustyurt Plateau emerged between 20 to 60 million years ago, though its formation began over a hundred million years prior. This vast area was once the seabed of the ancient Tethys Ocean, where limestone sediments gradually formed under the pressure of water masses. Continental plates later collided, elevating the former ocean floor. Presently, beneath the cliffs of the Ustyurt Plateau, in its lower and middle rock layers, one can find fossilized remains of prehistoric marine inhabitants—sea urchin skeletons, ichthyosaur bones, and shark teeth.

In Kazakhstan, the Ustyurt Plateau can be explored at several scenic locations: the Tuzbair salt marsh, the Bozzhyra tract, and the Karynzharyk depression. Each site boasts its unique landscape with long, high cliffs.

• Tuzbair Salt Marsh is a vast salt field situated directly beneath the plateau's snow-white walls, the brightest area of the plateau due to the prevalence of chalk deposits.
• Bozzhyra Tract is part of Ustyurt where erosion has most dramatically shaped the cliffs, creating fantastic gorges and standalone mountains. It's one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mangystau.
• Karynzharyk Depression features vast expanses with a gigantic salt marsh and picturesque standalone mountains, the most remote and otherworldly landscape on the Ustyurt.

The portion of the Ustyurt Plateau in Turkmenistan is significantly smaller, located in a border zone, and practically inaccessible to tourists. In Uzbekistan, one can view the eastern line of cliffs of the Ustyurt Plateau, which abuts the drying Aral Sea. More information about the Ustyurt Plateau in Uzbekistan can be found here.

For those wishing to travel from the Kazakh part of Ustyurt to Uzbekistan independently, there are two options. The first is to drive to the village of Beyneu, then turn towards the Kazakh-Uzbek border and proceed to Nukus or Kungrad; the Aktau-Beyneu-Nukus route covers 980 km and takes 13-15 hours. The second option is to fly from Aktau to Almaty or Astana, then to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, and from there to Nukus; this requires three flights totaling 3600 km, making the journey almost a day-long due to wait times between flights.