The Aral Sea and the ship cemetery

A former port town where the sea left, the rusting ships that stayed behind, and a small story of recovery.

Region

West

Start from

Kyzylorda or Aralsk

Distance

about 450 km from Kyzylorda to Aralsk

Time needed

2–3 days

Best season

April – June, September – October

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

Train to Aralsk, then 4×4

Permits

None

Why go

Once the fourth-largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea shrank dramatically from the 1960s after the rivers feeding it were diverted for cotton irrigation. Aralsk, once a busy fishing port, ended up dozens of kilometres from the water.

Today you can see old fishing boats rusting in the sand, visit the small museum in Aralsk with photographs of the town's fishing past, and stand in the harbour, now a dusty basin with cranes still in place.

There is also a hopeful part of the story: the Kokaral dam, built in 2005, helped the northern Small Aral Sea to rise again. Fish came back and fishermen returned to work. Seeing both the damage and the recovery makes this one of the most thought-provoking trips in Kazakhstan.

The story

Aralsk's museum keeps a copy of a famous letter from 1921, when the fishermen of the town were asked to send fish to help famine victims in the Volga region. They sent many train wagons of fish, and the letter became part of the town's identity.

By the 1980s the sea had retreated so far that the fishing fleet couldn't reach the water. The ships you see in the sand were left where they lay. Dust storms from the dried seabed carried salt and chemicals across the region, causing health and economic problems.

The Kokaral dam, finished in 2005, separated the northern Small Aral from the southern part. The water level in the north rose, salinity fell and fish returned. Fishermen in Aralsk district now catch and sell fish again, a rare piece of good news in a story usually told as a tragedy.

Getting there

Trains on the Kyzylorda–Aktobe line stop in Aralsk. From there, hire a 4×4 driver to reach the ship remains and the current shoreline.

Some agencies in Almaty and Kyzylorda organise tours, including camping by the water.

A suggested plan

1. Day 1Arrive in Aralsk. Visit the museum and the old harbour.
2. Day 24×4 trip to the ship remains and to the current shoreline of the Small Aral; meet local fishermen if possible.
3. Day 3Return by train.

Where to stay

Simple hotels and guesthouses in Aralsk.

Good to know

• Bring dust protection and sunglasses; the wind carries salt and sand.
• Fresh fish from the Small Aral is worth trying.