Things to see and do Moynaq

Once you are in front of the Aral Desert, which stretches as far as the eye can see, you may be tempted to move forward until you see what is left of this sea. It takes 2 hours of driving in the dunes and sand. Of course, it's impossible to do this without an adapted 4x4, so don't try to venture out in a sedan: you'd be sanded up in no time. Specialized agencies can organize the excursion for you, which we nevertheless recommend: the landscapes are magnificent and you really feel alone in the world. Look out! Don't go alone without a guide if you don't know the road: there is no path and no indication of direction (we are in the middle of the desert). Also, check the weather forecast before starting the trip. If rain is forecast, postpone it: the Aral Desert is a basin below sea level (obviously since it is actually the seabed) and with the heavy rains in the region, some basins can fill up to one meter of water in the space of 5 minutes! It seems unlikely, but it has happened to unconscious tourists who have been stuck on the roof of their Jeep for 24 hours without being able to call for help. In this case, you have to wait for the blazing sun to evaporate all the accumulated rain. When you return, clean all your clothes and insist on shoes: salt and pesticide residues carried by the water and left on the sand are very corrosive.

To the east of the city lies a new lake, a vain attempt to recreate a local climate. The covered area reaches 30 km². Futile in view of the disaster, but the large quantity of fish was enough to restore a little heart to the inhabitants. The fishermen are numerous, summer and winter, and use the most varied methods. Traders are criss-crossing the area looking for bargains, and others come straight from Kazakhstan. A short walk around the lake will allow you to meet this new generation of fishermen.

Go up to the monument to the Aral Sea. From this height, you can see what was once a sea, which the catastrophe has turned into a new desert, covering an area of more than 40,000 km². In fact, it is not even possible to see the "sea" anymore, which is now a mere puddle located 200 km from Moynaq. The wrecks, once scattered in this desert infinity, were in 2008 all gathered and lined up at the foot of the monument where they lay on the dunes rusty spots. In fact, there is not much left of the fishing vessels that once plied the Aral Sea: cannibalized to reinforce the roofs and fences of houses when the city was deserted, they now only offer the sad spectacle of decaying ship skeletons. The sand itself is littered with grains of rust, pieces of gnawed steel plates, ropes, old cans... Coming down from the monument and crossing the city, we arrive at the old cannery where everything has remained as it was since the closure in 1993, due to the lack of fish. The machines, rusted to the bone, seem to be stopped in their tracks, empty cans are waiting to be filled, safety instructions are still posted on the walls. It's barely damaged, as if the disaster had struck not long ago, the sea had suddenly receded and the production line had simply been shut down. A science fiction or horror movie setting.

Those who have not been sufficiently depressed by the spectacle of Moynaq can push to Uchsay, ten kilometres north. Perched on the edge of a huge dune, this small village does not even have access to water. It is harvested in artificial wells buried in the soil and made of old rusty sheets. When it doesn't rain, it's in the puddles that the kids are sent out of water, where the cars drove and where the cattle came to drink. At the end of the village, a small base camp brings together the gas workers, without a lot of work in the region. In the basement of the Aral Sea, we are still in the drill and on the horizon of this new desert, over visible derricks around Uchsay. Many people have hoped that the Aral subsoil could be as rich as that of the Caspian Sea, and indeed, in this sense, no one really had any interest in saving this sea. ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''