Things to see and do Péninsule De Mangyshlak

Fifty kilometers from Aktau, in the western part of the Mangyshlak peninsula, lies the Karagiye depression, one of the lowest points on the planet, 132 meters below sea level. The high salt content of the soil has accelerated the process of rock erosion, creating a vast depression some 40 kilometers long, above which a strange natural phenomenon occurs: the formation of rain clouds when the depression is devoid of the slightest drop of water. Not an uncommon sight to observe.

Cabs to Fort-Shevchenko leave from the Aktau bus station in the north of the city.

It's a 250 km round trip, but well worth it. The fort occupies the tip of the Mangyshlak peninsula. A small local museum houses many works by the great Ukrainian poet exiled to the shores of the Caspian. The surrounding scenery is perfect for a stroll, provided you ignore the oil companies that occupy part of the coastline. It's all very photogenic.