FORT-SHEVCHENKO

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.