Asia

[Visited: November 2023]

After having admired the Bozhira landscapes the previous evening and following morning, we start heading west. We have seen and thoroughly enjoyed the dramatic landscapes of Mangystau, and wonder what else there can be. We have one more stop before getting back to Aktau. Our driver takes us through more desolate landscapes. At one point, he stops, and we look out over the landscape stretching out ahead of us. We see escarpments rising up from a plain below us: the Ustyurt Plateau lies at our feet. They have layers of colours, white and reddish brown, in perfect lines one above the other. We descend to the plain, and drive to Mount Bokty. The base is layered, and we get out and walk up. Our guide points out what used to be corals, and many other fossilised remains of ancient times. We are reminded once more that this area once was covered by the Tethys Ocean.
We continue driving, and the driver has some trouble finding the right way forward. There are only traces of other cars in the soil, and there are some deep trenches making driving more challenging. Eventually, he finds the right way, and after a while, we arrive at our destination: Kyzylkup. One guide has dubbed it Tiramisù, which has stuck as a nickname. It is easy to see why: the mountain has more than a dozen layers of white and red-brown, similar to Mount Bokty. We walk into the mountain, through a gully: erosion has clearly played a vital role in shaping this mountain, and continues to do so through wind and rain. On our sides, the mountain rises up, while we walk in what is a small canyon. There are some narrow cracks in the mountain, which are also layered.
One of the rocky outcrops above us looks like a moai, an Easter Island statue. We start climbing the surprisingly soft soil, and again see the fossilised remains of ancient times. Were these rocks already coloured the way they are now when it was covered by the sea? When we reach a higher point and turn around, we get a different perspective of Kyzylkup mountain. We first go to a viewpoint, then walk further into the wide crack in the landscape. We often stop to examine objects on the ground. The wealth of fossils in Mangystau is truly impressive. Then, it is time to leave. We walk back to the car, drive a dirt track for a while, after which we reach an asphalt road higher up. From here, it is an easy ride back to Aktau. Before we reach it, we cross one of the lowest points on earth: the Karagie Depression at 134 metres below sea level.

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Kyzylkup (Kazakhstan)

Kyzylkup > Kazakhstan > Asia

[Visited: November 2023]

Around the World in 80 Clicks