Discover The Aral Sea With Ayimtour

Ayimtour organised two trips for us. The first one with pickup in Khiva, visit to the fortresses and destination Nukus. Guide Yusup and driver Arslan were very competent, professional and friendly. All our questions were answered with plenty of details and the trip helped us to understand and learn more about Karakalpakstan long and rich history. The second trip was a 2-days tour to Aral sea. This time we were with guide Kuuat and driver Rustin on a sturdy 4WD veichles. Also Kuuat and Rustin were extremely professional a guided us through the discovery of Aral Sea history. Despite the extremely sad part of the recent history for this area, the region is extremely interesting, showing stunning views and breathtaking landscapes. The night passed inbthe yurt camp and the sunrise on the Aral Sea is priceless! The experiences along the trip (visit to a farm to see how local bread is baked and lunch ina private house) are a must of you want learning more about this beautiful region. Great job guys! I definitely recommend Ayimtour for their professional behaviour, for their fast follow-up to any question during the preparation not the trip and for the support once we arrived at the departure point.

For us visiting Uzbekistan without seeing Aral Sea was not an option. Not only we saw the vanishing sea, we also had the opportunity to get to know Karalpakstan better. Everything went perfect- from smooth communication with Askar from the agency, to the trip itself. As a family of 4 we travelled in one car, joined by two other parties in their cars, and we all shared a guide Ahmet. We prefer travelling on our own, but this trip simply coudn't be done without experienced guide and driver. We appreciate Ahmet style of guiding- providing all sorts of info and fun facts but also being flexible and not rushing us to move if the point was of greater interest of the group. Last but not least, we want to thank our driver Saramat (I hope a wrote the name correctly)- being with him for 2 days in a car, gave us a great opportunity to learn about Karalpak people, their way of life, etc He made the drive over bumpy roads fun and special 😊

Excellent experience. Well-prepared logistics, good meals, a friendly guide, sturdy and comfortable cars, serious drivers, the night in a yurt, the possibility of swimming in the Aral Sea, visits to historical sites, Lake Sudochye. Good value for money. The other agencies, to my knowledge, are much (really much) more expensive. Everything is included except the entrance to the Moynak museum (about 3 euros). Thank you Askar for your professionalism!!!

Very unique, fun and interesting excursion. The guide and driver were very friendly and helpful. Our guide, Yusup, spoke great English. While it is certainly an expensive trip, it is worth it because the things you can see and do on it are unlike anything else in the world, such as seeing the ship graveyard and swimming in the Aral Sea. We faced some minor issues, such as our car having problems and us needing to get in a different one on the way to Moynaq, but it did not hinder the experience in any significant way. Overall, this tour was an overwhelmingly positive and enjoyable experience.

We have just finished two incredible tours: the fortresses and the Aral Sea. Three days in the Uzbek desert, covering kilometres and kilometres on truly rough roads… but it was absolutely worth it! An incredible experience that is difficult to put into words: we visited fortresses hidden in the middle of the desert, slept in a traditional yurt, swam in the waters of the Aral Sea, visited the ship cemetery and the canyon, met camels and even tasted their milk. 🐪🌵 But what made this journey even more special were the people who accompanied us along the way. We were lucky enough to have two exceptional guides: brothers Yusuf and Ahmed, always helpful, knowledgeable and passionate about sharing the history and culture of their country with us. You can really see how much they love what they do, and that makes the whole experience truly unforgettable. With Yusuf, we had the opportunity to learn more about Uzbek culture, often comparing it with Italian and European culture. They say that travelling changes you, and never has this felt more true than this time. We are going home with a different perspective, because we met people who see the world differently from us — and Yusuf was able to share that perspective with us. ❤️ A special thank you also goes to our drivers, Ali and Djoldas, who accompanied us with great professionalism and patience along roads that calling “difficult” would almost be an understatement! 😄 And Djoldas, a special thank you for coming to pick us up at the beach at 6 a.m. ❤️🌅 An incredible experience, far away from the usual tourist routes, made of desert, silence, nature, adventure, encounters and so much humanity. We are going home with unforgettable memories and with the feeling that we have discovered not only a wonderful place, but above all some truly special people who will always have a place in our hearts. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of you. ❤️ Absolutely recommended to anyone looking for a different, authentic journey filled with adventure and emotions! 🇺🇿❤️ Barbara, Mattia e Luca. (Milano - Italy)

We did a three day trip from Nukus through Karapakalstan to Aral Sea and back again. It was a great experience. The tour was very well organized. We went along in a comfortable 4CV, and the driver made us almost forget the rough terrain. Our local guide was very knowledgeable and gave as a lot of interesting information. Although subject to a huge natural disaster the region is a fascinating place with a rich and unique culture.

Ayim tour and our driver Joldas aka went far and beyond to make our two-day trip to the Aral Sea interesting, comfortable, and meaningful. We started in Nukus at 8am stopping in Mizdakhan necropolis, and reached Moynak after three hours. We then stopped at canyons and did unplanned stops, because Joldas aka wanted to show us around, such as watching a herd of camels walking by, drinking fermented camel milk, and buying famous melons. For lunch, we stopped in a village household with great homemade food. It is another three hours from Moynaq to the Aral Sea, so we reached the Aral Sea yurt camp called BesQala at 6pm. After unloading our stuff and getting towels from the yurt camp, Joldas aka drove us to the Aral Sea (it is two-three km from the camp). I highly recommend swimming in the Aral Sea; it is a surreal experience: first, for the quietness of the surrounding area, second, salty and heavy water keeps you buoyant, which pushes you up. Just try not to get water into your eyes because salty water will give you a burning sensation. Our plan of swimming for 30 minutes turned into a 1.5-hour experience. The second day started at 5:20am with watching sunrise and immediately Joldas aka driving us for 30 minutes to another canyon called Marcian Environment, which is another unique canyon with red hills. After breakfast in the yurt we started our trip back to Nukus, stopping at Lake Barsakelmes (saltmines) instead of Sudoyche Lake. Barsakelmes was another surreal experience of endless vistas of salt with a thin layer of clear water on top. Far away, you can see dots of heavy machinery mining for salt. We reached Nukus at around 4 pm. The Toyota Rav4 was comfortable for four people and cooled the inside of the car quickly despite 42 Celsius-degree heat. We learnt later that Ayim Tour is run by a local woman who is very proud of her Karakalpak heritage and eager her guests to have the best experience. She also runs a chain of hotels in Nukus called Jipel Joli, where we stayed as well. So I highly recommend this company.

Perfect organisation, a really good car and driver (which matters since you're spending hours off-roading), and a super-knowledgeable, friendly student guide (thank you, Quwat!). The trip is not cheap, but the level of service matches the price.

Two-day Aral Sea tour with Ayimtour was simply amazing and will stay with us for a very long time! The landscapes are completely surreal and the story of the biggest ecological disaster or recent decades was relayed very well by our superb guide. Huge thanks to Ayjamal from Ayimtour, the tour was very well organised. We had the best guide imaginable - a local Nukus archeologist Aben who told us all the stories of local land and people as well as Aral Sea, we learned a lot about Karakalpak culture and customs. We had a very competent and confident driver and very much enjoyed this very bumpy ride! We opted to stay in a newer camp by the Aral Sea (Aral Plaza), they had an option of a yurt or room stay (a very clean 4-bed room with shower/toilet and sea view). The camp was 400m from the water, which is the closest of them all, but keep in mind that the water is now retreating by 80 meters every year! Lunch on day 1 at a local family teahouse in Moynak - food was absolutely delicios, cooked by a former restaurant chef. My dietary requirements (no meat) were catered for and chicken/fish/veggies meals was prepared during the trip. We also stayed at the new Jipek Joly hotel in Nukus before and after the trip and had a very good meal at the Turkish place just around the corner. I highly recommend Ayimtour for the Aral Sea tour.

We found it very rewarding and recommended! To the Unpacked were added the "grazing light-like" Add impressions, e.g. more modern gas drilling rigs , Chinese plankton collectors in large numbers And various desert forms from total wasteland around Komsomolskaya to Sahara-like at the ship's cemetery, rugged at the oldest course of the riverbank. Yurt accommodation very nice with a view, great food, (however no electricity at night ) and eventually the wood-powered stove weakened (we had 2 degrees minus in mid-October). Our Russian-speaking , very friendly driver Mitbai is a super guy; the desert slopes require good fitness. By the way, car first class, and the material is truly not spared on this tour!