A guide to Moynaq and the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan

By Joan Torres 20 Comments Last updated on September 13, 2023

aral sea

From white, sandy beaches to gorgeous mountain peaks, exotic cultures and blessings of hospitality, we all travel because we like to fill our brains with wanderlust and visit colorful places.

Like many other people, traveling is a key element which is highly correlated with my happiness.

However, as well as Iove having fun and enjoying our beautiful planet, I also travel to learn and, of course, to become wiser.

This means that, in order to understand our marvellous world a bit better, I believe that traveling should also occasionally include visiting sad places, such as a Syrian refugee camp in IraqKibera slums in Kenya, the city of Aleppo or exploring the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan, a massive lake which used to be the fourth largest inland body of water but, today, is just a ship cemetery and the planet’s worst environmental disaster.

Moynaq, a city which used to be a thriving center for the fishing industry, is today a ghost town which has a harbor without sea and is the gateway to the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan.

For more places to visit, read: Backpacking in Uzbekistan – 1 to 3-week itinerary

moynaq

In this Moynaq travel guide you will find:

The disaster – What happened to the Aral Sea?

In the 1960s, when both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were still part of the Soviet Union, the Russians decided to divert Amu Darya and Syr Darya, the two major inflow rivers that fed the Aral Sea, to irrigate a desert land to produce cotton and become one of the top world’s cotton exporters.

In fact, believe it or not, they actually achieved this ambitious objective and, by the end of the 1980s, Uzbekistan was the world’s largest cotton exporter.

The worst part of this is that, actually, the Soviet Union knew that this would eventually lead to a natural disaster but, for some reason, they didn’t give a damn f***.

Therefore, over the decades, they kept on diverting the water until the Aral Sea shrank almost completely, becoming an actual, dry and desolated desert.

Sadly, the Aral Sea shrinking didn’t stop with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as the governments continued with the irrigation process, especially Uzbekistan.

That’s why, today, the Aral Sea is 10% of what it used to be in the 1960s and its level of salinity is close to that of the Dead Sea in Jordan, making the life of marine life almost impossible.

Read: A guide to Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan

the aral sea
The Aral Sea

The Aral Sea disaster has brought real misery to the region. The fishing industry disappeared, the land became arid and the air polluted. Aralsk, on the Kazakh side, and Muynaq, on the Uzbek side, used to be two very important centers for the fishing industry and the economy of their country.

Nowadays, both are hopeless towns with huge rates of bitterness and unemployment.

I actually visited both parts but, in this guide, I will tell you how to visit the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan.

uzbekistan aral sea
Abandoned ships

The Aral Sea in Uzbekistan and the Republic of Karakalpakstan

The Aral Sea in Uzbekistan is within the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, the poorest and most desolate region in the country.

Karakalpakstan used to be a fertile region but, after the destruction of the Aral Sea, most of the surrounding land became extremely arid and a large part of the population started to suffer from pulmonary disease, as the air carries loads of salt particles.

In addition, the Uzbek Government has abandoned Karakalpakstan to its own fate, so it has never invested any money in developing the region.

This has resulted in a huge increase in poverty and more unemployment.

The situation can’t be more dramatic.

By the way, the people from Karakalpakstan are mostly Kazakhs and Karakalpaks, an ethnic group very similar to Kazakhs, who also speak a similar language.

Only one-third of the population are actual Uzbeks.

Read: 75 Tips for traveling to Kyrgyzstan

A local man from Karakalpakstan

What to actually see in Moynaq

Nowhere else is the Aral Sea crisis felt more dramatically than in Moynaq.

From being a wealthy town, today, Moynaq is a semi-ghost town that has the saddest bazaar I have ever seen in Central Asia, consisting of a couple of stalls with just rotten fruit.

The streets are practically empty and there are several buildings in ruins. 

Muynaq has the famous harbor without sea, which is now 150 kilometers from the actual seashore. I know, it’s insane.

aral sea ships
The Aral Sea in Moynaq at sunset

From the harbor, all you can see until the horizon is miles of sand and dry bushes where skinny cows struggle to find some tasty grass to put into their mouths.

The sand is full of seashells and, during the day, the sun is as hard as in any desert in the Middle East.

It’s very hard to believe that, just a couple of decades ago, there was an actual sea here.

aral sea central asia
seashells in the middle of the desert

Right next to the harbor, there is a ship graveyard that consists of ten or twelve boats, approximately.

You can enter the boats and even climb them.

We actually camped on the shade of one of the biggest ships and even drank a bottle of wine on the top of it. It was quite an experience.

Besides the boats, you should also visit all the buildings that were related to the fishing industry. There a few fish-canning factories, as well as other buildings for other certain purposes.

Everything is abandoned and in complete ruins.

karakalpakstan
an abandoned factory
aral sea disaster
hanging out on a boat

Practical information for visiting the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan

Where is the Aral Sea and Moynaq

How to get to Moynaq from Nukus by public transport

From Nukus, the main city in Karakalpakstan, there are daily buses leaving at 8:50am to Moynaq. It’s a 3-hour journey and it only costs 20,000UZS (1.80USD).

Most likely, in Nukus, you will be staying at Jipek Joli Inn, which is the best option in the city. A taxi to the station only costs 5,000UZS (60Β’). Here’s the bus station location, by the way: 42.449906, 59.565252.

How to come back from Moynaq to Nukus by public transport

To come back, there is a bus at 3pm so, if you really want to get a real feeling of the place, I suggest you stay overnight in Muynaq and come back on the next day (there is a 9am bus).

Alternatively, you can also come back by local shared taxi. We first took a taxi to Kongrad for 10,000UZS (1.22USD) and a second one to Nukus for 15,000UZS (2USD). Price is per person, assuming you are 4 people. 

You may also find direct shared taxis for 30,000UZS.

Where to stay in Moynaq

When we first arrived in town, a few ladies approached us asking if we were looking for a homestay, so this would be one good option.

Another option would be staying at the hostel located at the main street.

Furthermore, right next to the ship graveyard, there are a few yurts which cost 12USD per person per night, although you may bring the price down to 10USD. Alternatively, you can camp next to the boats, which is what we actually did.

We made a fire, brought some drinks and had plenty of fun with another group of travelers. Please note that we went there in October and, at night, it was extremely cold.

Where to stay in Nukus

Budget/mid-range Hotel – Jipek Joli – Like I said, most likely you will be staying here, which is the only decent option in town but it’s pretty good. It is a funny hotel because it hosts fro backpackers to mid-range and even high-range travelers, as it has many kinds of rooms, as well as a pretty good restaurant.

aral sea shrinking
camping next to the boats

Tours to the Aral Sea

Some people prefer going on a tour, basically, because they can take you to the actual seashore, which is around 150 kilometers from Moynaq. If you have a GPS and a 4×4, you could reach it by yourself, but bear in mind that you will have to drive for a very long time off-road and over the sand.

Jipek Joli Inn offers 2-3 day tours, with an overnight stay at the seashore. A small group I met at the hotel said the trip was really worth it. Prices range from 500USD to 700USD for a Jeep, including accommodation (a tent) and meals. For further information, please refer to the hotel.

More information for visiting Aral Sea

πŸ“’ In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.

Don’t forget to check our travel guide to Uzbekistan.

As well as all our Uzbekistan articles:

aral sea uzbekistan

20 comments

Just wanted to add a couple things,
The bus to moynaq now leaves from the bus station here (42.449906, 59.565252) not the old City bus station. It costs 15,000 some but they tried to charge me 20,000, it left the at 8:50. There is a hostel with WiFi on the main Street. There is a bus back at 9am as well as 15:00. A share taxi costs 30,000 for a seat. Finally, right now the Uzbek president has a plan to turn moynaq into a city, so it’s undergoing a huge construction job which kind of ruins the charm IMO so unless you’re already in nukus, I don’t really think it is worth the trip.
Hope this helps πŸ™‚

It helps a lot, thanks for the updates man! I believe that the current President is trying to improve the desolated, forgotten region of Karakalpakstan, that’s why the development projects in Moynaq.

I was in Moynaq last week. There really does seem to be some government action to alleviate at least some of the suffering. The hospitals have been improved and there is treatment for respiratory disease at least among the young. There is a lot of new building going on (as there is around karakalpakstan) so I think this is a case of ‘watch this space’.

Would love to see you acknowledge Israel in your articles and not just refer to Palestine and Jordan. You will see it is an amazing country if you spend some time there

Hey Joan!
I am planning a trip to Uzbekistan and I am including Nukus and Moynaq in my (half-assed, tentative) itinerary. While researching, I came across this blog post and this is definitely something I would love to do. I had a couple of questions though;

1) Did you find it necessary to have a tent/sleeping bag when you camped? If yes, did you carry your own or were you able to rent one?

2) Is camping allowed near the abandoned ships? I ask because sometimes the legality is iffy, especially outside the EU, and Uzbekistan, being an authoritarian country, might have problems with tourists camping at random places.

Hi, I’m in Moynaq right now.
The town is far more developed with shining city lights and about 3km of new buildings only on the main road. Nearly every hotel and hostel is closed (not permanently). The only one open is Dilbar guesthouse (you stay with her family) across from the only Doner kebab shop in town (great to chat with owner of you speak Russian).
The city is still deeply under populated but the ‘new’ president has built up the faces and some social services big time. Aside from eco tourism though, hard to see any industries generating this economy back to life.
Nearly no youth stay past age 17.
Travel Well,
Fox (Matthew Gray)

Hello Joan hoe are you doing today? I’m very happy you are in moynaq right now so if you come to the in nukus We will of course meet you

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