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2024 2025 Stan countries

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Kokpar, Kazakhstan traditional horseback game

by Kirstin & Vincent

Kokpar (also known as Kok Boru) is a traditional horseback game with deep roots in the nomadic cultures of Central Asia. Often described as a blend of strength, strategy, and incredible horsemanship, Kokpar has been played for centuries as a symbol of courage, teamwork, and heritage.

The game typically involves two teams of skilled riders competing to carry a goat carcass (or a modern equivalent) across a large field and score by placing it in the opponent’s goal. Fast-paced and fiercely competitive, Kokpar showcases the bond between rider and horse, as well as the warrior spirit that has defined generations.

Today, Kokpar is more than just a sport—it’s a celebration of culture and identity. From local villages to international tournaments, it continues to bring communities together and keep ancient traditions alive in a modern world.

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Baikonur Cosmodrome

by Kirstin & Vincent

We collect stories that connect people, places, and the past. This April, our journey takes us deep into the Kazakh steppe—to Baikonur, the cradle of human spaceflight.

On April 8, 2025, we’ll stand beneath the wide open sky and witness something extraordinary: the launch of a manned rocket from the legendary Baikonur Cosmodrome from only 1 km distance. It’s the same ground from which Yuri Gagarin made history in 1961, becoming the first human in space and where our Andre Kuipers got launched in a Soyuz TMA-03M a spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) on 21 December 2011. To be here, in person, is to feel history lift off right in front of us.

“Our launch” is the Soyuz MS-27 on 8 April 2025 11:00 Kazakh time. It will launch from platform 31/6. The mission will transport three crew members, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, along with NASA astronaut Jonny Kim to the International Space Station ISS.

We met Damir and Aceke via Instagram. Damir made it possible to get the permits within 2 weeks before launch. The impossible made possible.

Launch and our viewpoint

The launch is from platform 31/6 and we will watch it from 1 km distance. Closer is impossible without burning of the hair on our arms 😉

We expected to be watching from the free viewpoint from the highway at a 30 km distance. But with our permit we are allowed to get very close.

About Baikonur

Baikonur, like Cape Canaveral in the United States, is situated in the south, close to the equator. This strategic location is ideal for rocket launches as it allows spacecraft to benefit from the Earth’s rotational speed, which enhances efficiency during lift-off. Interestingly.
Although Baikonur is now located within Kazakhstan, it was part of the USSR before 1991, Russia leases the area from Kazakhstan for approximately $115 million per year. Under this agreement, the spaceport and surrounding area are treated as Russian territory, allowing Russia to continue operating its iconic Cosmodrome.
Visiting Baikonur isn’t simple. Access to the city and the Cosmodrome is tightly controlled, so spontaneous trips are off the table. The organized “tourist programs” that offer an exclusive glimpse into this legendary spaceport cost €5,000 per person—which is more then we wanted to spent.

Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world’s first and largest space launch facility, located in the vast steppes of Kazakhstan. Built during the Soviet era in the 1950s.

Where we watched it

There are different places to watch the launch without an euro 5.000,- guide tour.

This seems to be the closest you can get. Not sure if it is completely legal though.

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Tosor pass & Balgart valley (route)

by Kirstin & Vincent

We started with breakfast in front of the Swastika forest, just south from Tash-Bashat. Today we want to reach the Tesik-Kil, a 100 km track.

After some kilometers there are great viewpoints on Naryn river. Here we cross the max 10 ton bridge to Eki-Naryn.

We follow the smaller Naryn and after crossing the small steel bridge the Kichi-Naryn Gorge begins. A sometimes narrow track leads us through the beautiful canyon. The wooden bridges sometime scare us, what is the max weight of these? We tale it that the 10 ton sign at the first bridge is also for the other bridges. At times I want to turn around, scared that the road gets even worse when we continue up.

As soon as we get to Tamdy-Suu the road gets better and the view wider.

At the intersection there is the possibility to stay on the road back west to Naryn, we take a sharp turn east to continue our trip through the beautiful Balgart canyon.

An easy drive until we are just a kilometer away from our today’s destination. A landslide destroyed the track and we have to find a way through the stones and the river crossing.

We manage but is was not easy. This night we will stay at the start of our tomorrow 4-6 hour hike to lake Tesik-Kel.

[osm_map_v3 map_center=”33.1820,66.7527″ zoom=”4.0″ width=”100%” height=”450″ file_list=”../../../../wp-content/uploads/GPX/,../../../../wp-content/uploads/GPX/” file_color_list=”blue,green” control=”fullscreen,scaleline,mouseposition,overview” map_border=”thin solid black” file_title=”2024-10-07_09-17_Mon.gpx,2024-10-07_13-46_Mon.gpx” file_select_box=”one” bckgrndimg=”GDPR_bckgrnd.png” ]

Blue track: morning / Red track: afternoon

[osm_map_v3 map_center=”autolat,autolon” zoom=”autozoom” width=”100%” height=”450″
file_list=”../../../../wp-content/uploads/GPX/test.gpx” type=”OpenStreetMap” map_border=”thin solid green” file_select_box=”one”]

Click on the route to download the GPX

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Portal axle damage

by Kirstin & Vincent

At once the right rear wheel blocks for a short time and we hear a terrible metal sound.

We stop the truck on the road side and I check the oil in both portal axle housings and the differential.

The oil in the rear portal axle housing looks terrible. It is black and is full with metal filings.

We lift the wheel and notice that it can not be turned. After removing it we see one of the little brake cilinders is jammed and pressing the brakepad against the brake disk.

Kirstin removing the brake pad

We removed the lining from the brake pad so we can release the pressure and take out the brake pad. Now we can turn the wheel.

Our Unimog friend Unimog Donald advices us to block the brake by adding a bearing ball 5 mm in the oil hose, we did so we mounted the wheel again and tried driving but the loud noice was there right away again.

No internet

To find information about the Portal axle design and to ask for advice and talk to donald we need internet. Therefore we have to hitchhike to the main road, from Bishkek to Naryn. And after this we need to find a hike to Ottyk where there is cellular coverage.

When I arrived there the first time I found out there is a network, but not with my Beeline sim card. A Russian couple saw me standing at the roadside and asked if I needed help. They where so kind to buy me a Mega SIM card and di the whole registration process with their paspoort!!

The next couple of days we have to go through this driving and walking procedure at least once a day to get internet. One day I could not get a ride back so I walked and run this 26 km track over a 3.200 meter pass. Ppfff

Ruined Portal axle

A local mechanic where I bought this one bearing ball offered to drive me back to the Unimog. When he saw we could not drive he offered to help checking out the Portal axle. So we took it apart and where shocked by the damage.

The outer housing (partnumber 437 331 0105) is damaged. The bearing has worn out the housing.

Even the small portal gearwheel has broken gears. (total is 13 with part number 425 33607 / 10)

The large gear has 38 teeth and here is damage too.

Thru axle dismantling

When the thru axle is dismantled between the rear differential and the final delay, a lot of dirt comes out of the tube.

The little brake pistons are all scratched/oxidized, this probably caused the brake to jam.

Questions

The last 60.000 km we had some major damage in the drive train of our Unimog.

Some gears in the gearbox broke, the drive shaft between gearbox and differential broke and now the portal axle damage.

  • Am I a bad driver?
  • Can the oil be the cause?
  • Is it because the unimog is 30 years old (1994)
  • Is the Unimog not build for this kind of traveling?
  • We especially bought the 2150L38 because it is build for heavy duty. Are we to heavy with our 11 tons weight? This Unimog is build for 14 tons + 30 tons trailer, so tje drive train should be strong enough to handle that.
  • …

What we need

Unimog 2150L Unimog type 437 L38
VIN: WDB4371361W179982

The gears and the housing will be repaired in Bishkek.

The parts we need are:

On the axle (part 5) to the differential:

  • Bearing (incl oilseal) 362336B inside small gear
  • Bearing for outer side small gear in the housing inside 59 mm outside 88,9 mm
Outside bearing

On the wheel “axle”

  • Nummer 74 metal ring
  • Number 72/71 oilseal 142,5 -175- 13/15
  • Large bearing (completely damaged) number unreadable
  • NUP312ECP/C3VE171 bearing + ring plates
  • Some very thin spacers inner 60 mm to mount the bearing
Bearing completely gone

For housing

(Number inside housing Portal 4373513415 ??)

(number outside housing portal 437 3310105)

  • Seal for housing

Brakes

The little brake pistons are worn out. So we want to replace the complete pistons sets in and outside including the rubber seals.

Postal address:

Nomads Home

Vincent Kuiper

Drevesnaja Street 10

720045

Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan

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Pamir Highway

by Kirstin & Vincent

We started Pamir (9. May 2024) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and we take the south route via the Afghanistan, Pakistani and Chinese border and finished Pamir in Osh (Kyrgyzstan). The route was almost 1.600 km, we spend 21 days on the Tajikstan Pamir. We made a special blog on the Pamir route and all the, for us, important waypoints.

Why now?

We are close 😂👍. The Pamir Highway is one of the most beautiful and remote highways we ever drove. Also, the Pamir Highway is part of the ancient Silk Road, and has been used as a trade route for thousands of years, making it a fascinating journey. But, it can also be a challenging adventure, with narrow, winding roads, high altitudes, and harsh weather conditions. We hoped that traveling this route in May would give us the best chances of snow free roads and good weather. This almost worked out.

The 4.282 m. Kyzyl-Art pass is the border to Kyrgyzstan and as we started Pamir this border was still closed due to snow. By the time we arrived the border was open but the 7 km track down to the Bor-Doba post 3.490 m. But the “road” was partly flushed away and the survace was wet mud, very dangerous to descent.

Permits

At entering Tajikistan we needed to pay for entering via this bordercrossing and we got asked how long we planned to stay. We payed US 100,- for the truck and got, as asked for, a 35 days entrance document. Seperate from these you need extra permits in Tajikistan.

These permits you buy in Osh or Dushanbe. Almost everybody starts in Dushanbe because this way the elevation increases relativly slow and it is easier to adapt to the height. Check our post on Pamir waypoints for the location.

REGISTRATION CARD OF FOREIGN CITIZEN

If you stay longer then 10 days in Tajikistan you need to registrate yourself. This could not be done at the border so we did it at the OVIR office in Dushanbe. Our registration was valid for 28days.

GBAO permit

The GBAO, Gorno-Badachshan Autonomous Oblast, permit is necessary to drive M41 or Wakhan corrido, but also for Murghab, Khorog, Langar. So beside the xx registration we needed the GBAO permit. We organized the permit at the OVIR office in Dushanbe. You see the original permit on the left and the google translate version on the right below. The cost was US 20,- We waited an hour to get it ready for us. We asked for 28 days.

Money and cards

Although it is possible to get money out of an ATM with a Mastercard in Dushanbe, the rest of the country only accepts VISA or cash.

Mobile networks

Tajikistan and especialy the Wakhan valley have very bad mobile coverage. Our advice would be to buy 2 SIM cards for 2 different networks to enhance your luck.

Which Pamir is the best one?

There are 3 ways to get from Dushanbe to Osh.

  • Via Bartang valley
    A beautifull valley, but even locals do almost never cross this valley because the road is most of the year non-existing. They drive either east or west, whatever is closest, but they do not cross.
    We met motorcyclist who drove Bartang, but they told us about the many landslides they had to conquer.
  • M41 highway.
    This with potholes and trucks filled highway diverts in Khorugh and is the official Soviet M41 highway. Most tourist avoid it, or use it to drive their rentals back to Dushanbe after driving Wakhan coridor to Murghob.
  • Wakhan corridor
    The most beautiful, but also most abandoned route is the Wakhan corridor route, driving along the Pyanj river with on your right hand, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China. Check our blog with waypoints and our route.

High altitude

Our Unimog truck on high altitude

Unimog is running okay but starting the truck at 10C and above 3.800 meters take some longer starting. After this a lot of smoke and ikt takes still at least a minute for the engine to run properly. To drive up the passes needs more effort amd we are ashamed for how bad the exhaust fumes are bluring out. But then, the diesel quality is also not guaranteed in Tajikistan, so this maybe a factor also. Our airtanks are back to 5 bar, normally they stay steady above 10 bar after one night sleeping and also filling the airtanks seem to take longer.

The aircilinder which switches from high to low gear has a hard time.

Tyre pressure …

Eberspacher diesel heater at high altitude

We do not use our diesel heater so much. We only used it above 3.800 meters to keep it cosy amd warm in the evening. I have the feeling it had some problems starting up, but it is running and keeping us comfortable. Also with the diesel heater the diesel quality might be an issue.

Preparing ourselves for high altitude

We are careful in picking our spots for the night. So per night we try not to have more then 300 meters altitude difference with the day before. We made a post with our GPS/GPX track and waypoints, here you can find the most important campspots too.

Sleeping, sport, hikes. breathing while sleeping is more difficult then hiking.

What else happend at high altitude?

First our chips bags exploded around 2700 meter so we ate all of it 👍😂. The higher we came the more stuff “exploded” or made a mess when we opened them. The shampoo and sunblockers made a mess yoghurt splashed open while driving so our fridge was all over with it. At 3700 meter we woke up at night from an explosion. I did not want to go out to check out the damage but then we smelled something very strong. After some researching I found a little can with paint where the litt blew off.

Wakhan valley Pamir

The most impressive part of the Pamir for us was the Tajik Wakhan valley. This Wakhan valley is part of the corridor and our road follows the Pyanj river.

Instead of following the M41 east from Khorugh, the last change to get cash, do some serious shopping, get fuel and meet fellow travelers, we drove south. We found a great spot at 37.41544 71.49664 hidden in a rock formation.

We visited the famous Garm-Chashma Hot Spring. The men and women are allowed to use the outside “pool” at different times.

We passed the bridge at Ishkoshim which connects Tajikistan and Afghanistan and where every Saturday is a market where you can visit without a visa.

The interesting part of this part of the route started for us with a hike starting in Darshai, we hiked this gorge but turned around after some kilometers because the gravel and sand got in-stable due to landslides.

At the end of the afternoon we drove the steep and narrow road up to Bibi Fatime hot spring. An very nice, but as al hot spring here, inside spring. It is absolute worth the drive up. Here also men and women can use the pool separately. After this we drove down just a little to stay the night at 3.200 meters with a great view over the valley and to get adjusted to the height.

Zorkul valley

To add an extra road to our trip we planned at first on driving Zorkul. This route is joining the M41 at around 40 km south of Murghob.

Unfortunately we ate to early in the season, may/june, the roads are still impassable according guides we met in Khorugh. Khorugh is the place to buy the extra permit for Zorkul. We met a dutch couple who drove to the Zorkul lakes, which where still completely frozen, and the returned to the entrance at Khorgus checkpoint. But after watching their videos we decided it was to wet for our 11 ton campertruck so we decided to skip this part.

Bulunkul & Yashikul lake in Tajik National Park

After we passed the Khargush checkpoint, we where the 6th vehicle that passed today it was time for our real first mountain pass in Tajikistan, the Khargush pass 4.344 mtr. Because higher passes are coming we decided to camp 3.900 meter just after lake Churkurkul.

Since we did not see any shops and gasstations the last 100 km we decided the next morning to buy some bread and diesel in Bulunkul. But it turned out this coldest (-65 C) village in Tajikistan has no facilities whatsoever. Vincent baked later this day a bread in our little oven.

We continued our trip to two little geysers and had lunch here. Via a Yurt Camp with a hot spring we found our wildcamp at the eastern end of lake Yashikul. Fantastic.

The road to Alichur is impassable because of the very wet, swamplike, tracks so we decided to spend more time at lake Bulunkul and stay an extra night at lake Yashikul.

Tajik National Park

It is very large but quite expensive to be in. We pay with our truck € 40,- per day

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Pamir Highway with our overland truck

by Kirstin & Vincent
Screenshot

One of the Pamir problems are lack of diesel, altitude sickness and the patroilling military every meter of the Afghanistan border. The military does not want you to stay close to the border, which is almost impossible because on your left hand are the mountains. Because we love to stay in nature instead of in villages, finding a good spot was not always easy. Especially because we dit not want to sleep at more then 400 m. altitude difference with the night before.

In most browsers you can click the coordinates to copy them. Click here to download the route GPX.

General Pamir info, click here

Seven Lakes Wildcamp at lake 5

39.19777,67.81722

Not part of the Pamir, but very beatifull alre the Seven Lakes. You pass this going toi Dushanbe after entering Tajikistan from Uzbekistan.
We stayed at the 5th lake, overviewing the lake and a great quit place to stay the night.

Very dangerous Istiqlol tunnel

39.10830,68.68708

One of the most dangerous tunnels in the world is this old Soviet Istiqlol tunnel. No lights, no ventilation and small.

Do not forget to close all windows and airinlet before you enter and hold your breath 😉

Wildcamp in Victorie park Dushanbe

38.58025,68.80950

The Victoria park in Dushanbe is a very quit place to stay the night and relax a bit.

OVIR permit office Dushanbe

38.57145,68.79724

OVIR is the place to get the necessary permits to stay in Tajikistan and drive Pamir. More on this subject in this post.

Nice roadside 920 m.

37.99116,70.30244

Nice roadside camp spot. Very quit at night

Ancient City of Karon 1.600 m.

38.45109,70.84859

Close to Ruzvay, where you can buy grocery and fill up fuel, there is the ancient city of Karon. Nice to visit and a good place to stay the night.

Roadside camp spot. Very quit

38.04553,71.30745

2.5 km before the Rawand Military checkpoint we found a quit roadside campspot.

Great camp spot Bartang valley

37.99848,71.74953

At the beginning of the Bartang valley there is this little camp spot at the river. Beautiful to stay the night and a great place to start the hike to the little Jizev village.

Hike to Jizev village

37.49567,71.52022

This easy but beautiful hike to Jizev village is a great day hike. We took the long hike which is 18 km roundrip. Do not forget to buy tea in the little village

Khorugh city

37.49183,71.54567

Khorugh is the last large town, so thé spot to fill up on diesel, food and money. There is also a OVIR office here for visa/permit extensions.

Great camp spot along the road 2.110 m

37.41544,71.49664

Great camp spot along the road 2.110 m

Nice camp spot 2.550 m.

36.90599,71.51221

Quit and nice spot hidden from the road

Camp spot overlooking the valley 3.110 m.

37.49567,71.52022

Great spot overlooking the valley. It is private property so please do not forget to ask permission. The road brings you up to Bi i Fatima hotspring. A must see.

Bibi Fatima hot spring 3.210 m.

36.98352,72.26428

Bibi Fatima is a very special hot spring. Women and men go separate, 30 minutes each. Be aware that the road up it very narrow and steep. If you do not feel comfortable with this, ask for a ride up.

Hike to Vrang fortress 3.080 m.

37.00498,72.37621

The hike is supposed to be nice, but we had to abort because of landslides. We found it to dangerous for us to continue.

Trailhead Engels peak 2.880 m.

37.05222,72.67096

Great hike to Engels peak 3.560 / 4.050 m. Halfway you will find modern petroglyphs

Camp spot fantastic view on Engels peak 3.520 m.

37.15447,72.74545

Fantastic spot to stay the night and to wake up with a view on Engels peak.

Camp spot with great view 3.950 m.

37.60667,73.08720

Great view just after passing the Khargush pass. Beatiful views.

Camp spot overviewing Bulunkul lake 3.770 m.

37.71886,72.96907

Stay a night at Bulunkul lake. Yaks are roaming around. In the morning the lake is mirroring

Camp spot over looking lake Yashilkul. Fantastic. 3.750 m.

37.75922,72.95787

Fantastic camp spot over looking lake Yashilkul. Yaks are graazing.


instagram reel

Thermal hot spring 30 Celcius 3.800 m.

37.73139,72.88939

This hot spring is clean and hot. be aware that it is inside the Tajik national park and we got charged entrance when leaving. When you go here you can ask to get permission for 10 days so you can re-enter the National Park at Karonkul

Camp spot Nayzatash 3.995 m.

37.95871,73.85412

Just after passing Nayzatash pass 4.130 m., we found this great camp spot.

Shakhty Petroglypghs

37.95871,73.85412

Not only the petroglyphs, but maybe even more the stunning landscape makes it worth visiting this place. We relaxed a little bit here and then drove to the Observatory.

Shorbulog observatory

37.93052, 74.15229

Shorbulog is an old Soviet observatory. At the foot of the hill are old abandoned buildings which are interesting to visit. We drove up to the observatory and had a view on China from there.

Snow Leopard nursery and rehabilitation center 3.580 m.

38.12626,73.90102

We just missed the snow leopard during our hike y Gumbezkol, we saw he paws in the snow. But at this snow Leopard nursery and rehabilitation center it is possible to see them from close by

Morghub village. Fill up here

38.17458,73.97260

Morghub is the first village after Engels peak. You can buy food, simcards, diesel and find an ATM. There is nothing nice about Morghub.

Gumbezkol Shepherd summer camp 4.090 m

38.26182,73.852352

A beatifull valley where we made a long hike. From here it is possible to cross the mountain by foot. We had snow, so this made it impossible. In the summer there might be Shepherds around

Rangkul lake Wildcamp 3.800m

38.46518,74.25056

Rangkul village is a border village, China border. There is nothing to explore, but the 2 lakes are a fantastic place to stay a night.

gurumdy-wcp

38.51268,73.82534

Gurumdy xxxxx

Aksalytau Wildcamp with great 360 view 4.050m

38.78399, 73.31157

Bartang valley from the east side. After some kilometers the road was blocked due to landslides. We made a long hike and enjoyed staying the night here.

Border Kyzyl Art Pass 4.282m

39.38440,73.32253

The border post xxxx

Sary Tash village Kyrgyzstan. Fill up here. 3.180 m.

37.49567,71.52022

Sary Tash is the first village you wil pass in Kyrgyzstan. Here you can eat at the guesthouses, fill up diesel and on weekdays get money from the ATM.

Camp spot with great view on Lenin peak 3.540 m.

39.50243,72.90471

From this spot, easiest reached via Kasha-Suu, you ahve a great spot on Lenin Peak 7.134 m. without all the traffic at the Lenin Peak basecamp. It is a short hike to the base camp.

Tes hotel and overlanders hub in Osh

40.52253,72.80292

TES hotel is an overlanders hub in Osh. Trucks can park in the parking lot and cyclist can camp in the garden. In Osh you can also buy your car insurance.

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Aral Sea; Center of Disaster

by Kirstin & Vincent

We are stuck at the remains of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. We followed a much driven track in the sand but at once we break through this thin layer of sand/clay to land in the meters thick soft clay.

After a first try to get out the situation gets worse very quickly. I am afraid we might topple to the side or even worse the whole truck might just sink down in this clay.

Our travel friends Arnau, Ruben en Mathilde help us but after some days we decide we need help.

Because this seems to happen often here, to locals and tourist, there is a special rescue team.

They work hard to get us out and finally this works.

[osm_map_v3 map_center=”autolat,autolon” zoom=”autozoom” width=”100%” height=”450″ file_list=”https://www.pamoja.earth/wp-content/uploads/GPX/aabb.gpx” file_color_list=”red” control=”fullscreen,mouseposition,overview” file_title=”test”]

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Turkmenistan (Iran to Kazakhstan)

by Kirstin & Vincent

We wanted to drive from Iran to Kazachstan, Mangystau and Turkmenistan is then the country to pass. At this time, april 2024, you need a guide to accompany you and therefore we choose to travel together. Via Social we found Ruben and Mathilde, Traveling Scouts, who are willing to travel together.

The border crossing and how we got in is described here.

Although our guide was very nice he and we made a big mistake at planing this route. We drove 3578 km in only 6 days, which with our truck is impossible. We only had to hurry and drive till late at night and we hate doing that. The only good road in Turkmenistan is between Ashgabad and Turkmenbashy, the rest is pothole tarmac or just gravel or plain earth with lots of washboards.

And to be honest, the only things really worth visiting are the crazy city of Ashgabat and the Darvaza Gas Crater. The Kow Ata Cave and the Gochmyrat-Ahun Cemetery are nice to see, but if this was worth all the money and hectic…

[osm_map_v3 map_center=”autolat,autolon” zoom=”autozoom” width=”100%” height=”450″ file_list=”https://www.pamoja.earth/wp-content/uploads/GPX/Turkmenistan-driven-2024.gpx” file_color_list=”” control=”fullscreen,mouseposition,overview” file_title=”Turkmenistan driven 2024″]

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Overlanders paradise: Mangystau, Kazakhstan

by Vincent & Kirstin

We entered Kazakhstan from Turkmenistan. The road from the Temirbaba border to Zhanaozen/Aktau was terrible. Potholes, mud and therefore a very slow and tiresome trip.

The good thing is, we are in Mangystau, a region so beautiful, it stole our heard. Perfect for overlanders, self driving, you can stop where you want and lots of great off-road tracks, but not to demanding. Within 2 weeks time you can visit the highlights and they are fantastic.

Not really etc

Mangystau highlights

By clicking the markers on the map you can find our highlights below.

Torysh Stone Balls

We slept a night between these huge balls of stone. Very impressive to be in the middle of these. Since it took us some time to find the good ones you can download the GPX track.

Ustyurt Three Brothers viewpoint

After a long and not allways easy drive (GPX track) to the Ustyrt salt lake we got rewarded by a beatifull view over the three brothers.

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