“Incredible landscape creations of wild natural beauty untouched by civilization attract hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world to Mangystau region every year. Here you can step on the sacred land, touch the ancient history of the Great Steppe and plunge into the vast landscape spaces. One of the favorite places of travelers is the Bozzhyra tract. This area is listed first in the TOP-10 tourist attractions of the region,” said Kazakh TV reporter Aigerim Akimzhanova.
In addition to the “cosmic” Bozzhyra located on the great Ustyurt Plateau, the unique natural and sacred attractions also include the Karakiya Trench, the Airakty-Shomanai Valley of Castles, the Sherkala Mountain and the Kyzylkup tract. The latter looks like velvet low mountains, connected in an openwork sandy structure. From a bird’s eye view, in some places these hills resemble the tentacles of a fabulous octopus, and somewhere even a cut cake, which is why people named it Mangystau’s Tiramisu.
“Here you can walk around and look for some interesting findings that were once present in the Tethys Ocean, including ammonites and shark teeth. A lot of tourists come here from Japan, then Italy and from other countries as well,” noted a guide Lyudmila Korovina.
It will take more than one day to see at least a few of the hundreds of natural attractions, ancient burials, underground sanctuaries and cities located in this region of the country. Moreover, off-road conditions, long distances or the harsh seasonal climate do not stop travelers from coming here. For example, you need to travel approximately 100 kilometers from the city through the semi-desert steppes to get to the famous Torysh Valley of balls. Still, the sight is definitely worth it.
“This is the most unique sight of Mangystau region. The mystery of the origin of the spherical stones located in Torysh valley, which is yet to reveal itself, causes debate among many scientists from across the world for already 250 years. In some places, stones resemble cylinders, nesting dolls, coconuts, space objects and even bowling balls. There are many hypotheses of their origin. According to the old local legend, these bizarre boulders are enemies, turned into stones at the request of local residents to defend them,” added Akimzhanova.
Almost 180,000 tourists have already visited the region since the beginning of the year. Presently, the region is the leader in attracting local and foreign investments. In total, it is planned to carry out 14 investment projects for almost 100 billion tenge (US $2,3 million) this year. The national company Kazakh Tourism makes a significant contribution to the promotion of domestic tourism.
“Recently, we see how the infrastructure is actively developing. Family tourism, resort tourism as well as luxury tourism gain momentum. Mangystau’s potential is included in the state program as one of the top 10 regions, where Kazakh Tourism National Company as well as other government agencies will actively invest and support the development of the region in every possible way,” said Talgat Amanbayev, Executive Director of Kazakh Tourism Company.
Photo: tengritravel.kz
