3-day Aral Sea Tour from Khiva

In the morning depart Khiva and drive to Nukus (200 km, 4-hrs). On the way visit archaeological monuments of Ancient Khorezm: Toprak-Kala, the capital of Khorezm dating back to the 3rd century A.D. and Chilpyk, a Zoroastrian dakhma (funerary tower). Upon arrival in Nukus visit the Savitsky Karakalpakstan Art Museum*. The museum hosts the world's second largest collection of Russian avant-garde art and exposition of Karakalpak applied arts items. Have a short drive around center of Nukus: see statue of Karakalpak poet Berdakh, Nukus City Hall, and Drama Theatre. Free evening. Overnight at the hotel. * Due to renovations in Block 1 of the Savitsky Museum, some archaeological and applied arts exhibitions are closed indefinitely. Only Block 2 is currently open to visitors.

At 9 am meet your guide and driver and depart Nukus towards Muynak. The first stop of the Aral Sea tour will be in Muynak town, where you will see “Cemetery of ships”, the former port with abandoned ships in the sand, and visit Muynak Regional Studies Museum (might be closed without prior notice). Lunch at the guesthouse. Continue driving on the boundless Ustyurt Plateau. You will reach the Aral Sea in the late afternoon. Stop to take pictures of beautiful canyons and the collapsed land. Arrive in a yurt camp. Camp-style dinner. Overnight in the yurt. Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Early wake up to take pictures of sun rise. After breakfast visit the settlement Kurgancha-Kala dating back to the 13th century. The next stop is the small village of Kubla-Ustyurt, built during the Soviet era. Here, you will learn about the region’s past. On the old runway, you can photograph an interesting building set against the rural landscape. Pass via Kungrad district, which used to be one of the trading centers on the Silk Road. On the way, see remains of a lighthouse; pass by the ruins of abandoned settlement Urga. Photo stop at Lake Sudochie. Have a lunch on the way. After lunch head back to Nukus. On the way to Nukus, stop at Mizdakhan memorial complex and Gyaur-Kala Fortress. Arrive in Nukus. End of the 3-day Aral Sea Tour from Khiva. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch