I welcome you to join an amazing landscape and astro photo tour in Mangystau Kazakhstan that will bring you to incredible landscapes that are not yet on most tourists’ bucket list but will surely become one of the top destinations in the future for landscape and nature lovers. I fell in love with the Mangystau Region in Kazakhstan during my journey there in April 2025 and would love to share it with you before it gets too crowded in the years to come.
Dates – April 10th to 19th 2026
Guide – Nicolas Giroud
Price per person –
Euros 2900 / Double occupancy (Deposit Euros 1300)
Euros 3300 / Single occupancy (Deposit Euros 1300)
Description
The plan is to visit most of the top spots of the region including:
- Airakty – the valley of castles
- Tuzbair Sludge – a salt marsh
- Boszhira Tract – the valley of monuments
- Tiramisu Gorge – canyons with amazing colors
- Mount Bokty – the “Pie” in Kazakh
- Karynzharyk Depression – the lunar-like salt marsh
We will spend 9 nights together discovering the region but most of those nights will be spent in tents while camping under the stars and appreciating the craziness of the landscapes surrounding us. Indeed, those places are gradually accessible by off-road driving but the infrastructure is still under development. A local team will guide us throughout the tour and organize all the logistics including meals, camping equipment and mobile generator to recharge our batteries and photographic equipment.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1
We will all meet in Aktau Caspian Riviera Grand Palace Hotel where a room will be booked on your name. We will have dinner together and I will share more information regarding the upcoming adventure.
Overnight in Aktau before departing early next morning with the local crew. Make sure to charge all necessary equipment and gather any snacks or drinks (water, coffee and tea will be provided) you might want during the trip.
Day 2
We will start our journey this morning after breakfast and start heading East towards Mount Sherkala where we will stop for lunch and take some pictures, mainly drone shots at this place. It looks like a lion paw and actually, Sherkala’s meaning in English is Lion’s fortress.
After lunch, we have a short drive to reach our first camping ground in Airakty. We will set up camp and stay there from sunset to next morning with great shooting opportunities. The valley of castles is also a great location to do some astrophotography. Airakty is a group of mountains made of limestone with sharp cliffs and crevices as a result of water, wind and time.
Day 3
We will shoot sunrise in Airakty, enjoy breakfast and move on towards the Tuzbair sludge. The area is made of a salt marsh and some amazing colorful rock formations. We will have some time to shoot there as we will camp next to the sludge itself close to a natural double arch that gives countless photo compositions. It will be great there to shoot with dusk and dawn lighting to highlight the structure, shapes and colors of the rocks.
Days 4-5
After a sunrise shooting session and breakfast, we will pack and start our long off-road drive to the Boszhira tract, which is considered by many the best region of Mangystau, the valley of monuments. Its tract’s lunar-like terrain looks similar to the Utah version. Besides, it highlights very well the general picture of the sandstone and chalk nature of Mangystau.
We will spend 2 nights there in 2 different locations to maximize our chances of capturing great images. Photographic compositions are infinite in this place and I will surely share with you my preferred shots. In Boszhira, we will have great opportunities to shoot the Milky Way Arch, very low on the horizon in that period of the year.
Day 6
After the last shooting opportunity of Boszhira at dawn, breakfast will be ready for us before we start heading in the direction of a very special place called the Tiramisu Gorge, also known as the Kyzylkup Tract. Its name is due to its special appearance of many colorful layers of ancient chalk rock formations. Besides the Tiramisu Gorge, we will also take a chance to shoot Mount Bokty, located just a few kilometers away. It stands out with its unusual composition of rocks in a spectrum of colored layers.
We will stay overnight there and other astro opportunities should be given if the sky is clear.
Days 7-8
After sunrise and breakfast, we will hit the road for a long ride towards one of my favorite places in the region – Karynzharyk Depression. It is located in the South of the Ustyurt National Reserve and it is definitely worth the drive. It looks like a lunar-like landscape with some small mountains surrounded by salt marsh. The place is particularly mesmerizing after the rain which transforms the place into a mirror to give us shooting opportunities for some reflection.
We will stay 2 nights there in 2 different locations – once staying on top of the cliffs and once staying at the level of the salt area. You will not be bored by the amount of compositions that this place offers.
Day 9
This was the last camping night. We will enjoy another sunrise session followed by breakfast and start heading back to the city of Aktau. We will stop for lunch on the way and shall arrive back at the Caspian Riviera Grand Palace Hotel around late afternoon. You can then check in your room and enjoy all the benefits of being back from a digital detox.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 10
We will end our landscape and astro photo tour in Mangystau Kazakhstan after breakfast. Flight tickets can be purchased anytime from our return to Aktau.
What will you get out of it?
- Great photo tour mixing landscape and astro photography
- Accommodation in Aktau (2 nights in a hotel)
- Accommodation in camping (7 nights in tents)
- Comfortable 4wd vehicles accommodating 3 people per car + driver
- All meals during our photo tour (except Aktau hotel – only breakfasts)
- Landscape and Astro photography tips
- Photography guidance
- Post-processing tips
What is not included?
- International flights to Aktau
- Entry visa if required
- Insurance
- Personal expenses such as all drinks (except water, coffee and tea) and snacks
- Meals in Aktau (except breakfasts which are included)
- Photography equipment
- Bring a synthetic towel in case of opportunity to have a shower during the off-civilization period
Terms and conditions
Dates: Friday April 10th 2026 to Sunday April 19th 2026
Maximum Participants: 8 persons
Price per Person
- Euros 2900 / Double occupancy in Aktau Hotel
- Euros 3300 / Single occupancy in Aktau Hotel
Deposit
- Euros 1300 to secure your spot
- It should be paid within one week after confirmation from us
- If your deposit is not paid within one week of the confirmation, we reserve the right to cancel your reservation. Please, reach out to us in case you plan to pay the deposit at a later date
Photo tour needs to be paid in full no later than 2 months before the starting date of the tour.
In case of late booking less than 2 months prior to the tour, full price must be paid immediately after confirmation from us.
Visa
Please make sure you have the necessary visas depending on your nationality. It is your responsibility to have valid passports, visas or any other documents to participate in the photo tour.
Refusal of entry into the country is not accepted as a reason for a refund. Please, make sure to apply as early as possible.
Cancellation Policy
If, for any reason, you cannot participate in the landscape and astro photo tour in Mangystau Kazakhstan, please send a mail to swede.photography@gmail.com. We will try to find a replacement for. Refund (minus the amount to cover bank transfer fees and additional expenses) will be given only if another participant is found to take your spot.
If the photo tour must be cancelled by the organizer Swede Photography, a full refund will be given to the participant. However, flights and other bookings made by the participant will not be refunded. Also, the organizer Swede Photography accepts no liability and responsibility for clients who are unable to attend due to (but not limited to) illness, flight cancellation, family emergencies or other extenuating circumstances. Such eventualities are the responsibility of the client and appropriate insurance should be confirmed at the time of booking.
In case of cancellation due to force majeure (war, riots, terrorist activity, civil strike, fire, flood, adverse weather, disasters) or circumstances beyond our control, the organizer may postpone or cancel the Photo Tour. Any effort to suggest alternative dates for the tour will be made. On the other hand, participants will receive a voucher for the amount paid that can be used to pay for the rescheduled tour or another tour, if agreed with Swede Photography.