The Usak tract is another picturesque place in the Mangystau region. It is located just an hour’s drive from Aktau. Here you can play treasure hunters or take unusual photos.
The Usak tract is located 115 kilometers from Aktau and nine kilometers from the Koshak Bay. The word “usak” comes from the word “uak”, which means “shallow”, and in this case – “shallow water”. After all, according to scientists, these places were previously covered by the ocean, and later during the dry seasons, the water level gradually decreased.
There is a canyon of the same name in the tract itself. The unusual relief was formed due to a gradual change in the water level. Numerous bright rocks of various intricate shapes are scattered around the valley. The guide Alexandra Danilevskaya tells about the local landscapes:
“There is a chain of red indentations resembling giant towers, a canyon that stretches from the southeast to the northwest for 13 kilometers. And, of course, a grove of local trees that has survived the era of the ocean. There is another similar grove in the Akmysh tract, 50 kilometers from Usak.”
Ущелье Усак. Фото @aktau_city_tour
Photographer Vitaly Shuptar told in his Instagram account about visiting the Usak tract in 2017.
“We came to this place unexpectedly and thanks to the advice of geokeshers from Aktau who met us on the ruins of the Novoaleksandrovsky fort. The Usak tract was not in our plans, but the lights of the” gold rush ” immediately played in the eyes of the participants of our expedition, when the residents of Aktau began to talk about the place where you can find fossilized remains of marine fauna that once inhabited the Tethys Ocean in the assortment. A day later, we reached Usak, where we had to spend at least three hours, because it is impossible to resist the temptation to find the tooth of a shark that lived millions of years ago. And the more – the better!” – he writes.
Guide Alexandra Danilevskaya says that tourists with great interest collect shells and teeth in the Usak tract: it is not prohibited by law, but it is a joy for tourists.
Placers of antiquities, shark teeth, various ammonites are scattered along the gorge. Paleontologist Vladimir Yartsev said in an interview that Mangystau can be called a paleontological museum. This unique place is a treasure trove for representatives of his profession.
“Such finds are found everywhere in the coastal zone, and some of them are at the state level. I found the vertebrae of an ichthyosaur skeleton. A very large individual. According to a professional paleontologist, its length was 12-13 meters. Now it is in the Aktau Museum. He also found fragments of the skeleton and teeth of a Paleogene dolphin, a swordfish. There are many small finds – teeth, ammonites, fragments of skeletons of fossil animals, ” says Vladimir.
Находка из ущелья Усак. Фото @aktau_city_tour
Not far from the Usak tract-Akespe canyon
Alexandra Danilevskaya says that organized tours to the Usak Gorge usually include a visit to the Akespe tract, which is five kilometers north of the first one. The chalk formations of the Akespe tract, which nature has been working on for millions of years, create the feeling that you are on another, white planet.
“Purely geographically, these are two different tracts, and they are separated by the Myrzatai Mountains. In this place, the photos are much more beautiful due to the white chalk rocks against the blue sky. They shine in the sun and look magical, ” the guide shared.
“In Mangystau,” as in a protected box, the whole arsenal of the most diverse manifestations of nature is collected.” The” naked to the bones ” land is rich in finds, whether it’s gems, bones and teeth of ancient animals, up to sharks from the Tethys Ocean,” writes one of the tourists, signing a photo from Akespe.
Interesting fact
Not far from the tracts of Usak and Akespe there is an abandoned port of Abasta, where the scenery for the film “Waiting for the Sea” directed by Bakhtiyor Khudoinazarov is located. The film tells about fishermen who were left without water. The main character Marat, the captain of a fishing boat, goes to prison for ten years. And when he returns home , the village is no longer there, there is no sea, only a bare steppe.
Yulia Fedotova, the director of one of the travel agencies, spoke in detail about tours in the Usak tract and prices.
“Tourists to these places are offered various programs, a one-day tour on comfortable buses, jeep tours with an overnight stay in tents. Departure at eight in the morning and arrival at eight in the evening. For example, the price for visiting the Akespe canyon and the Usak tract varies from five to six thousand tenge. If this is a jeep tour, the price will change, there is a different calculation of the cost, as it depends on the distance, program and route that you choose. The price starts from 80,000 for one jeep in one day. We put three people in one car.
We carry group tours on a twenty-seat bus. Meals are not provided for a one-day excursion twelve-hour tour. If these are two-three-day tours, meals are organized by a travel agency in agreement with the client. Tents for overnight stays are provided. In addition, there is a mini-shower for the comfort of tourists.
You can come to the Usak tract for an overnight stay in a tent. The only thing is that for the sake of safety, it is necessary to travel not by one, but by two or more cars, so as not to get lost. The night starry sky, silence and beauty around – what could be better, ” says the guide.
How to get there?
We leave the city of Aktau on the Aktau – Fort-Shevchenko highway. We reach the 43rd kilometer. There are poles along the highway indicating the mileage, there will be a left turn.
Then we go straight, do not turn off. 88th kilometer, it is near the village of Tauchik. The landmark is shubatkhana, where cars stop to relax, drink shubat or have a snack.
From this place we go straight to the 96th kilometer-the stop “Karazhanbas, Kalamkas”. There is a beautiful stele with the inscription “Kalamkas Karazhanbas”. And next to it, to the right and to the left, the Akespe tract.
Further north, five kilometers away, is the Usak tract. It will be located on the left, the koshara will be visible, and along it there will be a gravel road along the canyon. You can stop there anywhere and go down for beautiful photos and walks. Both cars and buses pass along this route.
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