Autonomous Republic
Karakalpakstan & Aral
The hardest, strangest, most unforgettable corner of the country.
Best months
Typical stay
From Tashkent
Elevation
An autonomous republic the size of England, home to a Turkic people distinct from the Uzbeks and to the two most extraordinary sights in the country: the Savitsky museum in Nukus, and the rusted trawlers of Moynaq, stranded 100 km from where the Aral Sea used to be.
The Karakalpak are a distinct Turkic people; the language sits between Uzbek and Kazakh. The Savitsky Museum in Nukus is a genuine world-class collection.
History
A layered past
The Karakalpak were nomadic fishers of the Aral until Soviet cotton irrigation drained it. The sea has lost 90% of its volume since 1960. In Nukus, the artist Igor Savitsky spent the 1960s and 70s smuggling banned Russian avant-garde canvases into the desert — the resulting collection is now considered one of the great museums of the 20th century.
Best time to visit
When to come
April–May and September–October. Winter is brutal, summer worse.
What we do here
Ways to experience Karakalpakstan & Aral
01
Savitsky Museum, Nukus
40,000 works of Russian avant-garde art, most of which the Soviets tried to destroy elsewhere.
02
Moynaq ship graveyard
Rusting fishing trawlers on the seabed. A night camping among them under the Milky Way.
03
Mizdakhan necropolis
A 4th-century city of the dead on the road from Nukus to Kunya-Urgench.
Go next
Tours that go here
6 departures touching Karakalpakstan & Aral.
23 August · 1 days
Obipar, Opar, Qushopar Sharsharalari
O'zbekistondagi eng baland va eng go‘zal sharsharalar
May - August · 1 days
Badak Ko'li
A day hiking at Tashkent's most beautiful lakes
28 June · 1 days
SUP Surfing
Pskem Daryosi bo'ylab SUP uchish, VIP tapchanda dam olish
April - June · 1 days
Tovoqsoy Canyon
Find yourself in the silence of the mountains
5- 30 July · 1 days
Soʻqoq Forest
5-30 July · 1 days
Surenota Peak
Enjoyable experience!
Pairs well with
Where travellers go next
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
Is Moynaq worth the trip?+
Yes — it's a 4-hour drive from Nukus each way and unlike anywhere else on earth. A night camping among the ships is a highlight of most trips.
Is it safe?+
Very. Karakalpakstan is one of the quietest regions in the country.
How's the Savitsky Museum?+
Recently renovated, English-language audio guide, 40,000 works of Soviet-suppressed avant-garde. Allow 3 hours.
