Hi all,
I'm looking to explore the aral sea from both the Uzbek side then the Kazakh side probably I'm September '12. It has been fairly tricky finding good information especially in regards to traveling through southern Khazakstan. I think my main mode of transport will be the trains with the occasional cab (Obviously from Nukus to Moynak) I'm just looking for some general advise in commuting and trains ect. My thought was this;
Arrive in Tashkent get a hotel and check in with the embassy the following day. Take a train from Tashkent C to Nukus. The following day head to moynak and get situated. After that get on a tour or find a fixer to get my to the lakes edge and show me around. Maybe this turns into a 2-3 day camping trip. Does anyone know of any fixers/ tours for just that? After this part head back to Nukus for a day to rest and get situated. Is there a great spot to expolre the Amu Darya in this area? Once situated either take the train or cars back to Tashkent giving me 3 days to quickly explore silk road city's.. What cities would be of most interest? Bukhara and Samarkand? Once I arrive in Tashkent I would get situated for the next long train ride to Aralsk. Are any cities on the way of any interest to stop in on the way? I was thinking of stopping off in kyzylorda to explore part of the Syr Darya. Is the a good city for that or might there be better spots to take a few pictures of this river? Once I get to Aralsk I would love to be able to explore the dams and perhaps spends 2-3 days exploring the coast. Does anybody know of a tour or fixers just for this as well? After this I would look to head back to Tashkent maybe stopping at a city or two on the way. What's worth checking out?. Once in Tashkent I will be on my way back to america.
My main questions
Will I be going through any unsafe regions?
Is a train the best way to go? It sounds like I will be getting hassled on the train in Kazakhstand for bribes. I don't want that. Also if I have nice camera kit on me will security try to steal that from me on the train? What is the best way to travel with it to keep the camera gear safe?
What are the different train lines for these treks and are they consistent on when they leave/arrive? I was on poezda.net and it shows no trains running for all of summer and I know this is not true.
Will I need a guild/fixer anywhere besides moynak to the coast of the aral sea?
How much time should I give myeslf for this trip? I'm hoping I can do this all in 3 weeks.
How much money should I save for this. Hotels/cabs/trains/ and maybe fixers
I know this is a lot so anything helps. Thanks!