
On the south-west side of the Tub-Karagan peninsula is the half-kilometre-long Golubaya Bay (aka Blue Bay), which is sandwiched between the Uzynkuduk and Tulkili Gorges. Less than a kilometre inland is Tulkili Fortress.
Isolated stretches of sandy beach and unnamed rocky coves extend either side of it: 15 km to the south is Cape Segendi (aka Cape Sagyndyk), meaning ‘Devil’s Finger’ in Kazakh, and the nearby popular fishing spot of Maikin Kurgan. To the north, there’s a dirt road running along the edge of the plateau and coastline to Saura Canyon, which has an abandoned Soviet-era fishing village of the same name—Keep an eye out for the remains of old wheeled-cart tracks cut into the plateau’s soft limestone, which were created by centuries-old fishmongers travelling up and down the coastline between Aktau and Fort Shevchenko.
Blue Bay, and the surrounding areas, are home to some wildlife too, such as gazelles, the occasional saiga herd, migratory birds, turtles, snakes, and lizards. In the autumn time there are berries to pick and springtime brings beautiful flowering plants.
In theory, the Aktau-based Breeze Yacht Club and SSI Diving Center might arrange a sailing or diving trip along Mangystau’s coastline, including to Blue Bay. Two other charter options are the Zhetysu Sailing Club, which organised a 150 km multi-hull boat regatta between Aktau and Cape Segendi in 2019, and Arenda Yacht Aktau’s fleet of deluxe sailing catamarans. You can find out more about what else to do in Mangystau’s capital city in our Aktau travel guide.
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