Boszhira
Boszhira is Central Asia’s rival to the USA’s Monument Valley National Park, with the bonus of no crowds. Packed into a 7km x 7km area
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Kapamsay Canyon is a few kilometres south-west of Shakpak Ata. When approaching it from afar, you’ll see the white-sided walls of the chasm peeking up above the vegetated plateau. It’s 4km long, up to 70m deep, and the canyon floor is strewn with car-sized boulders offering plenty of shelter from the sun. There are similar-sized canyons either side of Kapamsay: Kokbulaksay, 7km to the west; and Shakpaktysay, 4.5km to the east, which is near Shakpak Ata.
In one corner of the canyon, there’s a mini oasis tucked away in a grotto and surrounded by a mulberry tree grove. Take care if you’re exploring harder-to-reach rock niches and caves, as eagles nest in the area. According to archaeologists, New Stone Age communities mined Kapamsay’s rock for manufacturing stone tools.
Kapamsay Canyon (Qapamsai Kanony/Каньон Капамсай): 44.4093, 51.0785
Shakpaktysay Canyon (Şaqpaqtysai Kanony/Каньон Шакпактысай): 44.4069, 51.1384
Kokbulaksay Canyon (Kökbūlaqsai Kanony/Каньон Кокбулаксай): 44.4406, 51.0009
1:200k Soviet map of the Tub-Karagan Peninsula’s canyons, identified by the knotted contour lines in the top-left quarter.
Short video of Kapamsay Canyon.
Natalia Pervukhina’s illustrated trip report from an extensive drive around the Mangystau Region, which includes photos of Shakpaktysay Canyon.
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