The Mangystau region is a geologically unique remote land in southwestern Kazakhsta. It looks like another planet and its otherworldly landscapes, combining stark deserts, rugged mountains, and sheer cliffs, seem almost surreal in their vastness.
I ventured in this area in September 2024, camping in very remote landscapes for one week, looking for inspiration. This region, which borders the Caspian Sea, offers a mosaic of natural wonders, including towering chalk formations, expansive salt flats, and labyrinthine canyons carved by wind and water over millions of years.
This remote area is defined by towering chalk cliffs, sprawling plateaus, and very vast salt flats that evoke a desolate and boundless beauty of another planet. The cliffs, the sharp rock formations shaped by millennia of erosion, contrast with the shimmering flats below, and salt lakes which are interspersed with brine pools. Minerals make some mountains colorful, looking like stone cakes and rock pillars rise like natural sculptures, their abstract forms adding an artistic touch to the stark terrain.
