Ferry from Baku to Aktau (update on date and price)
 

hello everyone, we've started our journey from Izmir/Turkey to Mongolia.

We're in Baku now, the ferry arrived here yesterday morning, but there was a storm. Probably it will leave tomorrow evening (Jul 5th), just to let anyone interested know..

The ferry costs 610USD (around 480 manat) + 200USD for car (200 is port usage I guess), the driver will cost around 70 manat, we will pay for driver when we're boarding it.

We will head from Aktau to Astana, over Makat. If anyone is around, you can contact us and we can meet. Our website is İzmir to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | İzmir'den Ulanbator, Moğolistan'a uzanan bir yolculuk , we have a rough route there.

thanks,

Hi

Forget about the road from maqat to quandiaghash (or however it's written ;-) ). There is absolutely no road at all. Or check at least before you leave about the wheather for the last 5 days or so. The guys we met have broken the suspension of the Land Rover on that road. Go over atyrau/oralsk. It's more kilometer, but at least there is some sort of road and traffic so you don't get stuck ;-)

cheers

hmmm. i had two friends who rode that section 10 days ago and had no problems at all ... and neither of them were particularly off road riders nor were they on off road bikes.

Last time I heard about that road from contacts in Aktau (that was a couple of months ago), they described it as "no better no worse"; meaning that it is in a standardly bad condition, but if you ride safely, it should not be too much of a problem. Safe way would be, as suggested, through Atyrau => Uralsk. It is mainly paved, but it's longer, and surely less fun.
Enjoy Kazakhstan :thumbup1:!

the ferry was Bestekar Qara Qarayev. It left Baku on Tuesday morning, and arrived near Aktau on Wednesday morning, 24 hours. The truckers onboard said that it was the worst ferry they've ever been on :)

We waited 3 days near Aktau for the port, it was full.

The ship has free breakfast / lunch / dinner, not best but ok.

I think it left Aktau in the morning, but maybe tomorrow (July 10th, 2011)

Hey, for motorcyclists interested in the ferry: we took the same one a few weeks ago, in the other direction from Aktau to Baku. We paid around 220 EUR for one passenger + bike. Half of that was paid in the port on arrival.

I don't agree the Qara Qarayev is the worst ferry, we had a good cabin and food was included. Waiting for the ferry and buying the ticket is the real misery, all in all it took us 11 days from Aktau to Baku!

Regards,
Wanderer