The Blue Bay is an inlet on the south-western coast of Mangyshlak where the water shifts from clear turquoise to deep sapphire. The Devil's Finger rock stands at its entrance, hiding a small grotto you can enter in calm weather.
The Blue Bay is a stretch of Caspian coast 80 kilometres from Aktau, where limestone cliffs form an almost enclosed inlet. On a clear day the water glows: transparent turquoise over the shallows, dense sapphire further out.
The shore combines golden sand with pale limestone eroded into basins and ledges. The Devil's Finger rock stands at the entrance — one of the most recognisable silhouettes in western Kazakhstan; in calm weather you can step inside through a small grotto.
Fragments of ancient walls and an old road survive nearby, used for centuries by fishing crews and trading parties. The bay remains a wild piece of coastline with no infrastructure — which is exactly why the water and the shore stay clean.
Honest numbers before you take the wheel. We are not selling an adventure — we are explaining what you would be dealing with.
Driving here yourself requires four-wheel drive and a water supply: there are no fuel stations or services on the route.
Shots from our trips — click to enlarge
Leave the logistics to people who drive here all year round: prepared vehicles, satellite communication and a guide who knows where the ground holds and where it does not.
Maikin Kurgan (43rd km) → Blue Bay (the Devil's Finger) → Saura (lake) and 1 more stop
Karagiye → Onere (spring) → Karynzharyk and 24 more stops
The Karagiye Depression → Kyzylkup → Boszhira (upper plateau) and 14 more stops