Aral Sea, Kazakhstan
The shrinking of the Aral Sea is one of the great environmental disasters of the 20th century: in the 1960s it was one of the four largest lakes in the world, but today it’s only a fraction of its original size. Poorly planned Soviet irrigation schemes diverted its water supplies, and the Aral Sea dried up. It’s an important place to visit, however, to see first hand the devastating potential impact of human intervention in nature. The skeleton ships in the sand, now miles away from open water where they might sail, are a poignant reminder of the past.
Epic Kazakhstan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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