STARLING wouldn’t be STARLING if we didn’t occasionally launch something spectacular. This time is no different. We are organising a photography tour to the raw, untamed and unknown beauty of Kazakhstan. This trip takes us to a setting that will leave you speechless. To extraterrestrial panoramas and historical mystery. You will come home with the most unique images and experiences. A journey to unseen colours and textures, to the largest salt flats and canyons. A journey to another world, it seems!

A truly unique journey

Kazakhstan, “The land of nine landscapes”… A dream destination for photographers due to its extreme and photogenic diversity. It is a gold mine for landscape photographers and will take your breath away at every turn. The endless steppes, the high mountains, the mountain lakes, the canyons, the otherworldly chalk landscape and the multicoloured desert hills. You name it, Kazakhstan has it. The country invites photographers to learn not one, but many techniques and to approach it from different perspectives. Above all, the country invites you to pause and enjoy it endlessly!

Historical Necropolises and Chalk Formations

During this trip, we will venture into the Mangistau steppe, a fascinating and unique part of the larger Kazakh steppe and the Ustyurt Plateau. The area is distinguished by a combination of arid steppe, semi-desert and otherworldly geological formations.

Characteristic landscapes include vast chalk cliffs, limestone mountains, deep canyons and salt flats. The region is rich in fossils of extinct marine animals (whales, sharks, rays) and is home to unique geological phenomena.

We will also visit the Kenty Baba Necropolis, one of the most important and mysterious historical sites in the Mangistau region. It has been a sacred place since the 10th century, deep in the steppe, serving as both a burial ground and a place of pilgrimage, and is known for its unique architecture and engravings.

Valley of Balls, also known as Torysh, will also be visited! This is one of the most bizarre and photographically interesting geological phenomena in the Mangistau region! It is a vast valley in the steppe littered with thousands of perfectly round stone balls with a diameter of 3 to 4 metres. The enormous concentration of balls is what makes Torysh so unique. The landscape is often compared to an abandoned bowling alley for giants or the surface of Mars and is a dream for photographers, especially at sunrise and sunset.

The spectacular natural wonders of the Ustyurt Plateau

The Ustyurt Plateau is a vast clay desert covering approximately 200,000 km² that stretches across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It is an inhospitable but spectacular area, characterised by steep, multicoloured cliffs, fossils and various unique and breathtaking rock formations.

We admire Tuzbair, a huge salt flat approximately 15 km long and 4 km wide. The 60 m high cliffs form the most bizarre patterns and shapes.

We also visit one of the deepest depressions in the region: the Karynzharyk Depression, which reaches a depth of approximately 75 m below sea level!

The grand finale of the trip: the yellow formations of Kyzylkup and the limestone of Bozjira.

The most visually stunning and geologically diverse locations… the icing on the cake… we’re saving them for last.

The Kyzylkup Valley, also known as the Tiramisu Canyon! An area that stands out for its intense, layered colours. We visit the gorges and climb the slopes with panoramic views of the “Mars-like” landscape and see the colours change according to the light of the rising or setting sun.

And finally, the Bozzhira Valley, probably the most iconic symbol of Mangistau’s wild, otherworldly landscapes. In contrast to the multicoloured Kyzylkup, Bozzhira is dominated by bright white and pale pink limestone and chalk, creating a dramatic contrast with the surrounding desert plain.