The Barsakelmes salt marsh is located on the territory of Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan, where more than thirty million years ago the ancient Tethys Ocean splashed, which existed during the Mesozoic era and covered the territory of the Karakum, Kyzylkum deserts and the Ustyurt plateau.
Please note that the “Barsakelmes” nature reserve in the northeastern part of the Aral Sea of Kazakhstan and the Barsakelmes salt marsh in Uzbekistan are two completely different places.
The name Barsakelmes can be translated as “if you go, you won’t return” or “The Place of No Return”. Barsakelmes is a is a salt marsh, covering 2,000 sq km. More recently it was an island in the Aral Sea. As the Aral Sea dried up at an exponential rate in the 20th century, Barsakelmes eventually became one with the surrounding land.
Barsakelmes is steeped in legend. In the mid-20th century, famous archaeologist, researcher of Karakalpakstan Sergey Pavlovich Tolstov heard a rumor from local residents that on the marshland was a place called “Shaitan-Kala” (“ The Devil's Fortress”), a huge fort with battlements from which fires could be observed after dark. The scientist wondered if the mysterious fort could be similar to ancient castles which his team had recently unearthed in Karakalpakstan. On September 14, 1946, Tolstov and his team arrived to Barsakelmes on a small reconnaissance plane. They were immediately impressed by the expansive white surface and even discovered two "islands”. Yet after flying over the area several times at an altitude of just 50 meters, they were unable to spot any sign of human activity. Tolstov later wrote: “Nothing! No traces of man-made structures. Shaitan-Kala, according to folk legend, was not built by people. This is a play of nature."
The dearth of life and vegetation at Barsakelmes is a direct result of the high concentration of salt which was left behind by the evaporated seawater. The evaporated water left behind a thick, crusty layer of salt, that hasn’t dissolved or been washed away as it almost never rains here. From a distance it looks like a sheet of snow, and even up close the hard crystals resemble the ice on a ski run at the end of a sunny afternoon. The surface crackles and pops as you walk on it.
You will need to leave your car at the top of the cliff and walk from there down the slope and out to the salt. The walk takes about 15 minutes in each direction as it is further than it looks. It is not advisable to go too far out as in places there are gaps and even small pockets of water underneath the salt, and if you tread on one you may break and fall through the solid layer. It is safest close to the shore. A trip to Uzbekistan’s Barsakelmes is recommended only for travelers who are physically fit.
Salt reserves are colossal and cannot be accurately calculated, and on the eastern edge of the salt marsh you can see specks of people on the horizon: salt miners collect salt for sale.
Barsakelmes is a hard-to-reach, little-explored and dangerous place. Despite the danger, it is fantastically beautiful and evokes a strange mixture of fear and delight in people. Here you can take many unique, mesmerizing photographs. The landscape resembles the backdrop of a science fiction or fantasy film. The bright sun, blinding from above and reflected from the snow-white salt below. Just be careful and the surreal photos will be a great reward for your efforts, especially after a little rain.
Tourists who decide to visit Barsakelmes usually do so as part of the Nukus-Muynak-Aral Sea-Sudochye-Nukus route. The shortest route to the salt marsh is direct from Nukus, 200 km long. and back. The best time of year to travel to Barsakelmes is spring and autumn, preferably early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday heat.
