Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
Re: Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
Wow thanks a lot, why ever i could not find this page.
0 x
-
TheNonFlyingDutchman
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:07 am
- x 17
- x 23
Re: Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
Yeah it’s there! It functions, it’s very affordable (around 8eu for one person private room for one night if I remember, not more than 10 anyways!) and payment is by card. Only the canteen asks for cash only (not great food anyways).IronChris wrote: ↑Wed May 24, 2023 7:57 pmCheers mates,
Does anybody know if the port hotel is ok and usually with vacancies?
Can find nothing in kuryk, and mailing the port (seems like the hotel does not have an own contact!?) no one answers.
I would like to know where to go before paying a taxi / trying to hitchhike to go from Aktau to the port..
Many people on the way told me there is no hotel in the port, but when asking in the port itself, there definitely is and I was taken there. The hotel itself is not much, but the bed is soft, the sheets almost fit the bed, and the showers are hot.
I was there for one night this april 2023.
Oh btw I made a video of my time on the ship. Might help anyone: https://youtu.be/mTBzGfZNbEM
0 x
Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
@ TheNonFlyingDutchman: When was your trip by the ship and where did you book the ticket? Thanks!
0 x
-
TheNonFlyingDutchman
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:07 am
- x 17
- x 23
Re: Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
Read back and thou shall find
From page 26:
Left in the night of 17-18 april 2023. Took 3 days of waiting in front of the coast of Baku and one day of sailing to Kuryk.TheNonFlyingDutchman wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 8:33 amThis is not a full report since I’m in the middle of organising my crossing. But… I read a lot of long and intense stories about acquiring a ticket, and acquiring mine was quite a breeze.
My Azerbaijani friend called a number, and they gave him another number to whatsapp to. My process:
I whatsapped +994 50 746 29 62 and got a very quick response with a booking link and a printscreen for how to properly fill in the form. The link is: http://public.acsc.az/online/ and after filling in my details, I was able to pay 70 dollars with my European credit card. I got a confirmation in my email and could download a receipt. Then I communicated the code from the email over whatsapp and a photo of my passport. I was told to call on +994 559 999 124 for communication about the boat arrival.
So far so good, hopefully everything goes well and I can board a ship after this friday.
(Maybe people supplied this info already, I didn’t read back all the pages. But since this went so easy, I thought it’d be worth to share).
0 x
-
2xfiftyliters
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:42 am
- x 2
- x 3
Re: Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
Hi there, just wanted to thank everyone on this thread and caravanistan in general for the information provided on the ferry; it helped us a lot in navigating the route.
We are backpacking and took a ship from Alat to Kuryk on the 29th of May 2023 and arrived on the 31st. In general, the crossing was way easier than expected, since as of May, there were ferries departing more or less every other day.
The way we did it:
- Came to the port a couple of days before our planned departure (we had rented a car and while visitng Gobustan and some mud volcanoes took the short detour to the port) and asked if we could get a phone number to call and inquire about departures. We were given the number of legendary Vladimir (who indeed was very friendly and had a nice chat with us).
- Once ready to leave a couple of days later, we called and asked if there was a ferry going that day.
- Vladimir told us the "Azerbaijan" was leaving that very day at 16:00.
- Took a bolt taxi to the port (around 25 Manat).
- Bought tickets at the port, just as other people described above.
- Waited (the departure time of 16:00 was optimistic, but at around 20:00, a shuttle bus picked us up and took us to customs and migration).
- By 21:00, we were on board, and around 23:15, the ship left the port.
- On the 30th of May, around 22:00 Azeri time, we arrived outside the Kuryk port, but had to wait for another ferry to be loaded and clear the quay. So we had another (short) night on board, as at around 3:00 a.m. we were woken up since the Azerbaijan was now moving into the port.
Some things we noted:
General:
Having read about the state of the ferries, we specifically tried to get on board one of the two modern ones (Azerbaijan and Zarifa Aliyeva). However, there are more ships running, and as others mentioned above, marinetraffic.com (or their mobile app) are useful in seeing where the vessels currently are. We were given a two person cabin, probably because my girlfriend was the only woman on board aside two female staff members. The cabin could have been cleaner, but it wasn't bad, and the beds are actually quite comfortable; the shower hot and well-funnctioning. There are no towels.
Food / drinks:
We did at least not see the small shop other people have mentioned (and I believe it's not operating any longer), so stock up on snacks and water before coming to the port. There is a waiting room with A/C, electricity, restrooms and simple pallets to lie on. At least on board the Azerbaijan, food is served three times a day (plus tea time), but at specific times only. Since we arrived on the boat late, there was no dinner or anything, so calculate with some extra snacks. The friendly kitchen staff serve tea, coke and fanta, but also at specific times only, so we were happy to have brought some water of our own. The food was simple but good.
Customs / migration:
On the Azeri side, we had to answer some questions about our stay in Armenia, but the border guards asking us spoke decent English and were generally friendly. They took some photos of our passports and sent them to their colleagues, but after about 15 minutes, we were cleared to go. Customs were easy. They x-rayed our luggage, asked to see the medication we have with us and let us proceed.
Arrival:
Kazakh migration officers board the ship to register pedestrian passengers. They seem not to hand out migration cards any longer. Customs officers were not interested in us; they did not even look at our luggage (possibly because we woke them up when we walked into the building at 4:30 a.m.). Getting away from the port proved the most challenging part of the trip for us. There is no public transport, not even to Kuryk town, and when we arrived, there was virtually no traffic for hitchhiking. So after asking several people, we finally found a soldier who was willing to help and offered to call a taxi for us. Luckily, the driver accepted USD as well - mind you, there is no ATM or exchange office once you leave the port (and we were taken directly to the exit), so perhaps try to get some Tenge from Baku if possible. The port hotel other people mentioned DOES exist, and it even has free WiFi that we could use.
All in all, the ferry ride was one of the highlights on our trip so far and we loved sitting on deck watching the horizon. We saw an incredible sunrise and loved being on board, as it felt almost like a cruise ship with plenty of food and time just to read and relax.
We are backpacking and took a ship from Alat to Kuryk on the 29th of May 2023 and arrived on the 31st. In general, the crossing was way easier than expected, since as of May, there were ferries departing more or less every other day.
The way we did it:
- Came to the port a couple of days before our planned departure (we had rented a car and while visitng Gobustan and some mud volcanoes took the short detour to the port) and asked if we could get a phone number to call and inquire about departures. We were given the number of legendary Vladimir (who indeed was very friendly and had a nice chat with us).
- Once ready to leave a couple of days later, we called and asked if there was a ferry going that day.
- Vladimir told us the "Azerbaijan" was leaving that very day at 16:00.
- Took a bolt taxi to the port (around 25 Manat).
- Bought tickets at the port, just as other people described above.
- Waited (the departure time of 16:00 was optimistic, but at around 20:00, a shuttle bus picked us up and took us to customs and migration).
- By 21:00, we were on board, and around 23:15, the ship left the port.
- On the 30th of May, around 22:00 Azeri time, we arrived outside the Kuryk port, but had to wait for another ferry to be loaded and clear the quay. So we had another (short) night on board, as at around 3:00 a.m. we were woken up since the Azerbaijan was now moving into the port.
Some things we noted:
General:
Having read about the state of the ferries, we specifically tried to get on board one of the two modern ones (Azerbaijan and Zarifa Aliyeva). However, there are more ships running, and as others mentioned above, marinetraffic.com (or their mobile app) are useful in seeing where the vessels currently are. We were given a two person cabin, probably because my girlfriend was the only woman on board aside two female staff members. The cabin could have been cleaner, but it wasn't bad, and the beds are actually quite comfortable; the shower hot and well-funnctioning. There are no towels.
Food / drinks:
We did at least not see the small shop other people have mentioned (and I believe it's not operating any longer), so stock up on snacks and water before coming to the port. There is a waiting room with A/C, electricity, restrooms and simple pallets to lie on. At least on board the Azerbaijan, food is served three times a day (plus tea time), but at specific times only. Since we arrived on the boat late, there was no dinner or anything, so calculate with some extra snacks. The friendly kitchen staff serve tea, coke and fanta, but also at specific times only, so we were happy to have brought some water of our own. The food was simple but good.
Customs / migration:
On the Azeri side, we had to answer some questions about our stay in Armenia, but the border guards asking us spoke decent English and were generally friendly. They took some photos of our passports and sent them to their colleagues, but after about 15 minutes, we were cleared to go. Customs were easy. They x-rayed our luggage, asked to see the medication we have with us and let us proceed.
Arrival:
Kazakh migration officers board the ship to register pedestrian passengers. They seem not to hand out migration cards any longer. Customs officers were not interested in us; they did not even look at our luggage (possibly because we woke them up when we walked into the building at 4:30 a.m.). Getting away from the port proved the most challenging part of the trip for us. There is no public transport, not even to Kuryk town, and when we arrived, there was virtually no traffic for hitchhiking. So after asking several people, we finally found a soldier who was willing to help and offered to call a taxi for us. Luckily, the driver accepted USD as well - mind you, there is no ATM or exchange office once you leave the port (and we were taken directly to the exit), so perhaps try to get some Tenge from Baku if possible. The port hotel other people mentioned DOES exist, and it even has free WiFi that we could use.
All in all, the ferry ride was one of the highlights on our trip so far and we loved sitting on deck watching the horizon. We saw an incredible sunrise and loved being on board, as it felt almost like a cruise ship with plenty of food and time just to read and relax.
3 x
Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
Thank you very very much for your good information.
My question is: Did you fly into Azerbaidshan by plane or did you use a land border?
As my information is: The land borders are still closed?
My question is: Did you fly into Azerbaidshan by plane or did you use a land border?
As my information is: The land borders are still closed?
0 x
-
2xfiftyliters
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:42 am
- x 2
- x 3
Re: Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
I think we were given the same number to reach out to him. I don't really like sharing personal data like that, but since it's on the forum already, anyways...TheNonFlyingDutchman wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 8:33 amI was told to call on +994 559 999 124 for communication about the boat arrival.
0 x
Re: Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
Alat to Kyruk ferry
20-22 June 2023. Having read various threads we sent a WhatsApp message to +994 50 746 29 62. This number is actually the personal phone of Amil Eminov who is an English speaker who works at the Port office (perhaps the alternative to Vladimir). If he is at work he will respond, however he works shifts so it can be a while. If he does not get back in your timeframe you will need an Azeri speaker to help as the number +994 559 999 124 is for the Port office. If Amil is not there, no one else speaks English (we think). The actual booking process for a ticket is easy. The online form http://public.acsc.az/online/ is in English. In the first drop down box look for passenger at the bottom. The only option available to us was the 4 man berth but once onboard we paid an extra $20 cash to have the two man berth. We had to book the two tickets separately and paid online in dollars which was good (saves our cash).
As Amil was working we were able to send him the online confirmation along with our passport photos. I don’t know the process if he is not there but I imagine it is similar.
We were told the Azerbaijan would be departing the next day - 20 June (we thought this was likely as the marine tracking app showed it was arriving in Alat soon). We were told to be at the port for 8am so caught a Bolt (30 manat) from the centre. If you decide to travel by bus you will need to walk the last few km from the main road to the port office (or get a local taxi).
On arrival we went to the ASCO Kassa (left hand grey building before the barrier). Here Amil gave us our paper tickets and said it would be a couple of hours. We then went to a waiting room for a couple of hours before our bag was search (vodka removed - chit given but once on board our vodka had disappeared - therefore I wouldn’t bother buying any). After this we went through to the main waiting area in a fenced off zone. There were four other “tourists” also going on the same boat. Time passed with no information. We played a card game of Mapimoes but had to do so on a specific table and were not allowed to gamble - the table was under camera observation. I do not know if a normal pack of cars would have been permitted. There was a water dispenser in the room.
At 6.30pm, we had still not had any updates (one person spoke Russian and could ask the staff) so I sent a WhatsApp to Amil. He told us the weather was bad and so the ship was not leaving. We did not realise that we could have left the waiting room to go to the little market but there was very little there - our supper was bread and jam. We also spoke to one of the security guards to ask if we would be on the boat that night. He said he would tell us at 11pm. We thought we might have to sleep on the simple “beds” (no bedding) but at 10pm we were told we could board the boat. It took an hour for the six of us to go through customs as they were very thorough. We had been to Armenia and had to list all our destinations in the country. A friendly worker who speaks some English was asked to be translator. However we were allowed through and got to the boat. Here we were given our cabins and went to sleep. The cabins in this boat are good with an ensuite shower with good hot water. The four berth cabins comprised of two bunk beds and a chair.
Breakfast is at 7.30am. It is two hard boiled eggs, cheese and a packet of jam and butter. The bread gets slowly staler over the journey. Lunch is soup and pasta, fermented vegetables and bread. Dinner is the same soup and chicken and fried potatoes. There is a water dispenser.
We eventually left at 2.30pm on 21 June. The crossing was smooth. We arrived in Kyruk at 1.30pm Kazak time the next day. The customs officers came on board but we had to wait until they had processed the crew and then we went by mini bus to the customs office. This was quick and they would have rung for a taxi however we had got our Russian speaking friend to sort one out already.
The taxi took us to the train station as we saw there were trains to Beyneu that afternoon. The station is some way out from Aktau centre. We took the 17.48 train that arrived in Beyneu just before midnight. (It continues to Almaty). We stayed in a fairly good hotel that cost 10000 manat for a room. (Gostinitsa Beyneu, which can be contacted by WhatsApp from the number on Google to organise a room).
20-22 June 2023. Having read various threads we sent a WhatsApp message to +994 50 746 29 62. This number is actually the personal phone of Amil Eminov who is an English speaker who works at the Port office (perhaps the alternative to Vladimir). If he is at work he will respond, however he works shifts so it can be a while. If he does not get back in your timeframe you will need an Azeri speaker to help as the number +994 559 999 124 is for the Port office. If Amil is not there, no one else speaks English (we think). The actual booking process for a ticket is easy. The online form http://public.acsc.az/online/ is in English. In the first drop down box look for passenger at the bottom. The only option available to us was the 4 man berth but once onboard we paid an extra $20 cash to have the two man berth. We had to book the two tickets separately and paid online in dollars which was good (saves our cash).
As Amil was working we were able to send him the online confirmation along with our passport photos. I don’t know the process if he is not there but I imagine it is similar.
We were told the Azerbaijan would be departing the next day - 20 June (we thought this was likely as the marine tracking app showed it was arriving in Alat soon). We were told to be at the port for 8am so caught a Bolt (30 manat) from the centre. If you decide to travel by bus you will need to walk the last few km from the main road to the port office (or get a local taxi).
On arrival we went to the ASCO Kassa (left hand grey building before the barrier). Here Amil gave us our paper tickets and said it would be a couple of hours. We then went to a waiting room for a couple of hours before our bag was search (vodka removed - chit given but once on board our vodka had disappeared - therefore I wouldn’t bother buying any). After this we went through to the main waiting area in a fenced off zone. There were four other “tourists” also going on the same boat. Time passed with no information. We played a card game of Mapimoes but had to do so on a specific table and were not allowed to gamble - the table was under camera observation. I do not know if a normal pack of cars would have been permitted. There was a water dispenser in the room.
At 6.30pm, we had still not had any updates (one person spoke Russian and could ask the staff) so I sent a WhatsApp to Amil. He told us the weather was bad and so the ship was not leaving. We did not realise that we could have left the waiting room to go to the little market but there was very little there - our supper was bread and jam. We also spoke to one of the security guards to ask if we would be on the boat that night. He said he would tell us at 11pm. We thought we might have to sleep on the simple “beds” (no bedding) but at 10pm we were told we could board the boat. It took an hour for the six of us to go through customs as they were very thorough. We had been to Armenia and had to list all our destinations in the country. A friendly worker who speaks some English was asked to be translator. However we were allowed through and got to the boat. Here we were given our cabins and went to sleep. The cabins in this boat are good with an ensuite shower with good hot water. The four berth cabins comprised of two bunk beds and a chair.
Breakfast is at 7.30am. It is two hard boiled eggs, cheese and a packet of jam and butter. The bread gets slowly staler over the journey. Lunch is soup and pasta, fermented vegetables and bread. Dinner is the same soup and chicken and fried potatoes. There is a water dispenser.
We eventually left at 2.30pm on 21 June. The crossing was smooth. We arrived in Kyruk at 1.30pm Kazak time the next day. The customs officers came on board but we had to wait until they had processed the crew and then we went by mini bus to the customs office. This was quick and they would have rung for a taxi however we had got our Russian speaking friend to sort one out already.
The taxi took us to the train station as we saw there were trains to Beyneu that afternoon. The station is some way out from Aktau centre. We took the 17.48 train that arrived in Beyneu just before midnight. (It continues to Almaty). We stayed in a fairly good hotel that cost 10000 manat for a room. (Gostinitsa Beyneu, which can be contacted by WhatsApp from the number on Google to organise a room).
2 x
Re: Caspian sea ferry updates & questions
I'm currently at the port in Alat waiting for the next ferry. I spent a night at the hotel, and gave them some advice on visibility online. They agreed and were very thankful, so now there's a TripAdvisor page for them where it's also possible to get in touch! I think they will also start appearing on Google Maps soon, it just takes some time.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/PortHotelAlat
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/PortHotelAlat
1 x
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
- 14 Replies
- 20116 Views
-
Last post by MarcoInnocenti
-
- 1 Replies
- 2767 Views
-
Last post by steven
-
- 4 Replies
- 2000 Views
-
Last post by mazeno
-
- 5 Replies
- 4708 Views
-
Last post by Forest
-
- 26 Replies
- 1975 Views
-
Last post by Giles