Caspian sea ferry updates & questions

[RFM2027]

Hello guys! I'm going to visit Azerbaijan the 1st week . . .

How you go to AZ, by plane ?

Yes, from Doha to Baku. Are you Russian？

[Lagerfeld]

. . . Are you Russian？

No, I'm German, with family in Kazakhstan.
And I wait for a chance to bring my camp mobil from Europe to Central Asia, if possible to avoid Russia, because the visa is about 400 €.

[sashito]

After 25 days, we left Azerbaijan by ship. I describe our experiences on my blog. Everything was totally relaxed.

The only thing that significantly distinguishes this ferry trip from other trips is that there are no set departure times. There are two ships, the "Azerbaijan" and the "Zarifa Aliyeva," that travel the route and only depart when they are full. That's it. You can either deal with this with a lot of patience and perseverance, or you can monitor the ship arrival times on the shipping company's website, factor in the possible loading time of 4-8 hours, and thus save yourself the biggest chunk of waiting time.

https://vivaperipheria.de/2025/05/10/ku ... asachstan/

[JBack]

H there Steven - really hope you are well ! Maybe one day you will stay with us again:)!

I have read all the info but still unsure .
Could anyone share how to get from Baku Azerbaijan to Aktau Kazakhstan
We would like to avoid borders with Russia
So many are closed and worried others will do the same
It seems one can leave AZ but not enter by car

We would like to find a way to get from Georgia to AZ Bakub to Aktau in Kazakhstan to Mongolia .
Is this possible . We are travelling overland from UK to Mongolia - or rather , trying to .

[steven]

H there Steven - really hope you are well ! Maybe one day you will stay with us again:)!

I have read all the info but still unsure .
Could anyone share how to get from Baku Azerbaijan to Aktau Kazakhstan
We would like to avoid borders with Russia
So many are closed and worried others will do the same
It seems one can leave AZ but not enter by car

We would like to find a way to get from Georgia to AZ Bakub to Aktau in Kazakhstan to Mongolia .
Is this possible . We are travelling overland from UK to Mongolia - or rather , trying to .

I am here. Easiest way is to import your car from Tbilisi to Baku and then take the ferry. It's fairly well explained now:
Importing the car: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=23483
Taking the boat: https://caravanistan.com/transport/caspian-sea-ferry/

Still a bit confusing, I know, but that's about as easy I can make it. In short, it's possible.

[patricktherat]

After 25 days, we left Azerbaijan by ship. I describe our experiences on my blog. Everything was totally relaxed.

The only thing that significantly distinguishes this ferry trip from other trips is that there are no set departure times. There are two ships, the "Azerbaijan" and the "Zarifa Aliyeva," that travel the route and only depart when they are full. That's it. You can either deal with this with a lot of patience and perseverance, or you can monitor the ship arrival times on the shipping company's website, factor in the possible loading time of 4-8 hours, and thus save yourself the biggest chunk of waiting time.

https://vivaperipheria.de/2025/05/10/ku ... asachstan/

I read your full blog post but I’m curious, how long did you wait from the time you were ready to leave? I know it depends on when the ferry is filled, but I’m wondering these days if that works out to once a day, once every three days, etc.

[sashito]

We wait approx 3 hours on the waiting room and again 3 hours on the ship until it set off.

[RFM2027]

Hi guys! I have been back for 2 weeks. Caspian sea is really pretty！I won't say my ferry trip is wonderful. But it is definitely unforgettable！I’d like to take this kind of ferry once more. But maybe Lake Victoria,Lake Baikal,Great Lakes.
I arrived at Alat port nearly 1:30 pm June 1st. I took bus 125,195 from Baku to the anchor. I got on the bus almost 11:40 am. After I got my ticket , it was nearly 2pm. I thought I could get on the ship Nakhichevan because the web said it bridge. Sadly the ticket official told me it wouldn't take passengers. I had to wait for MERCURY and it would arrived 9 pm. I met many Turkmenistan people and 1 British guy, 3 Aussie guys when I stayed in the waiting room.
One port security guy told us to get ready almost 6 am the next day. We finally got on board nearly 7 am. Our ship left the port 3 pm June 2nd. My British roomate told by the chef that our ship had to stay at the tip of Apsherun Peninsula for 2 days to keep safe. There would be huage waves and strong winds for 2 days.We finally arrived at kuryk port 12:30pm June 5th. Our taxi driver got us in Aktau nearly 3pm June 5th

[NgocNguyen]

Hi everyone,
We are curious on the reverse way from Kazakhstan to Azerbaizan, can we enter Azerbaizan at Alat port with e-visa, Vietnamese passport holders?
Any one has experienced this route, please share. This is really appreciated. Many thanks.

[Lagerfeld]

As I know and as I heard are all borders to go to AZ closed - except by air.
I don't know if something changed during the last month's ?