Alat passenger & car ferry port for Aktau and Turkmenbashi | Vehicle Shipping

From Alat to Kuryk
We arrived at 7:00pm in the port. First we bought ferry ticket in a ticket office just before entering the port gate. USD 520 for our car and two passengers in double cabin. There is a bank across the ticket offers where you pay. Then we entered the port and paid USD 40 in port fees - we were asked to pay the port fees in the same bank. There is a new waiting building just inside the port gate with toilet facilities, seating and some sleeping loungers. They will let you know when you need to go to customs/passport control. We paid USD 10 for parking at the waiting building. Customs/passport took a small hour including waiting in line inside a customs house to the left. They also did a medium check of car content. They asked to see any alcohol and knives. After this we went to X-ray of our travel bags (like in an airport) and we’re asked to park just next to the X-ray building until ferry loading. We waited 7 hours there until we could embark the ferry Dagistan at 5:00am. Departure 11:30am for a 24 hour sailing followed by 17 hours at anchor waiting for a space to free up in Kuryk cargo port. Finally we docked at the port at 7:00am. All in all, 49 hours on the ship - so bring a book.

Report Check-In

Experience of trip from Alat to Turkmenbashi with bicycles

We understood via fluent Russian that prices for Turkmenbashi are as follows:
$60 pp for an Azerbaijan flagged ferry, apparently less comfortable and can take 18 hours
$125 foreigner price per person for Turkmen vessel, apparently more comfortable and 10-12 hours ($55 for locals)

Turkmenistan ticket office is at the entry to the port itself, the Azerbaijan one is through the gate, first right and then past the truck car park to the containers the other side of the rail tracks. It's the container marked ASCO.

We picked the Turkmenistan ferry 'Bagtyyar' as it was leaving that evening, even at the port it was impossible to get reliable information about when the next Azeri ship would leave. The Asco ticket office was shut and none of the phone numbers worked. Appears to be an Atm there too.

There's a cafe which serves decent food halfway to the asco office.

We had 2 basic Soviet style meals on the boat, think plastic wrapped sausage, salted cucumber, unappetising bread rolls. No shop on board, so stock up at the small shop in the port before.

We didn't book a cabin, but think it might be $55 extra. There was plenty of space for us to put our camping mattresses on 3 chairs and have an acceptable night's sleep.

Customs on the other side took a long time. Transit visa cost a whopping $105. We left Alat around 10pm and got through customs about 3pm the next day.

It's not far to the train station on the other side, but quite far to the bazaar where you can change money. We got someone to take one of us in a taxi to help us change money at a rate of 17.4. The ticket office in the train station only accepts manat. In the end we gave 100 manat each to a conductor for an 1800 departure who put us in a 2 bed cabin and let us put our bikes at the end of the carriage.

Report Check-In

The boat leaves only when there is little wind !! Check the wind before coming in Alat and come 1 day before the little wind to get your ticket !
The waiting at the port is well organized. There is a large air-conditioned waiting room with drinking water and clean toilets (everything is free). There are also free showers next to the ticket counter. There is a wifi ask the trucks drivers they know the code. E-Tickets online cost 80 dollars then go to the port to exchange the e-ticket for a REAL ticket for the boat! the purchase at Alat costs 70 dollars (free bicycle). There is a small supermarket with everything you need at the normal price and 2 small restaurants. Good luck !

When you enter in the boat they take your passeport and keep it until kazakstan border control

Report Check-In

Follower signs for international sea harbor 7km earlier

Report Check-In

This place is in wrong location - it is located at 39.97553, 49.43970

Report Check-In

Ferry Alay to Kursk over the sea takes around 25h.

Report Check-In

All are inside the port, containers for ticket, ATM (200$) for motorcycle 110, cabin 70 and port fee tax 20$. Good luck

Report Check-In

ATTENTION!
There is now an online booking system to
buy tickets. We used it and it is easy, works and might be you best chance not to get scammed.
If you are travelling by car you will have to book the car ticket and passenger ticket separately. If you are more than one passenger you will have to go through the system several times. We travelled to Kasachstan in a VW T4 Transporter, 4,7m length. This is classified as a motor vehicle. The price for all motor vehicles is 300$. Do not pay more. There is also a category minibus/van which is measured by meter. We checked with the officials of the company via email. The cut off for a motor vehicle is 4,95m ! Do not pay more if your car is below this length! Bicycles are FREE. Do not pay for them at the port.
The passenger ticket online is 80$ per person. We got a double room with en suite toilet and shower (however they didn't work).

Unfortunately you will still have to register and exchange your online ticket for a paper ticket at Alat Ferry Port. It will be harder to scam you if you have already paid for online tickets. Also, nobody measured our car. We had a bicycle rack in the back with 2 extra bikes with the total length then exceeding 5m. No one checked. The car was registered at 4m on paper. No one questioned it.
The ONLY extra fee you should be paying is a 40$ Port fee and 12Manat or 7$ parking fee ( that is depending if the guy in charge of this is working). He is also the guy that will wake you up when it is time to board the ferry. There is no such thing as a bridge tax. Do not pay for it.

Know your terms and conditions and you will not get scammed. It is very likely you will get a lot of false information at the port. Only few people really know anything. There are plenty of people speaking decent English. As long as you haven't passed custom you are free to leave at any time. Make sure you have all the paperwork done: exchanged and received your online tickets, registered the car and payed the port fee, before leaving.
Also, note that we started going through custums at 8pm and by
Midnight we were on board and in our beds, being the last ones to board the ferry.

The official number to ring in terms of ferry departure is +994559999124. Ring them twice a day. You can also WhatsApp Almin, he speaks good English as well +994 50 746 29 62.

It seems quite chaotic and inefficient and the waiting time can be long between all steps. Private vehicles are the last to board. Custums were nice. Try to be patient. Bring a book.

We were on board the Mercury-1, an ex Soviet rust bucket. There were 3 showers on board, one of them working, of these one missing a shower head. We got fresh sheets, they were clean. No towels but some people seemed to have gotten some.
Stick with the other tourists. Pair up. Especially female travellers. We were 3 girls in total on the ferry filled by truckers.

We arrived in Kuryk the following day around 5 a.m.
Now you will need some patience, especially if you are coming by vehicle. First our passports got checked and stamped on the ferry. Being the last ones to board the boat we were first to drive out and thought ourselves lucky at first. However, customs made us wait for 3 hrs and let all the 30 lorries pass first. They checked us quite thoroughly.
Next you will need to register and pay for a temporary import tax. This process basically involves signing several papers getting a variety of stamps as well as 7000tenge for a motor vehicle. What may seem a job done in 5min by one person turned into a 2hour process being passed through several people and then staff going on break for 30min in between.
Once you have your stamps and have payed you are free to leave. You can get insurance outside the boarder. There is a guy that will sell it to you. It is also possible to get it in Kuryk which is what we did. 15000tenge for 2 people. Ask a local and they will show you where to go.

Overall it was really not as bad as we thought. Keep your expectations low, stay patient and enjoy the adventure.

Report Check-In

arrived 14:00. at first, a ticket for VW T4 was $680. He told us the prices had changed. We refused and said we only had $550. The price then suddenly became $560. The other tourist with a car payed $600 for 2 people and a normal passenger car. So very strange. Also, no café. You can tank diesel here as well.

At 2:00 (AM) we got woken up and went through customs. Easy. Parked all the way up front, now waiting had gone to 2nd stage. Here, no more market, there were toilets though. At 11:00 we could load onto the boat.

Boat waited for 19 hours before departing. Make sure you pair up with other tourists, especially for women. Girlfriend and another tourist were the only women on deck with 60 other truckers. Food was alright, but made us still hungry. Rooms were clean. Keep in mind that the boat will make some sick. Even in the Caspian there will be waves. It made me sick, at least.

After 20 hours we got woken up at 2:00 (AM, again)
We had to rush out of our bunks for no reason. At 6:00 the police officers came onto the boat, and we had to get the migration card and passports stamped in the captain's office. So other reports of going with a van to the harbor might not be accurate anymore, idk. At 10:00 our car could leave the ship. The process afterwards if even more confusing, but just keep asking the people there. Eventually you have everything you need and you can go.

for any questions please shoot me a message, maybe on Instagram: "oostblokjeom" or on [email protected]

Report Check-In

Office is in the new Harbour. Exit from the highway. The number of the agent has changed: +994559999124

Report Check-In

Some things are changed. The phone number from the ticket office is:
+994559999124, the agent speaks English.
The office is in the new Harbour. Take the exit Baku international Port from the highway. Ask for the container where the agent is.
It was just 45 min. to have all the documents ready. In the bank we paid 640 Dollars for 6 Meter Minibus, 2 Passanger Tickets and double cabin.
In the Bank Container we paid all with Visa Card. Don’t needed Cash Money

Report Check-In

Drive the new road to the entrance gate and ask to be let in, then drive around to the right past the trucks to the temporary sheds near the cranes to where someone will tell you where to park. The ticket office, bank and amenities are there as is a shop. The prices are on the shed and we had to pay for a bus price per metre, harbour fees of $40 dollars and parking fee of 15 manat for our 4x4 motorhome/ truck. Get paperwork done at office and go to bank to pay cash then ticket should be available some time later. Wait for news on sailing. Looks like a new terminal building is being built.

Report Check-In

The actual coordinates for the ticker office are: 39.975333, 49.439649
It is the last container of the row near the roof with checkpoint 2 on it.
You don't have to go to the port in Baku. There is nobody there anymore.
Or you can call this number before you come for info: 00994559999124
So first go get your ticker. 300 dollar for a car, 110 for a motorbike or 80 dollar per meter for a minibus.
I drive a vw t5 witch they see as a minibus so i told it is 4m (it is 4m80, but they didn't check) so i had to pay 320 dollar.
Then you can choose between a 2 or a 4 bed cabin. 70 or 80 dollar.
You have to go pay in the bank in the next container. Only cash but there is a ATM next to it who gives dollars and manat. He also excepts euros.
Then there is the 48 dollar port fee to pay in the third container.
And i also had to pay 12 manat for parking in the port while waiting on the boat.
Then the waiting game starts. They always says maybe tomorrow but also they don't know when the next ship will be.
There is a container with a shop who sells enough for a simple diner. There is also a container with a cafe witch sells cay and ice-cream. He will also make you an egg with sausage if you buy it in the shop. And there is a tv and airco. He also can give you the key to the shower.
There is now waiting room or much place to hide from the sun. You can camp there but there is no grass.
Then if they call you with the van i had to go to the building behind checkpoint 1 where they check the paper when you payed the road taxes when entering the country (not for motorbikes) . Then there is the passport control in the small huts and then they check the van. This was not a very deep check. And the you are off the the ship. This all takes a very long time. 1 Guy has to check everybody's passport, also from the truck drivers .
So they called is to go at 22u then at midnight the bikers and foot passengers where on but i had to wait until the last to get on and that was at 4. We finally left the port at 6 in the morning.
On the ship itself you get a room pointed to you and clean sheets from the lady. The room was clean but it was more like a sauna. Not possible to stay there longer then 10 minutes. There is a shower and some toilets but after a day with 40 truck drivers it smells in there!!! I saw a 2 bed cabin witch had a private shower and also a bunk bed. But maybe worth the extra money. As it was not possible to sleep i side most of the tourist where sleeping outside on the deck.
You get food at 7:30, 11:30 and 19:30. But don't expect much. Some rice with chicken and bread. So maybe bring some cookies. And we really had to go looking for some water. Difficult to find. So bring some as well.
They lock the door to the cars during sailing but will open it if you ask for it. All other doors are open also the the engine room and the bridge.
At 5 the next morning we arrived in Aktau.
First some police comes on the ship and checks you carry on bags. You have to take every thing out the bag. Then off the ship and they take you with a small van to the passport check. Here you also get a small piece of paper witch is your registration card.
Then back to the ship and off. To a parking lot where they check the car. This is a good search. Also with a dog. Then you drive to the parking of the passport control building and go on foot past the gate for the paper work.
First to window 3 where they register the car and bikes. This takes a half hour per car so a lang wait here. Then to window 14 to pick up the papers for the port fee. This was 7200tenge.
There is an atm in the building.
You pay at the post office outside.
When payed you have to take a copy off the receipt you get there. Then to the insurance which is the room right when entering the building. For a car for 15 days i payed 9200tenge.
Then go back to the car and drive close to the gate. At the side of the gate building there is a small office where they write you in the big book and the they take the copy of the receipt. They checked the van again and then i was off!!
I was out of there by 13h. So a long time. There is a small cafe across the road where you can get some cold water.
The whole adventure took me 6 days. But it was "fun" with all the other people who are also going through it with you.
Hope this helps you a little any questions send me a message!!

Report Check-In

As of december 2017 all ferries to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan leave from Alat port and not Baku port. If you want to take yourself and/or your car to Aktau or Turkmenbashi (we went to Aktau) here is the process :
- call Vika +994552665354 who is a nice english speaking lady who will tell you when the next ferry leaves. There is no set up schedule and even if Vika tells you a boat is supposed to leave it still may be delayed by a few days. Just go to the port when Vika tells you to
-go to Alat port, drive thru security check point, they will check car and documents, drive down to parking lots where all the trucks are parked. DO NOT GO THRU CUSTOMS YET
-to the left of customs gate you will see white containers behind a fence. they are ticket office, supermarket, cafe, atm and police station. Buy ticket at ticket office for passengers and car (was 80$pp for 2 people cabin and 300$ for passenger car). He will give you a slip that you pay at the bank next door.
-The ticket office person might be able to give you more informations on when the boat leaves. In our case it left 2 days after supposed departure. We slept in our car on the parking lot, there is no hotel until Baku. Small cafe will heat up food that you buy at supermarket
-after buying your ticket there is also a 12$ bridge fee to be paid at the port office container next to ticket office
-in theory before you have gone thru customs you can leave the parking lot. we did on the first day because they said the boat would not leave until that night or next morning. we went to have lunch in alat town, did some snack shopping for the boat and visited mud volcanoes. On the boat you will have 3 meals, a 4pm snack and unlimited tea and water. But if you want additional snacks or alcohol bring it with you. Vegeterians should bring their own food.
-once boat is here, they load all big trucks first. They woke us up at 4am, we then went thru customs and we loaded the car at 9am.
-our boat left at 2pm that day but we were anchored in the bay outside baku for 2 days because of bad winds ahead.
-we then crossed and anchored again for 2 days in Kendirly bay by Kazak shores.
-in total the trip took 6 and a half days (2 days on port parking lot and 4.5 days on boat). From what we have heard this is pretty normal. But nice private cabin with shower, we liked the food, electricity outlets so watched many movies, staff is really nice and you should drop by and say hello to captain he likes visitors, took long strolls on deck as weather was beautiful. If you speak a little russian you will make freinds (especially if you brought alcohol with you). Our boat was Professor Gul, very clean and nice.
-once on Kazak side, officers will come on boat and go thru your carry on baggage. Then you leave car behind and go for passport control. After passport control you will go get car and they will do a thorough inspections. Note Kazak website says you are allowed 3 liters alcohol per person but Kazak border guys said 1 liter per vehicle.
-after inspection drive your car to customs office and get following documents : 1 customs declaration for car, 2 pay a port fee of 6500 tenge and get a stamped receipt from bank outside, 3 insurance 13500 tenge for 1 month, 4 you will then need the port fee paper stamped a second time when you exit. There is a bank machine but it ran out of money so bring us dollars. This process also took us a long time around 6 hours between people on lunch breaks, different stamps, back and forth.

ENJOY !!!! and dont hesitate to write to us if you have questions @jadetongcuong on instagram

Report Check-In