I’ve always assumed that, as Metro’s picture editor and no slouch around a camera, I could capture most scenery in a photograph and do it justice. But standing in the middle of the desert – a vast, Mars-like landscape stretching out around me for as far as the eye can see – I have to admit that no images can properly capture the jaw-dropping majesty of Kazakhstan.

The country is the ninth-biggest in the world and the Mangystau Region features the most spectacular landscapes I’ve ever seen. But there’s so much more to this adrenaline-busting three-day trip. I discover a destination packed with adventure, culture that connects you to local lives, and the warmest of welcomes you could ever hope for.

Our trip starts on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea at Aktau, which was built in 1963 as a uranium-mining town. The oldest building is the Hotel Aktau and the city is a clear reminder of modern cold war history. We’re staying there at the Rixos Water World Resort, but our local guide tells us 
proudly that the beaches 100km to the south on the Caspian coastline have clear water with fine white sand.

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