Karakalpakstan travel guide. Holiday advice and travel information to this autonomous Central Asian republic, featuring heritage attractions (museums, desert fortresses, mausolea, ancient settlements), ecotourism, wildlife, festivals, accommodation, restaurants and transport. Thorough coverage includes Nukus, Ancient Khorezm, Ustyurt, Aral Sea, the Aralkum desert, Chilpik Dakhma and Amu Darya. AUTHORS: Sophie Ibbotson (www.maximumexposure.co) read Oriental Studies at Clare College, Cambridge, and has a particular interest in Central Asia and Afghanistan, where she has worked since 2008. She has travelled extensively in Karakalpakstan, establishing strong relationships with local government figures, international organisations and tourism businesses. An experienced travel writer, Ibbotson is the author or co-author of six Bradt guides, including two others to Central Asia (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), and has also written for publications such as The Financial Times, The Economist and The Telegraph. As well as being the Uzbekistan government's Tourism Ambassador to the UK, Ibbotson is the founder of Maximum Exposure Ltd (a tourism and culture development consultancy focused on emerging destinations), the co-founder and publisher of Panorama: The Journal of Intelligent Travel, a consultant for the World Bank, and Chairman of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs. Stephanie Adams is a bilingual (English and Russian) writer and researcher who has lived and studied in Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Having graduated from Plymouth University with a degree in English and Publishing, she works for Maximum Exposure, a tourism development consultancy and PR firm specialising in Central Asia. Her travel writing has been published in outlets including Asian Geographic, TNT Magazine, and The Travel Magazine, and she also contributed to two Bradt guidebooks to Central Asian countries: Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.