Tour 2 days to Altyn-Emel Natural Park:

Singing Dune, Aktau and Katutau mountains, 700-year-old Willow

Altyn Emel: Tour Details

🍴 Food on-site – Cafes, lunch box on the first day (for extra payment).

🕒 Time – 2 days. Distance 700 km both way / 3 h walking (level – easy).

🌞 Weather is seasonal, and temperature range from + 45˚C to – 15 ˚C. We suggest wearing layers.

💲 Tour Price – Standard tour (vehicle/guide) – from

240 000 tenge

💲 Extra payment – meals, accommodation, fees


✔ Any tour can be changed according to your wishes

Day 1 - 08:00
Day 1 - 08:00
Departure from Almaty
The road to the first point will take 250 km. On the way, we will pass the Kapchagay reservoir, Arkharly pass, and Altyn Emel.
12.00
12.00
Arrival in the village of Basshi.
We buy entrance tickets to the national park, have lunch and go to the Aktau mountains.
14.00
14.00
Transfer to Aktau Mountains, Katutau, and 700-year - old Willow.
The guide will show the most picturesque places in the Aktau mountains, which will not leave anyone indifferent.
19.00
19.00
Return to Bashi village
Check-in at the hotel, dinner.
Day 2 - 9.00
Day 2 - 9.00
Departure to the Singing Dune.
After breakfast, we have to move to the Singing Dune (40 km) off-road, on the way you can meet - gazelles, goitered gazelles, foxes, hares.
10.30 
10.30 
Walk along to the Dunes.
The guide will reveal the secret of the Singing Dune.
13.00
13.00
Return to Bashi.
Lunch and departure to Almaty.
17.30 
17.30 
Return back to Almaty.
After lunch, we drive back to Almaty. The guide will drive you back to the hotel.

Altyn Emel - Singing Dune, Aktau mountains and

700-year-old Willow

Altyn Emel National Park is a nature park in Almaty region.

Its most famous locations are the Singing Dune, named for the sounds it makes in windy weather.
Mountains of Aktau - White Mountains - incredible landscapes that just shock the imagination with colors and shapes, from white, like chalk, to layered red - orange colors.
The 700-year-old Willow, which according to legend is older than many cities. And also the Katutau Mountains (Katytau) - bizarrely shaped magmatic rocks of red color.

Historical attractions - the complex "Bes Shatyr", represented by ancient Sak barrows.
There are various representatives of fauna in Altyn Emel: gazelles, hares, gazelles and birds.
Altyn Emel National Natural Park is around 270 kilometers from Almaty. The path to it passes by the Kapchagai Reservoir.

The road to the park's locations - Singing Dune, Willow and the Aktau and Katytau Mountains - runs along a country road, so it is more comfortable and safe to get there in four-wheel drive off-road vehicles.
The area of Altyn Emel National Park is over 307 thousand hectares, on one side it is bounded by the Ili River, on the other - by the spurs of the Tien Shan.
The territory of the complex is represented by rubbly, sandy and clay mountain ranges.

Distances between sights are considerable, that's why overnight tour is recommended, although there is an option of 1-day express-tour if you don't want to waste time.
The Altyn Emel Nature Park has several major attractions that are worth visiting:

  • Singing Barkhan,
  • Aktau and Katytau Mountains,
  • 700-year-old Iva,
  • Besshatyr mound complex.

Travels between locations take time, so to fully and comfortably enjoy the views, we advise to go on a tour for 2 days. To spend the night at a hotel in the village of Basshi or in a tent near the 700-year-old Willow-tree to enjoy the views of the starry sky.
The guide will show you the most picturesque places, tell you about the history of the park and its legends, take pictures.
During the tour you can often see representatives of the fauna of Altyn Emel - red-listed gazelles, hares, rodents, eagles and other birds.

Where you can go on a jeep tour:

You can see the reviews at TripAdvisor
Made on
Tilda