Winter in Altyn-Emel

The main attractions of the Altyn-Emel National Park, the Singing Dune and the Aktau mountains, can be visited in winter, in clear weather with little snow. This option is especially suitable for those who cannot tolerate hot climates.

Of course, you won’t be able to hear the sound of the Singing Dune in winter, and strong winds usually blow on its tops in winter, but if you wear warm, windproof clothes, you can take unique pictures of the desert in the rays of the dim winter sun against the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains of Dzhungarian Alatau.

The Aktau mountains offer a long hiking route through narrow canyons. In winter you can walk there for a long time without fear of overheating and sunstroke. The mountains are practically never covered with snow, and the colorful canyons are beautiful at any time of the year.

A small amount of precipitation and a thin layer of snow in the Altyn-Emel Park creates favorable conditions for the wintering of wild animals, such as argali and goitered gazelles, which usually graze in the snow-covered areas of the foothills and mountains of Kalkans, Matai, Degeres and Sholak.

The road to the park through sleeping winter valleys and the Altyn-Emel mountain pass can be very picturesque against the backdrop of the sparkling snows of Dzhungarian Alatau.

There may be ice on the roads inside the park in winter; please check the road conditions with the park office and look up the weather on the Internet (check the Basshi village).

You can stay overnight at a hotel or guesthouse in Basshi.

Hotels and Guesthouses in the Altyn-Emel Park >>>