Tourist Route 1
Distance: 46 km one way (Basshi village - Singing Dune, the route is marked in yellow on the map).
Route: Basshi village → 6 km → Shygan post → 30 km → Mynbulak post → 10 km → Singing Dune → 2 km → Valikhanov's spring → 7 km → Oshaktas Menhirs → 37 km → Basshi village.
Travel Information
⏳ Duration of the trip: 1-2 days.
☀️ The park is open to visitors only during the daytime. Traveling within the park is prohibited after dark.
🔛 Distance from Almaty to the beginning of the route (Basshi village): about 250 km one way.
🔛 Distance from the Kolsai Lakes to the Basshi village: about 330 km one way.
🔛 Distance from the Charyn Canyon to the Basshi village: about 220 km one way.
🔛 Distance inside the park: about 50 km one way.
🚙 The main part of the route from Almaty is a toll highway. The road to Basshi is paved, including the serpentine road at the Altyn-Emel mountain pass. The Zharkent highway is asphalted. The roads inside the park are unpaved, with chatter bumps, dusty, cause strong vibration. A reliable 4x4 or crossover with tires suitable for unpaved roads is a must.
⛽ Good gas stations nearby are in the village of Saryozek and the village of Chundzha (with payment by card). Near the village of Basshi there is one very old gas station, which sometimes does not have fuel.
🏧 There are no ATMs in the park or nearby; the nearest ATMs are in Konaev, Zharkent, Saryozek, and Chundzha.
⛺ Overnight stays and camping near the Singing Dune are prohibited. The nearest camping site is the Mynbulak post, 10 km from the dune. There are toilets and gazebos near the Singing Dune.
🏡 You can stay overnight in the village of Basshi.
🍽️ There is no cafe in the village of Basshi; tourists usually take snacks with them from the city or have food at the hotel where they stay overnight.
📶 There is almost no mobile phone coverage and no Internet service inside the park. The village of Basshi has good network coverage and 4G Internet.
⛔ Passage through the park to the Besshatyr Mounds is prohibited. Travel to the Singing Dune is possible only through the Basshi village.
📝 You can buy a pass/permit in the Basshi village.
Places to See
On the way from Almaty:
You will pass through the city of Konaev with its casinos, the Ili River at its widest point where it flows out of the Kapchagai Lake, and along the banks of Kapchagai, as well as the picturesque Arkharly and Altyn-Emel mountain passes.
In the Altyn-Emel Park:
The road to the Singing Dune passes through the steppe with views of the Dzhungarian Alatau, Katutau and Kalkans Mountains.
Along the way there will be the Shygan and Mynbulak posts, Valikhanov's spring, turanga groves, Oshaktas Menhirs, and the “Dinosaur Trail” (infoboards).
The most commonly seen animals are gazelles, kulans, foxes, and hares. At the Shygan post, you can ask the ranger for permission to see the pen where Przewalski’s horses are kept.
From the top of the Singing Dune there is a view of the Ili River and the mountains on all sides (Kalkans which surround the Singing Dune; Dzhungarian Alatau in the distance in the north; Sogety, Bogety, Zaili Alatau in the south across the river). Climbing the dune is not difficult.
Don’t lose your mobile phones in the sand of the Singing Dune and read the Travel Advisory.
