Activities

The Singing Dune is the most popular attraction of Altyn-Emel, with a magnificent view of the desert, the Ili River and the ridges of the Kalkans and Dzhungarian Alatau Mountains.

Climbing up the dune will be no trouble, and the soft sand will massage your feet if you walk barefoot. In dry windy weather, you can hear the low hum of the dune. The same sound is heard if you move your foot down the sand or slide down the dune.

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Millions of years ago the Aktau Mountains were the bottom of an ancient ocean, and now it is one of the main natural attractions of Altyn-Emel.

You can only walk on foot or ride a bicycle among the multi-colored layered rocks (motorcycles, ATVs are not permitted inside the canyon).

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The Katutau Mountains are the largest and highest massif of desert mountains in Altyn-Emel.

The Katutau mountains are the remnants of an ancient volcano eruption. The frozen lava has formed bizarre shapes. Katutau is usually visited on the way to the Aktau mountains or on the way back.

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In Altyn-Emel you can take the most impressive large-scale photographs of alien landscapes and see in full all the amazing beauty of the Singing Dune, and the colorful Aktau and Katutau Mountains.

It is also notable that these mountains are subject to intense erosion and destruction, and it will take relatively little time in geological terms for this beauty to disappear from the face of the earth.

Even without a drone, you can enjoy a stunning panorama of the multicolored Aktau massif from the top of the mountain ridge.

The route here is quite winding and runs through the "Heart of the Mountain" and the Red and White Gorges.

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The Kosbastau Oasis in Altyn-Emel is notable for its very old trees, one of which has been alive for over 700 years thanks to a warm underground spring.

Since ancient times, the cult of old trees has been widespread in Central Asia; they are considered sacred and must not be harmed in any way. Don't miss the opportunity to ask the 700-year-old willow to fulfill your deepest wish.

There is also a picturesque pond and an open radon spring, where water gushes from the depths of the earth year-round, very warm even in winter.

The vast territory of the Altyn-Emel National Park is an ideal destination for cyclists and motorcycle tourists.

You can take a rest from the road in the village of Basshi.

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The Altyn-Emel National Park is home to about forty per cent of all Kazakhstani fauna, including rare endangered species of animals and birds.

The most common species are swift-footed goitered gazelles and kulans, and in the sands of the Singing Dune, nimble lizards.

Altyn-Emel is one of the best places for birdwatching (there are about 300 bird species here).

Here you can meet the Himalayan vulture, the largest bird of the Old World, and many migratory species that stop here for feeding, returning from warm southern countries.

Many endemic plant species can be found in Altyn-Emel. They grow only here and in the surrounding areas.

In spring, you can observe the beautiful flowering of desert plants.

Artificial lighting in cities hides the night sky completely from our eyes. Natural darkness and nature's silence have become a valuable rarity these days.

Altyn-Emel with its purest transparent air is one of the few places where you can take a break from the harmful city noise and light pollution. You can stay overnight in the national park or in the Basshi village where you can rent a telescope to admire the scattering of stars in the night sky without interference.

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One of the main historical and cultural attractions of Altyn-Emel is the royal burial mounds of Besshatyr, dating back to the 1st millennium BC.

Large, medium and small tombs were erected for leaders, commanders and nobility of the nomadic tribe of Saka Tigrakhauda, who lived on the territory of Semirechye (Jetysu, Seven Rivers) about 2.5 thousand years ago. The Besshatyr necropolis also served as a place for religious ceremonies.

Rock art was part of ancient cults during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Animals, people, hunting scenes, everyday life, and rituals were depicted on patina-covered rocks and stones.

The most famous cluster of petroglyphs in Altyn-Emel is Tanbaly Tas, near the Besshatyr Mounds.

Petroglyphs are also found in other gorges and foothills of the Dzhungarian Alatau, some of which are quite large.