Alert
It is not recommended to drive along the roads of the Altyn-Emel park in cars designed for asphalt roads (sedans, hatchbacks). Driving along the park's roads causes strong vibration and shaking. This can significantly diminish vehicle's life or lead to unscrewing and loss of parts, or a breakdown in the steppe.
If you are going to drive on the roads of the park, make sure that your car is equipped with a spare wheel, jack, wheel wrench, pump, wheel repair kit. The tires should be in a good condition.
It is also necessary to have enough water for one day. A breakdown in the steppe can be dangerous.
Car Rental
The road to the village of Basshi is asphalted, both from Almaty and from Charyn Canyon. You can come to Basshi by a regular car. Find below services for booking economical and reliable cars for travel around the region.
The dirt roads inside the park are with chatter bumps and cause strong vibration. You can leave your car in Basshi and use the transfer services around the park on a legendary Pinzgauer cross-country vehicle.
Roads in the Altyn-Emel Park
Inside the park, the dirt roads are with chatter bumps, or "washboarding", which, unfortunately, damages vehicles. The total length of the network of unpaved roads from the village of Basshi through the territory of the Altyn-Emel National Park is about 450 km.
Inside the Altyn-Emel park, the road is paved only from the village of Basshi to the villages of Nurym and Aktobe, the length of this section is about 16 km.
A through passage in the national park is prohibited, from the Degeres mountains (Besshatyr mounds) to the Kalkans mountains (Singing Dune), where kulans, gazelles and other animals migrate from the mountains to watering places on the Ili river.
The road to the Altyn-Emel National Park goes along the Almaty-Konaev-Saryozek highway through the Arkharly mountain pass (toll road).
Then, from the village of Saryozek towards the city of Zharkent through the Altyn-Emel mountain pass there is a single-lane asphalt road.
After descending from the Altyn-Emel pass, turn to the right right towards the village of Basshi (asphalt road), where the central office of the Altyn-Emel National Park is located.
Almaty - Kapchagai (Konaev) Road
The Almaty-Kapchagai two-lane toll highway passes through the "city of entertainment" Kapchagai (now Konaev), with casinos, cafes and a museum of retro cars. The road leads on through the Kapchagai bridge with picturesque views of the Ili river, then along the Kapchagai reservoir and through the Arkharly pass.
Saryozek - Basshi Road
The road after the village of Saryozek to the village of Basshi (the main entrance to the Altyn-Emel National Park) passes through the picturesque Altyn-Emel mountain pass and has a distance of about 80 kilometers.
Shengeldy - Altyn-Emel Road
After you pass the city of Konaev (Kapchagai), in the middle of the village of Shengeldy, you can turn to the right through the village and drive to the Altyn-Emel National Park to the Besshatyr necropolis via Checkpoint 1 if you have purchased a permit remotely - learn more here >>>
The distance from the village of Shengeldy to Checkpoint 1 is about 20 kilometers.
From the village of Shengeldy to the shore of the Kapchagai reservoir there is an asphalt road in poor condition, then along the shore up to Checkpoint 1 there is a dirt hilly road that requires off-road transport.
Nearby Sights
There are many interesting sights in the vicinity of the Altyn-Emel National Park. These are the Ili river, on the banks of which the Kapchagai mountains, the Nomad Town and the Tamgaly Tas petroglyphs (not to be confused with the Tanbaly Tas petroglyphs in the Altyn-Emel park itself) are located. You can also visit the museum of Chokan Valikhanov and more distant attractions, such as the famous Eshkiolmes petroglyphs, the Zharkent mosque and the sacred Auliye Agash tree.
Ili River
The distance from Almaty to the Basshi village is 250 km. The Ili river is very picturesque in its widest place when driving across it over the bridge between the stone rocks.
Kapchagai Mountains
Just before reaching the bridge, you can turn to the left towards the village of Kazakhstan to enjoy the magnificent view of the rocky Kapchagai mountains cut through by the Ili river.
"Nomad Town" Scenery
On the left bank of the Ili river, at the foot of the Kapchagai mountains, the "Ancient Town" filming set was built for "Nomad", a 2005 Kazakh-French movie based on true historical facts.
Tamgaly Tas Petroglyphs
On the right bank of the Ili river (if you turn to the left behind the bridge), there is Tamgaly Tas, a complex of ancient petroglyphs (including images of Buddha).
Arkharly Petroglyphs
At the Arkharly mountain pass, away from the highway, you can also find petroglyphs in rocky gorges on patinated rocks - a historical monument protected by the state.
Chokan Valikhanov Museum
10 km from Altyn-Emel, in the Shankhanai village (between Saryozek and Basshi), there is a grave and a museum of the great Kazakh scientist Chokan Valikhanov.
Piedmont Valley
Before reaching the Altyn-Emel mountain pass, you can stop for a rest in a picturesque valley with a small lake overlooking the Altyn-Emel ridge of the Dzhungarian Alatau mountains.
Retro Soviet Car Museum
On the way back from Altyn-Emel to Almaty, near the entrance to the city of Konaev, you should definitely visit Tulpar Retro Car Museum with unique expositions of the Soviet era.
Eshkiolmes Petroglyphs
In the Eshkiolmes mountains (Dzhungarian Alatau) one can find the largest cluster of petroglyphs in Kazakhstan included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
Borohudzir Plateau
The Borohudzir highland (Dzhungarian Alatau), the field of the famous battle of Orbulaq between the Kazakh Jangir Khan and the Dzhungars, is a place for summer pastures (jailau).
Tigroid Mountains
On the way from Altyn-Emel to Zharkent you can see the Tigroid mountains, a part of Katutau, but on the other side of the range, with a different type of rocks of an unusual striped color.
Zharkent Mosque
The road to the town of Zharkent, the main attraction of which is the Zharkent mosque built in 1895, runs across the Altyn-Emel park from the village of Basshi.
Auliye Agash Sacred Tree
In the village of Auliyeagash near the town of Zharkent bordering on China, there is a place of pilgrimage, the 700-year-old sacred tree Auliye Agash with a trunk of 6.5 m in girth.
Arba Travel offers accommodation and tourist services in the Altyn-Emel National Park.
We are based in the village of Basshi near the central office of the Altyn-Emel National Park.
We have our own tourist transport and the largest Caravansarai campsite with stationary and mobile caravans, a Kazakh yurt and a spacious guesthouse in a large country estate for comfortable stay in Basshi.
Caravansarai Campsite in Basshi >>>
Please feel free to contact us:
Phone: +77089711687
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