Distance
Distance of the tourist route: 72 km one way (Basshi village - Aktau mountains, the route is marked in red on the map).
Basshi village → 28 km → Kosbastau post → 10 km → Zhagalbaily post → 34 km → Aktau mountains → 25 km → Katutau mountains → 47 km → Basshi village.
Aktau Mountains: Ancient Ocean Bottom
The farthest tourist route in the Altyn-Emel National Park is the road to the Aktau mountains.
The Aktau mountain range was the bottom of a huge ancient lake (according to one version, of the ancient Tethys ocean), which once filled the Ili depression.
Sedimentary rocks of various colors have formed beautiful gorges and canyons here over time. Against the background of the endless desert, the multi-colored Aktau mountains look like a picturesque scenery for a fantastic film, with their alien landscape.
Not far from Aktau there are other desert mountains, Katutau. They amaze with the bizarre shapes of the lava frozen after powerful volcanic eruptions here.
On the way to Aktau and Katutau, you can stop by the Kosbastau post. In this green oasis in the midst of the desert, there grow relict trees of turanga and huge several hundred years old willows.
Places to Visit
The cretaceous mountains of Aktau ("white mountains") are one of the main attractions of Altyn-Emel.
This is a unique natural open-air geological museum about 400 million years old, thick sedimentary deposits of an ancient ocean in the form of banded rocks of various colors: green, red, blue and white.
Aktau MountainsThe volcanic mountains of Katutau ("severe mountains", "frozen mountains") are the most extensive and highest desert mountains of Altyn-Emel.
There is a large extinct volcano here. The products of its powerful eruptions occupied a large area and subsequently eroded, taking on bizarre shapes. You can still see the remains of the frozen lava here.
Katutau MountainsThe sacred 700-year-old willow, 20 meters high and 15 meters girth of the trunk, is the main attraction of the Kosbastau post, a green oasis in the middle of the Altyn-Emel desert.
The longevity of the willow and other old-timers is explained by warm underground springs with healing radon water, which, according to medical indicators, is in no way inferior to the famous Saryagash water in the south of Kazakhstan.
700-Year-Old WillowAlert
- The park is open for visiting only during the daytime, during daylight hours.
- The permit is issued either remotely or at the national park office in the village of Basshi.
- There is almost no mobile communication in the park and the Internet does not work.
- The road along Route 3 is gravely soil (chatter bumps), causing strong vibration. The road is dusty. The section of the road to the Katutau Mountains is the worst and is rarely graded.
- In the Aktau mountains you can spend the night and camp in your own tents (you must warn the national park employees about this when purchasing a permit). There are no water sources at all in this place.
Car Rental
There is no public transport to Altyn-Emel. You can only get to the national park by your own or rented car.
You can rent a car in Kazakhstan using the Economy Bookings and Rentalcars services which unite the largest brands of the car rental industry around the world. Many of them have their locations in Kazakhstan, so you can choose a suitable car for your trips at the best prices. It is easy, convenient and reliable.
NB: Please book a car in advance, then you will have more choice than in the high season. Also please note that car rental prices are constantly increasing.
