Altyn Emel National Park : From Desert to Mountains…
Hello all,
While you all must be basking under new year sun, still in the hangover of holidays and now already dreaming of Christmas, New Year or Uttarayan, let me ask you a question. Have you ever thought of the endless Rocky Mountains in different shades of red to brown to yellow to grey? Or enormous sand dunes in the middle of nowhere and that to roaring dunes? Yes! I am talking about this large National park in Kazakhstan called the Altyn Emel National Park. This park was established in 1996, and is located on the banks of river Ili. The park includes the Aktau Mountains, Alatau Mountains, Katutau volcanic mountain, Singing dunes, and the Bes Shatyr region. All these landscapes are wonderlands, and you will be amazed by all of them! With a total area of 520,000 ha, it is one of the biggest parks in Kazakhstan. It is not only about landscapes; the park is extraordinarily rich in flora and fauna. We didn’t see any wild animals or birds, but there were plenty!
Places to visit in the park:
SINGING DUNES:
These are also called Aigaikum. This is one of the most fascinating places we have visited. It is like a heap of sand in the middle of nowhere! And not a small one. It is approximately 3 km long and 150 meters high. The total area of the dune is approximately 240 hectares.
The peculiar feature is that when the wind blows in a specific direction, or even if many people are hiking up the dunes, there will be a sound like a lullaby because of sonic vibrations. The sound was supposed to be like that, but we heard a roaring sound like an airplane. It came twice, and we were searching for the plane in the sky. But after that, Shaurya told us that on the information board, it was mentioned that you would hear a sound like the roar of a jet plane.
So, indeed, the sound we heard was from the dunes, and it could be like a roar rather than a sweet song! And we were thrilled that we witnessed (or heard) such a beautiful and thrilling natural phenomenon.
The scientific theory behind the Singing Dunes:
The dunes are formed in the region of the Kishu Kalkan mountains. The mountains were formed around 200 thousand years ago due to tectonic plate movements and gradually wind-deposited layers of sand around 10-12 thousand years ago. The sand does not move in the adjacent plane, whatever the weather conditions. Despite all its fragility, it has been in its position for many thousand years!
According to Professor P.I. Markovsky, dunes have a layer of dry sand and a layer of wet sand under it. When there is a movement in the sand, the upper layer takes the place of the lower one, and there is waviness on the surface, causing vibrations in the wet layer, making a particular sound, and that is the reason we can not hear any sound during rain. Some theories also say that the sound is caused by the compression of air between two layers or by friction between sand grains. This phenomenon occurs in approximately 35 dunes around the world. The quality and intensity of the sound depend on the size of the dunes. Due to their enormous size, the dunes in Altyn Emel Park produce long, intense sounds that can be heard for a few kilometers around the dunes.
Stories behind the dunes:
There are stories behind the dunes also. The people believed that where the devil traveled around the region at lightning speed, and he threatened people unnecessarily and angered God. He got punished, and as a result, he wasn’t able to move with so much speed, so he walked along the banks of the Ili River for a long, long time and finally slept near the river, and he got buried under the sand and never moved from there. and sometimes he groaned, and we could hear that sound.
There is also one story of the happy spirit behind this dune. The spirit had no face or sound. The cheerful spirit wanted a body for himself as he was fond of jokes and wanted to share jokes with all. He found a giant rock in between the mountains. It was covered with sand, so the spirit took shelter beneath the dune and started telling horrible jokes about the flora and fauna of the dunes. They got tired of his jokes and made him realize that now, as he had sound, he had to sing in his soothing voice rather than make fun of someone. He started singing beautiful songs, and people from all over the world started coming to hear his songs.
Some also say that Genghis Khan and his army decided to be buried under the sand, and the sound we hear is the sound of Genghis Khan telling his stories.
One thing is for sure. Climbing that dune is not an easy task. Some people say that it is better if you climb the dune without shoes. Shaurya did that. But that is not a problem if you are wearing ankle-height shoes. Try to walk on the ridge or crest because it is more comfortable. Walking on the crest also gives more chances to hear the sound of the barchan. Initially, after a few steps, Satva tried, but then our companions were a little older yet speedy, so he got the motivation and started climbing again. There were footprints of some animals on the sand, but we couldn’t spot any wildlife here. Try sliding down if it fascinates you. Shaurya and Satva tried a little bit, but according to them, getting down by walking is more thrilling as you can glide yourself!
Distance from Basshi: 80 km
Time to reach from Basshi: appx 2 hours
After about 20 minutes, you will come across the Mynbulak post, where you have to show your permit and entrance tickets. The roads were pretty good until the post; after that, the condition of the road was poor at places, though they were building new ones.
OSHAKTAS STONE STELES:
Our guide took us here before the dunes. Oshak means ‘fireplace,’ and Tas means ‘stone.’
History behind the stones:
Some people believed that during Genghis Khan’s invasion in 1219, they had built a kitchen here, to feed their entire army. However, some did not believe this theory because Genghis Khan himself did not proceed to the Zhetysu region. The pillars were installed much earlier, in the VIII—VI centuries BC. So, the origin of these stones is still not clear.
Similar stones are also found in another region of Altyn Emel National Park, in the area of the Besshatyr gravesite.
Location: 10 km from Singing Dunes, 1.5 km from Mynbulak post near Kishi (Small) Kalkan mountain
AKTAU AND KATUTAU MOUNTAINS :
God must have spent ample time creating these wonders! You can spend hours just looking at patterns and colors on different hills! They are that magnificent! We just wandered, taking it all in! Wondering about Mother Nature and the creator! Even The aimless walk among those hills will also imbibe a sense of responsibility. The grandeur of the place is such that you want to stare and that, too, stare endlessly. These mountains were the reason we visited this park. You will definitely feel that you are on another planet. While Aktau mountains are more of rainbow-colored variegated hills, Katatau mountains are of bizarre shapes and unique red color because they are the result of old volcanic eruptions and frozen lava.
The region is also a feast for geologists and paleontologists, as the mountains are approximately 400 million years old, and there are approximately 25 million-year-old fossils here.
The Aktau mountains, also known as the Chalk Mountains, are located in places where the ancient ocean Tetis was situated in the dinosaur era. The mountains are massive and spread over 30 kilometers.
What to do?
You can walk along the gorge, or you can hike in the mountains. We climbed a few, but our guide refused to climb a few of them as he hadn’t climbed them previously, so he was not sure about the rocks. So please be sure before climbing any of them. Nevertheless, if you walk in the narrow valley, then it is also equally thrilling! Initially, the stones are in hues of orange, but as you go further, you will get shades of green, yellow, white, and whatnot! It is like a dreamland from some fantasy fiction.
You can go cycling in the canyon. You can come to the mountains by motorcycle, but you are not allowed to ride a bike in the gorge as these mountains are extremely fragile.
Distance from Basshi: 72 km
Distance of Katutau from Aktau: 25 km
Entrance Price:
1050 Tenge/person/day
How to reach from Almaty?
Public transport:
Unfortunately, there is no public transport to this national park.
Guided Tours:
Many companies provide guided tours to the park. And that is the best option as you will have a local with you. We did this tour with Kazatourguide, and they have arranged everything from stay to park entrance fees to transport. The stay was perfect, with one night of yurt accommodation. They even provide delicious, pure vegetarian food in our homestays! The hosts at our guesthouse at Baashi were kind and caring people, and we did enjoy our time there. I am sharing the link and number of Kazatourguide and also of the guesthouse at Basshi village below.
If you want a private tour, then these tours can be a little costly with an English guide.
Self-drive:
You can rent a car from Almaty and self-drive. This is also a suitable option, and if we revisit Kazakhstan, we will definitely try this because of the landscapes! Try to rent a 4×4 or car with high ground clearance.
Best time to travel to Altyn Emel Park:
May to June – spring
August to October- autumn
Summer in this region can be sweltering. The scorching sun makes it challenging to climb the dunes and even to walk in the Aktau region.
In winter, the cold can be excessive for some, and we need to watch for rain, especially for the dunes, as it won’t be possible to hear the sound. 
What to take?
Please take layers properly, especially if you are traveling in autumn or winter.
Take enough water and a few snacks.
Wear proper shoes.
You won’t get any network or connection here in the park.
If you are planning to camp, then there are a few free designated spots.
- Shygan, near Basshi
- Mynbulak check post near the Singing Dune
- Kosbastau, or the 700-year-old willow tree
- Aktau mountains, near the rest area: there are a few gazebos and washrooms here, but there is no water supply.
- On the Besshatyr route, on the Kapchagay shore
Where to stay?
There are few guest houses in Basshi.
We stayed in a guest house provided by our tour guide.
There are a few others:
– Guest House Ardak – Link
Our Tour Operator: Kazakhstan Guided Tours
Contact number: + 7 777 627 8800
If you are going on a private tour, do ask for a separate driver and guide.
The contact number of our guest house in Basshi : +7 707 364 0941
Her name is Aidana.
So, despite gaining the popularity of visiting Kazakhstan in our country, this National Park has yet to gain the attention it deserves. Though you have to increase your visit time by a day or two, don’t miss this gem if you visit this fantastic, stupefyingly beautiful country.
Thank you..
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Hello
Thank you for such a feedback. We are happy that you enjoyed the trip and we appreciate the mentioning of us in your work.
Hope you will visit us soon again 🙌😍
our pleasure…
Zabardast
thank you..
We went on a three day private tour to the canyon , lakes and the singing dune national park with our guide
Your memoir is simply the best and easy to read which gives anyone lot of insights about the country and the places you visit.
That’s great. We also did the same for three days.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Thank you for such a review
our pleasure…
тамаша
Cogratution you enjoy and give guidencce and Guideline for interesting persons.Thanks
Thank you…