Spring and autumn in Almaty are a great time to enjoy the diverse steppe and foothill landscapes, explore the amazing deserts. While the highland areas are inaccessible due to snow, you have an opportunity to visit famous natural attractions of the Altyn Emel Park: the Singing Dunes, colorful Aktau mountains, ancient Katutau volcano, 700-years old Willow tree oasis and dolmens. Come in early May to see tulips and poppies blooming, because Kazakhstan is their homeland! This tour is available in two versions: with a night at a guest house in Bas'shi village, and with a tent camping in Aktau Mountains inside a Park. Please check details below.
Group size: min 1 - max 4 to 6 depending on accommodation type
Get insipired
Almaty offers a whole range of landscapes - from glaciers and the highest peaks of the Tien Shan to deserts. Spring and autumn are the best time to explore the Altyn-Emel National Park, known for its amazing natural phenomena - the Singing Dunes, the ancient Katutau volcano, the chalky mountains of Aktau with their Martian views.
In spring, the endless Kazakh steppe blooms. In late April and May, you will witness the blooming of tulips and poppies. This is a truly unforgettable sight - vast expanses covered with a carpet of yellow and red flowers.
In addition to the well-known natural attractions, you will also have the opportunity to explore the ancient dolmens of Oshaktas, touch a 700-year-old willow and see a real desert oasis.
Altyn-Emel is a true Mecca for wildlife lovers - people come here to see freely grazing herds of wild goitered gazelles, kulans and Przewalski's horses. You will also likely encounter camels, foxes, eagles, marmots, vultures, foxes and rabbits.
This tour is organized on request and only for you. The guide accompanying you throughout the tour will focus on your needs, interests and safety. You can fully enjoy personalized service and comfort.
What to expect
Altyn Emel is a desert: we do not travel in this area in summer (can be +50C degrees, which is not safe and not comfortable)
Depending on the season / availability, your wishes and budget, this tour can be done with an overnight stay in a guest house in the village of Bas'shi or with a tent camping (night in tents) in the Aktau mountains.
If you choose to stay in a guest house, be prepared for longer drives and shorter hikes. This option offers more familiar accommodation with a shower and toilet facilities, and is the only one in the early spring and late autumn.
If you choose to stay in tents, you will enjoy the sunrise in solitude, surrounded by the Martian landscapes of the Aktau mountains. You will also have the opportunity to take longer walks and have a great dinner in outdoor style. However, you should be prepared for the lack of a shower and colder temperatures at night.
Kazakhstan is a huge country, distances are long, roads are not always up to standard and traffic can be chaotic. Even though we use new comfortable cars with experienced drivers, you should be prepared for long drives on poor quality roads, especilly in Altyn Emel. In some parts it can be a full off-road.
We pay special attention to food on the tour. Breakfast and dinner are served either in guest houses (if you choose an option with a guest house stay). Or it will be freshly cooked meals in outdoor style - if you prefer tent camping option. Lunches can be organized as a picnic (in the conditions of the hike/drive) or in a local cafe.
The conditions in the guest houses are basic, but quite comfortable: we accommodate in double rooms with WC/shower facilties in each room.
Day 1 · Almaty - Altyn Emel NP - Singing Dune - Bas'shi guest house / tent camping in Aktau
The northern entry to the Altyn Emel National Park is located in Bas’shi village, 300 kilometres from Almaty. The northern gate is used to reach the famous attractions of the Park: Singing Dune, Aktau mountains and Katutau. Thus, we start early and via Konaev and Saryozek towns to Bas'shi, where (at the Park's main office) take the permissions.
Enter the Park and head to the Singing Dune, with a stop at Oshaktas dolmens.
Singing Dune is located in the valley of Ili River, about 2 kilometers from the river in its right bank, between small mountain ranges – the Greater and Lesser Kalkans. It looks like huge sand dune with overall height of 150m and length about 3 kilometers. The ridge is sharp as a blade, the sand crumbles underneath your feet, but the ridge does not get blunt. Two smaller sand dunes continue the big one. The whole complex has an area of about 10 square kilometers. Other similar sand dunes in Kazakhstan can be found only in Mangistau region (eg.Sam sands), but the main difference of Semirechye dune (other name of Singing Dune) that in hot windy weather it is capable of making sound resembling low hum of jet aircraft. If the weather is good, we can take a hike along the Dune's ridge and serve lunch with Dune's views.
After visiting the Dune, we either drive back to Bas'shi, accommodate at a guest house, take dinner and stay overnight (if you took a guest house accommodation option).
Or drive deeper inside a Park and by the end of the day arrive in Aktau coloful mountains. Here we set a tent camp: living tents with sleeping bags/mats, modern outdoor kitchen, table/chairs, lighting and other camping facilities. A guide cooks and serves your dinner and you enjoy the sunset with Aktau views along with freshly prepared meals in the open air. Stay overnight in tents (tent camping) at a glade in Aktau mountains.
Meals · lunch, dinner
Accommodation · guest house in Bas'shi village or tent camping in Aktau hills
Walking · 2 hours, ↔ 2.5 km, ↑↓ 140m (515m to 655m)
Driving· 7 hours, ↔ 355km
Day 2 · Aktau mountains - Katutau volcano - Almaty
Morning plan will depend on the accommodation type. If we stayed overnight in Bas'shi at a guest house, then after a breakfast we enter a Park again and drive to Aktau Mountains.
If we camped in Aktau, then a breakfast will be served early and just after it we will start hiking so to go deeper. The hike's length will be adjusted to the time we have and accommodation type. But in both cases you will be able to explore the the incredible beauty of the colorful clay mountains.
The Aktau Mountains (as well as most of the Almaty region) are the bottom of the ancient Ili Lake, from which the huge Balkhash now remains on the territory of Kazakhstan. For millions of years, amazing processes took place at the bottom of the ancient reservoir, and they left their mark in the form of multi-colored layers. Each color and layer represents its own era of development of the planet - we still find fossils of ancient sea animals in the sediments. After the disappearance of the lake, the wind and sediments completed the work on the landscapes of Aktau. And we can only admire the incredible canons, plateaus and peaks of these amazing mountains.
So, we take a hike along the cliffs and plateaus of Aktau, then get back to the car and go for lunch to the Katutau volcano crater. The word Katutau translates as "harsh mountains" from Kazak. This is a very old badly eroded mountain exits of volcanic rocks. Volcanic rock is very brittle and easily shatters by physical impact. Water, time and wind carved in the rock bizarre shape.
After a lunch in Katutau, we start heading back via the 700-years old Willow Tree and oasis.
all transfers according to the itinerary on SUVs, pick up and drop off in Almaty
Accommodation
either accommodation at guest house in Bas'shi village, 1 night, double rooms (sharing basis)
or tent camping in Aktau: we provide living tents, sleeping bags & mats, kitchen gear, table/chairs, lighting etc.
Meals
2 lunches, 1 breakfast, 1 dinner
drinking water
Guiding
English-speaking guiding throughout the tour
All guided hikes and excursions according to the itinerary
National Park entry fees and permissions
Altyn Emel NP for 2 days and all northern attractions
Prices:
Tent camping option:
$340 per person per tour - if there are 4-6 people in group
$360 per person per tour - if there are 3 people in group
$435 per person per tour - if there are 2 people in group
$745 - 1 person (individual service)
Guest house option:
$380 per person per tour - if there are 4-6 people in group
$390 per person per tour - if there are 3 people in group
$465 per person per tour - if there are 2 people in group
$790 - 1 person (individual service)
Price does
not include
international flights to/out Almaty
any visa/migration issues, fees and support, if applicable
accommodation (hotel), meals and any entertainment in Almaty before/after a tour
airport/train/bus station meetings/transfers
personal traveller’s insurance
personal expenses like souvenirs, calls etc.
rent of personal clothes, shoes, gear etc.
optional activities
porters for personal belongings, suitcases, backpacks and bags during the tour
menu does not include soft and alcohol drinks, snacks, beverages
Important notes
We are responsible for your safety in the activities described in the tour program. Horseback riding, camel riding (services provided by local residents on the spot) - at your discretion and under your responsibility.
The cost of the tour is based on shared accommodation - both at a guest house and in tents. Single accommodation is possible for an additional fee. Please inform us in advance if you want to require a single accommodation.
Let us know in advance if you have any specific food requirement (like vegetarian menu or food allergies)
Temperatures in Spring and Fall in Almaty region depend on the height above sea level, location and current weather conditions. Below data is for information only, for April and late September - steppes/semideserts (Charyn, Altyn Emel, Chunja), 250m-700m ASL: +18..+28C degrees daytime, +5..+15C degrees in the night
Altyn Emel is a desert: we do not travel in this area in summer (can be +50C degrees, which is not safe and not comfortable). This tour is available from late March to late May and from early September to mid October.
We recommend having for this trip: hiking shoes/trainers/light boots, high socks, slippers or sandals, long trekking pants, shorts, t-shirt with long and short sleeves, thermo-underware top and bottom - for night in tents, warm jacket (like thick fleece), light down jacket - for tent camping, wind/waterproof jacket or costume (raincoat and pants - for tent camping), peaked cap, buff, sunglasses, sun protection lotion, hat, water bottle, backpack for day hikes, personal hygienic set with a small towel, headlamp for tent camping.
There can be no cellular connection in certain places outside of the city (on the roads and in remote places). No wi-fi available at guest houses in remote villages.
In remote villages, there may be a problem with paying with cards. If you plan to buy some small items or souvenirs, make sure to have cash - Kazakh Tenge.
There can be ticks in steppes and deserts. You may take anti-tick repellent, or also treat your hiking shoes/clothes in advance.
This tour is based on SUVs, which have limited trunk space. Limit your belongings to one duffel bag and one small backpack per person. Suitcases with wheels will not be accepted.
Meals · lunch, dinner 
Accommodation · guest house in Bas'shi village or tent camping in Aktau hills
Walking · 2 hours, ↔ 2.5 km, ↑↓ 140m (515m to 655m)
Driving · 7 hours, ↔ 355km
Guiding
Prices:
