Altyn-Emel: the Singing Dune and the striped Aktau mountains

A dune that hums under your feet, mountains striped like a layer cake and herds of wild kulan on the plain.

Region

Almaty region

Start from

Almaty

Distance

about 250–300 km to the park office

Time needed

2–3 days

Best season

April – June, September – October

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

4×4 with driver or tour; the park requires its own permit

Permits

Park permit and guide/escort arranged at the park office in Basshi

Why go

Altyn-Emel is a huge national park between the Ili river and the Dzungarian Alatau. Its most famous sight is the Singing Dune, a lonely sand dune about 150 metres high that produces a low droning sound when dry sand slides down its slopes.

Deeper in the park are the Aktau and Katutau mountains, eroded clay hills in white, red, orange and green bands, the colours of ancient lake sediments. They look like a painted desert and are spectacular at sunset.

With luck you'll see kulans (Asian wild asses) and goitered gazelles, both of which have recovered here after protection. The park also has the Besshatyr burial mounds, a group of huge Saka-era kurgans.

The story

Altyn-Emel means 'golden saddle' in Kazakh, and several legends try to explain the name, most involving a great khan and a mountain pass. Whatever the origin, the name suits the colours of the landscape in late afternoon.

The kulans you may see here are one of the park's conservation successes. In the 1980s a small number were brought from Barsa-Kelmes, an island reserve in the Aral Sea, and the population grew steadily on the open plains. Today large herds roam the park, alongside goitered gazelles and, in the mountains, ibex and argali.

Local legends say the Singing Dune holds the spirit of a great warrior, and that its humming is his voice. Scientists explain it with dry sand grains of the right size sliding in unison, but standing on the crest while the ground vibrates under you, the legend is easier to believe.

Getting there

Drive north-east from Almaty to the village of Basshi, where the park office is. You buy the permit there and the park arranges a ranger to accompany you. Distances inside the park are long, roads are dirt, and a 4×4 is strongly recommended.

Most visitors go with a tour that includes the permit, driver and accommodation.

A suggested plan

1. Day 1Drive to Basshi, arrange the permit, check into a guesthouse. Afternoon trip to the Singing Dune; climb it in the late afternoon when it's cooler.
2. Day 2Long drive to the Aktau mountains. Walk among the clay hills, then continue to Katutau's volcanic formations if time allows.
3. Day 3Besshatyr kurgans and the ancient Terekty petroglyphs, then return to Almaty.

Where to stay

Guesthouses in Basshi and the park's own simple ranger-station rooms. Facilities are basic but clean.

Good to know

• The dune 'sings' only when the sand is dry and you slide down; after rain it stays silent.
• Bring plenty of water and food; there are almost no shops inside the park.
• Binoculars make the wildlife much more enjoyable.