Canyons & steppe Top pick
Charyn Canyon
The Valley of Castles, red canyon walls and a walk down to the rushing Charyn river.
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Altyn-Emel: Singing Dune & Aktau Mountains
A two-day desert expedition: a humming dune and multicoloured chalk mountains.
- Duration
- 2 days
- Distance
- 300 km from Almaty
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Season
- Apr – Oct
- Price
- Price on request
Altyn-Emel National Park is a different Kazakhstan: endless steppe, goitered gazelles and kulans, and towering over it all, the 150-metre Singing Dune. In dry weather the sand hums like a distant plane as it slides down the slope.
Day two is the Aktau mountains: white, red and ochre layers of clay that look like a Martian landscape. We stay overnight at a guesthouse in Basshi village.
Highlights
- Singing Dune
- Aktau chalk mountains
- Katutau mountains
- Gazelles and kulans on the steppe
Itinerary
- Leave Almaty, drive along the Kapchagay reservoir
- Basshi village, park permits, lunch
- Singing Dune, climb to the ridge
- Dinner and night at a guesthouse
- Aktau and Katutau mountains
- Arrival in Almaty
Times are approximate and depend on the road and your stops.
Included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Comfortable car and fuel
- Driver-guide in your language
- Bottled water in the car
- National park entrance fees
- Guesthouse night
Not included
- Lunch and personal expenses
- Dinner and breakfast unless agreed in advance
What to bring
- Passport or ID
- Comfortable shoes
- A warm layer or windbreaker
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- A hat and extra water
- A change of clothes for the night
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Lakes Top pick
Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes
Kazakhstan’s two most famous mountain lakes in one day: spruce-lined shores and a sunken forest.
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Lakes
Big Almaty Lake
A turquoise lake at 2,511 metres — just an hour’s drive from the city.
Price on request
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