Altyn Emel National Park

Great park if you want to experience wilderness in Kazakhstan. This time we saw a couple of foxes, some rabbits and some horses. Loved the rock formations. Bring a picnic and relax.

Altyn-Emel National Park is a national park in Kazakhstan. It was created in 1996. The park covers about 4,600 km² between the Ili River and the Ak-Tau mountain range, near Lake Kapchagai, and consists mostly of desert and rocky terrain.

Wonderful place! Worth to visit Definitely! We had a private tour by 4x4 car, roads are not very good. Car rentals in Almaty usually do not rent cars to this national park. I recommend to ask a tour agency with a driver.
Slept in a small Village there and had a 2 day tour to Aktau Mountains, Katutau and a dune.

Amazing natural park with many different horizon and nature to discover! You do not need a guide to do it and it is very cheap. Everything can be done in one day (if you have a good car and know how to drive😅)

Singing dune is a must-see, especially at sunset. I would also recommend going to the white mountains (the further ones, going left from the entrance).

The road itself is also a great attraction, you're driving through emptiness with some mountains far away on the horizon.

The road to the mountains is worse than to the dune, but in both cases some small 4WD will do without any problem. I wouldn't go there with 2WD, but if you must I guess you can get to the dune, but it won't be very pleasant (road is very bumpy).

Great place to feel the vibes of Mother Nature and enjoy the beauty and wilderness of Kazakh steppes. If you're lucky, you can watch some rare animal species. The Singing Dune is a must see. At Aktau you can feel what it means to have not a soul around within 80 km area!

The visitor’s centre to the park. 2 main attractions - Singing Dune and the Aktau Mountain, which are each a distance drive away from here. The short walk to the top of the singing dune was moderately challenging, but the rest of the way was easy. The hike at Aktau was also moderate, some parts the path is really loose. Our guide said that it typically takes 3-4hrs depending on which routes you take. We went in June, so it was really hot.

Extremely beautiful and really worth going to. Very exclusive, even though it is mentioned in all travel guides. A mix of Sahara, vulcanic rock formations and colourful mountains. Just go there!

Altyn Emel is the jewel of Kazakhstan. It takes quite a while to get there and although they say it’s fine to go with a 2WD car, I would highly recommend a 4WD. You will be on bumpy dirt road for kilometres.

The park is very quiet and nice to take a stroll in the evening. Do take note that you need permit to enter the area. I would suggest you to sign up a tour group to go in.

Really huge and beautiful place! You can see how steppes are changing from desert to grassy fields!

Amazing scenery! Especially the white mountains. The singing dune at sunset is also very nice.

Amazing landscape. Worth going there!
In May 2019 we didn't need a guide. Just pay the fees at the office.

Must-visit place for once in a lifetime; seriously felt like I'm on Mars.

What a great national park to visit. Singing Dunes, to gorges and mountains. Although you can get around without a four wheel drive, you can do much more if you have one.

I like Altyn Emel for it's wild animals and quietness. No mobile signal, no shouting and city noises. Just you and nature. Feel it and enjoy it. But summer is not good time, extremely hot

Beautiful scenery, quiet, great camping spots

Visited this park in 2017. It's huge, we drove approximately 80 km of dirt road to get to the mountains. You had to get a guide at the entrance back then. Be sure to keep an eye on the guide, our guide tried to steal from us. Nonetheless, the guide was friendly, and even friendlier after a bottle of vodka. Do not miss this park when in South Kazachstan.

What an amazing place. You can visit so many different sides in this national park and everything is super unique. There is the singing dune that is beautiful and majestic and the white mountains which are absolutely otherworldly. Make sure to treat the nature respectful, don't leave any waste and stay on the road with your vehicle at all times.
You will need a local to travel around this park as far as we heard. We had a driver who took us. You need to pay a small fee upon entrance. It is possible to camp in the park if you have the permission. However, there's a nearby hotel not far from the park entrance.

Cool place with crazy road, need 2 days to see everything here