From Almaty: 2-Day Altyn-Emel & Tamgaly Petroglyphs Tour

The morning drive from Almaty leads to the banks of the Ili River, which flows on toward Lake Balkhash: a slow sheet of water and sandy shores. Next comes Tamgaly Tas, where Tibetan Buddhist petroglyphs from the 14th to 18th centuries are carved into the rock above the river, a rare meeting of cultures in stone. After lunch the road continues to Basshi village, the gateway to Altyn-Emel, a quiet aul at the foot of the ridge where the air smells of steppe and warm straw. Overnight in a guesthouse in Basshi, with a simple, hearty dinner.

The second day is spent in Altyn-Emel National Park, 4600 km² of desert landscapes where herds of kulans and goitered gazelles roam. The scale is something you feel physically. In the morning you visit the Aktau chalk mountains, bands of pink, green and blue rock that formed in the Paleocene, 66 to 56 million years ago, and are a colorful trace of an ancient sea. Around midday you stop at the Katutau colored mountains, volcanic rocks that wind and water have carved into sculptural shapes. In the afternoon you climb the Singing Dune, a 150-meter dune 1.5 kilometers long. On the way down, the dry sand makes a low hum, and the sound really does come from under your feet. In the evening you drive back to Almaty (about 250 km), arriving late, so this is a long day with much of it on the road.