Tour to Altyn-Emel National Park: Singing Dune and Aktau [Ili River + Tamgaly Tas] · 2 days

A walk along the Ili River, which flows into Balkhash. A slow sheet of water, sandy banks, and a sunset that washes everything in pink. In the first half of the day, visit Tamgaly Tas , Tibetan Buddhist petroglyphs from the 14th to 18th centuries on the banks of the Ili River. A rare meeting of cultures in stone. Closer to lunch, transfer and overnight stay in Bassy village , the gateway to Altyn-Emel. A quiet aul at the foot of the ridge, where the air smells of steppe and burnt straw, guesthouses with a simple but hearty dinner. Overnight in a guesthouse in Bassy village at the gateway to Altyn-Emel.

Exploring Altyn-Emel National Park , 4600 km² of desert landscapes with herds of kulans and goitered gazelles. The scale here is felt physically, as in Arizona. In the first half of the day, visit the Aktau chalk mountains , bands of pink, green, and blue rock from the Paleocene era. A colorful echo of an ancient sea that disappeared 50 million years ago. Closer to lunch, stop at the Katutau colored mountains , volcanic rocks shaped by the wind into sculptural forms. Here, geology seems to have decided to work with its hands. In the second half of the day, climb the Singing Dune , a 150-meter dune 1,5 kilometers long. On the descent, the dry sand gives off a deep humming sound, like the engine of a warming car, and the sound really comes from under your feet.