Altyn-Emel National Park Trip from Almaty by Private Minibus
The Singing Dune and the Saka burial mounds of Besshatyr in one long day; the chalk Aktau Mountains are better with an overnight stay in Basshi. A private 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a driver takes your group from your door to the national park gate — no changing vehicles, no long wait for a group to gather.
from 150,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip
Not a scheduled bus or a taxi: the whole minibus for up to 13 people — just your group · a driver with 20+ years of experience
The same terms for every destination — price per vehicle, not per seat
Pickup at your door in Almaty
You choose the address and time: home, office, hotel or airport. No bus station and no meeting the group “at the bus stop”.
The whole minibus — just your group
The 13-seat Toyota Hiace takes no other passengers. One person or 13 — the price is the same; we don’t sell individual seats or tickets. More than 13 people — we’ll find a partner minibus for your date; on short routes two runs in a row also work.
Driver, fuel and road included
Our regular driver with 20+ years of experience, fuel, toll sections and pickup in Almaty are all in the quoted price; you don’t pay extra per passenger. National park entrance fees, ski passes and a local off-road vehicle, if your route needs them, are not included.
Round trip
The round trip is one price. The driver waits for your group on site for as long as you said when booking; if you stay longer, you pay only for the extra hours.
Luggage: 13 traveling light, up to 9 with suitcases
Bags and gear go in a separate compartment. If everyone has a large suitcase or a stroller, we take up to 9 people; with skis and snowboards, 9–10. Tell us what you’re bringing when you book.
Payment: cash, Kaspi or invoice
Trips in the city and nearby are paid after the trip. Long intercity trips and trips of several days need a partial prepayment to hold the date, the rest before departure. Companies get an invoice, a contract and closing documents.
We take groups from Almaty to Altyn-Emel in a 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a driver — from 150,000 ₸ for the whole minibus round trip. We leave at dawn, drive your group between the dune, the burial mounds and the viewpoints all day, and bring you home in the evening; the distant Aktau Mountains are another hundred or so kilometers of dirt road, so they are easier as a second day with an overnight stay.
Altyn-Emel is one of the largest national parks in Kazakhstan: more than 300,000 hectares of semi-desert, mountains and steppe between the Ili River and the ridges of the Dzungarian Alatau. People come for the Singing Dune, which hums in dry weather, the multicolored chalk Aktau Mountains and the Saka burial mounds of Besshatyr, more than two thousand years old. What sets the park apart is that its sights are tens of kilometers from each other, so seeing them in one day without your own transport is next to impossible.
AlaGo drives to Altyn-Emel in a 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a private driver. From Almaty to the park gate in the village of Basshi it is about 250 km, roughly 4 hours on the road, and it is best to leave early in the morning to reach the main sights in daylight. The cabin has air conditioning and a media system, and for a large group this works out both cheaper and freer than a tour group on someone else’s schedule.
Almaty to Altyn-Emel: distance and drive time
The route goes through Konaev (formerly Kapchagay), then toward Saryozek, and turns off to the village of Basshi, where the park entrance and visitor center are. The distance is about 250 km, roughly 4 hours on paved road with short stops. There are gas stations and cafés along the way for a break and a bite to eat — the driver will point out reliable places.
At the entrance in Basshi you need to register and pay the entrance eco-fee: Altyn-Emel is a specially protected area, and the ticket is issued right in the park. From there the park’s internal roads begin: the Hiace reaches the Singing Dune and the Besshatyr mounds without trouble, but the chalk Aktau Mountains lie in the far part of the park, another hundred or so kilometers of dirt road away — discuss that stretch in advance and, if needed, arrange an escort from the park.
What to see in Altyn-Emel
The Singing Dune is the park’s best-known sight: a sand mountain about 150 meters high, squeezed between the Big and Small Kalkan ridges. In dry weather, when the sand slides down the slope, the dune gives off a low hum like an organ or a distant airplane; after rain it falls silent, so it is best to visit on clear days. And the dune has stayed in the same place for centuries — the wind does not move it.
The chalk Aktau Mountains are layered hills in white, pink, red and greenish tones — once the bed of an ancient sea; the landscape looks like Mars. The Besshatyr mounds (the name means “five tents”) are royal burials of the Saka era on the right bank of the Ili; the largest mound is almost 17 meters high, and the necropolis is about two and a half thousand years old. Near the steppe roads there are also two old willows, the Old and the Young: lone trees in the middle of the plain that have long been a local natural monument and a popular photo spot.
The park also works as a nature reserve: the population of kulans — wild Asian donkeys — has been restored here, and you can also see goitered gazelles and argali sheep. So between the main sights you often get to see animals in the wild along the way.
Minibus, tour or your own car to Altyn-Emel
No public transport goes to the park’s sights, and distances inside Altyn-Emel are long — you cannot manage without a vehicle for the whole day. Your own minibus with a driver solves both problems at once: it takes you from your door in Almaty to the park gate and then between the dune, the mounds and the viewpoints at your own pace, stopping for photos whenever you like.
In your own car, the drive there and back plus navigating dirt roads wears the driver out — in the Hiace, the driver has more than 20 years behind the wheel, and the whole group gets to rest instead of watching the road. Compared with a big tour bus, you are not tied to a group or a schedule: an early start, a full day in the park and the drive back all follow your plan, and if you like, you can stop on the way at the Buddhist rock carvings of Tamgaly-Tas on the Ili River — we also run it as a separate day trip by minibus.
Altyn-Emel: how the trip works
Early start, sights in daylight
We leave Almaty at dawn to reach the Singing Dune and the burial mounds while it is light — instead of fitting in with someone else’s group and its schedule.
A full day in the park
Altyn-Emel’s sights are spread over tens of kilometers. The minibus and driver take your group between them all day, without rushing or changing vehicles.
Air conditioning in the steppe heat
Soft reclining seats and a media system make 250 km there and the same back easier to handle.
One price for the whole Hiace
The agreed round-trip price per vehicle stays the same for the whole day in the park. The park’s entrance eco-fee is paid separately at the gate.
Altyn-Emel: trip price
from 150,000 ₸ — for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip
The driver, fuel, toll roads and pickup in Almaty are included. Not included: national park entrance fees, ski passes, a local off-road vehicle, paid parking and pickup outside the city. We quote the total before departure; it only goes up if you decide to extend the waiting time.
This is the price for the minibus, not per seat as on shared group tours: the minibus is only for your group, with no other passengers and no one else’s schedule.
All day trips from Almaty →Customer reviews on 2GIS
“Efficient and fast — a clean bus with a driver arrived on time.”
“Excellent — they provided a minibus with a driver very quickly.”
Real photos — not a manufacturer’s catalog
All photos
- Driver with 20+ years of experience
- Air conditioning and heating
- DVD · TV · MP3
- Soft reclining seats
- Electric door
- Luggage compartment
These photos show our own 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a high roof and a wide aisle between the seats. We took them ourselves: the cabin, seats and luggage compartment of this very vehicle. We have one minibus: this is the one that will come for you, with its own driver at the wheel.
13-seat cabin
Luggage compartment
Read before your trip
Altyn-Emel: frequently asked questions
How much is a trip from Almaty to Altyn-Emel?
From about 150,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip. The exact price depends on the route, the number of days and whether you go as far as the Aktau Mountains. We will send you the exact figure in reply to your message. The national park entrance fee is paid separately at the gate.
How long is the drive to Altyn-Emel?
About 4 hours each way (roughly 250 km) to the park gate in the village of Basshi. Inside the park you add the distances between the sights, so it makes for a full day.
How many seats does the minibus have for an Altyn-Emel trip?
The Toyota Hiace takes 13 passengers, with room left for bags. A large family or group can travel in one vehicle and see the park together. All 13 can travel light; if everyone has a large suitcase or bulky gear, we take up to 9 passengers — tell us what you are bringing when you book.
Do we need a permit or an entrance ticket for the national park?
Yes. Altyn-Emel is a specially protected natural area, so at the entrance in Basshi you need to register and pay the entrance eco-fee. The ticket is issued in the park itself and is not included in the trip price. For remote areas such as the Aktau Mountains, an escort from the park is sometimes required — we will tell you how to arrange it.
How much time do you need to see Altyn-Emel?
The Singing Dune and the Besshatyr mounds can be done in one long day if you leave Almaty early in the morning. To add the chalk Aktau Mountains as well, plan an overnight stay — there are guesthouses in Basshi — or a very early start. We will help you plan the route around your time.
Tell us where and when
We’ll bring a Toyota Hiace minibus with a driver to any address in Almaty at the time you need. Available 24/7.