Altyn-Emel National Park Trip from Almaty by Private Minibus
The Singing Dune, the Aktau Mountains or the Besshatyr burial mounds: choose what you want to see, and we will plan the route through the right park entrance and the time for walks. Toyota Hiace with a driver, for up to 13 passengers.
from 150,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip
Pickup at your address · passenger insurance · available 24/7
Our drivers don’t speak English. Phone calls are in Russian or Kazakh, so WhatsApp works best: write in English and we’ll reply using a translator. Need an interpreter? We can arrange one for an extra fee, agreed in advance.
How the trip works
Pickup at your door in Almaty
You choose the address and time: home, office, hotel or airport. When you book, we name the vehicle and give you the driver’s phone number; the driver arrives early and helps with the luggage.
The minibus is yours
The 13-seat Toyota Hiace travels with your group only. The price is for the vehicle, so the bigger the group, the less each person pays. If there are more than 13 of you, you can book a second minibus, or we do two runs in a row on a short route.
Driver, fuel and road included
The driver’s service, fuel, toll sections and pickup in Almaty are all in the quoted price. Paid separately, if your route needs them: national park entrance fees, ski passes, a local off-road vehicle, paid parking and pickup outside the city.
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.
An Altyn-Emel trip from Almaty starts at 150,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace, round trip. You choose the sights and the number of days, and we build the route on roads open to the minibus. Park admission, accommodation and a local off-road vehicle, if needed, are paid separately.
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. Its sights are tens of kilometers apart, and you cannot reach them without your own transport.
The Singing Dune and Aktau Mountains are reached through Basshi; Besshatyr is approached from the west, through Shengeldy. These are two separate routes, not neighboring stops. For a group trip, book a 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a driver.
Almaty to Altyn-Emel: distance and drive time
The route to Basshi runs through Konaev and Saryozek: about 250 km and roughly 4 hours to the village, not counting long stops and travel within the park. Besshatyr is reached by a different road, through Shengeldy on the western side of the park.
We do not plan a shortcut through the protected reserve zone, so Basshi and Besshatyr are two separate trips. Before departure, we check permits, open routes and dirt-road conditions with the national park administration. Where a road is not suitable for the minibus, local off-road vehicles take you through 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
A minibus with a driver suits a group that chooses its own departure time and stops: when you book, we fix the list of sights and the return time. This is a trip with a driver on your program, without a guide; if you want one, a guide is booked separately.
For a first visit, one day is enough: the Singing Dune through Basshi or a separate Besshatyr trip. You can also add the Buddhist carvings at Tamgaly-Tas on the Ili River; it is a detour, so the day gets longer.
Altyn-Emel: how the trip works
Departure matched to your route
We set the pickup time so there is enough daylight for the park entrance and your walks.
A program for your days
The Singing Dune, the Aktau Mountains, Besshatyr: we build the program around your days and pace.
Air conditioning in the steppe heat
Soft reclining seats and a media system make 250 km there and the same back easier to handle.
Two days with a night in Basshi
The dune and the Aktau Mountains are best seen over two days, with a night in Basshi: no rush and good light.
Altyn-Emel: trip price
from 150,000 ₸ — for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip
The driver and fuel are included. We quote the total before departure; it only goes up if you decide to extend the waiting time.
Only your group is on board, and you decide how long to stay at each stop.
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.”
Toyota Hiace: cabin and luggage
All photos
- 13 passenger seats
- Air conditioning and heating
- High roof
- Soft reclining seats
- Electric door
- Luggage compartment
These photos show a 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a high roof and a wide aisle between the seats. We took them ourselves: the cabin, the seats and the luggage compartment.
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 150,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip. Tell us what you want to see and how many days you have, and we will quote the exact price right away. The national park entrance fee is paid at the gate.
How long is the drive to Altyn-Emel?
To Basshi it is about 4 hours of driving and roughly 250 km from Almaty, plus stops, permits and travel to the sights inside the park. Besshatyr is reached through a different entrance, from Shengeldy.
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.
Do we need a permit or an entrance ticket for the national park?
Yes, you need a permit for your chosen route. The national park administration issues it along with entrance tickets and will tell you whether the route requires an escort. The permit is issued for a specific route, so choose Basshi or Besshatyr before the trip.
How much time do you need to see Altyn-Emel?
In one day you can do one route, the Singing Dune or Besshatyr: they use separate entrances. The dune together with the Aktau Mountains is better over two days, with a night in Basshi.
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.
Our drivers don’t speak English. Phone calls are in Russian or Kazakh, so WhatsApp works best: write in English and we’ll reply using a translator. Need an interpreter? We can arrange one for an extra fee, agreed in advance.