2 Days Tour: Altyn Emel National Park – Singing Dunes & Aktau Mountains

This is one of the most interesting and spectacular objects of tourism in the State National Natural Park “Altyn-Emel”. In Kazakh it means the White Mountains. Mountains seem white only from afar. In the canyons of the mountains one can find naked multi-colored dome rocks, towers composed of colored layers alternate with dry canyons, filled with calcite crystals. Landscapes change constantly – bastions, towers, small towns, inaccessible castles and canyons, there is no end to them.

one of the attractions of the Altyn-Emel National Park. Katutau are the largest and highest desert mountains in Altyn-Emel (the upper limit reaches 1630 m). The Katutau lava mountains are the result of intense volcanic activity in the region. The frozen lava of the volcano has acquired bizarre forms here, becoming a unique natural monument.

The area is referred to as the Singing Dunes on account of the rumbling sound emitted from the sand. A light breeze gives a barely audible squeak, while strong gusts produce a more intense sound, similar to an organ. In the Middle Ages, people who heard the singing of a dune, believed that it was the howling devil.