During the tour you will:
• Visit the sites at the ALTYN EMEL National park (included in the UNESCO Historical list)
• See rare animals a like Kulan, Przewalski's horse
• Visit the Singing dune, hiking to the top and enjoying the wonderful view of this ancient area
• Enjoy stories about the history of the areas you will be visiting by your English-speaking guide
Schedule & prices
Runs
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sun
Start times
7:00 AM
Next available
Fri, Oct 9
Adult (ages 8–70)
$290
Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $545.
Larger groups pay less per person.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 8.
Tour Options
Altyn Emel. Singing dune. 1 day tour
Pickup included
Itinerary
Altyn-Emel National Park
Admission included180 min
Duration: 1 day (Pick up at 6am, drop off at 18:00)
Route: Almaty – Basshi village (250km) – Singing Dunes (40km) – Dinner in Bashy (40km) - Almaty (250km)
What's included
Included
Lunch
Pickup Locations & Times
We will pick you up from your Almaty hotel and return you to your hotel after the tour
Traveller Ratings
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
5.0
13 reviews
5
13
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0
How it compares in Almaty
Rated higher than 74% of 76 reviewed tours in Almaty
Starting price $290 is 45% above the typical $200 for tours of similar length in Almaty
Excurgo comparison of 311 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
Important Information
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
1+ days before100% refund
0–1 days before0% refund
Frequently asked questions
How long does Altyn Emel. Singing dune. 1 day tour take?
Altyn Emel. Singing dune. 1 day tour lasts about 9 hours. The itinerary has 1 stop.
How much does Altyn Emel. Singing dune. 1 day tour cost?
Prices start at $290 per person for this Almaty experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $545. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
What days does Altyn Emel. Singing dune. 1 day tour run?
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, starting at 7:00 AM.
Can I cancel Altyn Emel. Singing dune. 1 day tour for free?
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, pickup is offered. We will pick you up from your Almaty hotel and return you to your hotel after the tour Pickup points include Hotel Kazakhstan, The Ritz-Carlton, Almaty.
What languages is Altyn Emel. Singing dune. 1 day tour offered in?
The experience is available in EN.
Is this a private or a group tour?
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 6 travellers can book together.
Will my booking be confirmed immediately?
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Is Altyn Emel. Singing dune. 1 day tour worth it?
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 13 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Kazia Tour.
Reviews(13)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
L
louieansonn
April 15, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Great tour and must try
Thanks to roman for bringing us to altyn emyl and the wonderful drone shots we got. Don't hesitate to book with them. They give the best price.
Operator response
Dear Louien, thank you so much for your kind review! We’re very happy that you enjoyed your trip to Altyn-Emel and especially the wonderful drone shots. Thank you for recommending us — it truly means a lot to our team. We hope to welcome you back to Kazakhstan again!
1
135evanb
December 9, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Visited the sand dunes
Visited the sand dunes. Make sure you get your cardio up before taking the hike up to the top ha ha.....................
9
957josephi
August 28, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Enjoyable experience
Enjoyable experience, very nice driver and Liza was very helpful as well. Singing dunes is few hours from Almaty so bring essentials
M
MAYANK_G
June 20, 2025 · via Viator
Wonderful experience
We had a wonderful experience with Kazia tours. It was a last minute booking but Kazia ensured we had a great tour. Our guide, Lana, was wonderful and very knowledgeable. She took really good care of our family and shared very interesting information about Kazakhstan with us also. I will definitely recommend going for this tour.
Operator response
Thank you sincerely for sharing your experience. We are pleased to know that, even with the last-minute booking, your tour was enjoyable and memorable. We look forward to the opportunity of welcoming you again in the future.
D
DOYOUNG_K
June 3, 2025 · via Viator
It took a long time to...
It took a long time to get to Singing Dune, but it was worth it. The desert and the scenery were very beautiful. Although the wind was so strong that we couldn't walk in the desert, it was a fun experience that I will remember.
S
SONG_S
May 4, 2025 · via Viator
Thanks to the guide, it was a fun trip.
The Charn Canyon, Kindy and Kolsai lakes were spectacular views that could not be felt in pictures. They were the best scenery that gave me shivers all over my body, and they were a valuable experience in my life. Thank you to the guide who helped us on this wonderful journey.
1
122sammyk
April 23, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Amazing tour - highly recommend!
Fantastic day with Kazia tours to Altyn Emel. Guide (Elnura) and driver were both wonderful and very accommodating to any need we had eg stopping at a pharmacy. The drive to and and from Almaty is fairly long - about 3 hours to the park and then another 1 hour in the park itself - but well worth it when ones get to the dunes.
We had an amazing time hiking on the dune and admiring the views but what made the whole experience even more special was that the driver was an ex photographer with a drone and took the most incredible videos and photos all for free! You would pay substantial money for this elsewhere so they really went above and beyond! Would highly recommend seeing if he is available when you book.
All in all one of best tours I’ve ever done anywhere and I’ve done a lot of tours!
D
diptangshub2025
April 6, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
A Duney Dessert treat
This was an amazing trip for us.
Firstly, let me brief through the trip.
We were picked up from our hotel at the specified time. And then we started the trip to the Altyn Emel national park.
We had a couple of stops in between to, freshen up and have a small breakfast.
We took a small break at the Basshi village from where we took the permit and then we went off into the park.
It was like being in a set of cowboy movies. Desert kind of vegetation all around us and we could see a smokey layer above the desert plains.
We have never seen such a place, where you could see a rocky-desert region having a snowy mountain in the background. It was such a magnificent scenery.
When we arrived at the dune, it looked like a majestic little hill standing proud of itself. We scaled the dune as much as we could, before getting a bit exhausted and then came down from there. We probably took a thousand pictures of us and the scenery.
Unfortunately, we couldn't hear the singing as the conditions were not in our favor. Also, we missed the tulips as it was not the season yet.
While returning, we saw some rare sightings of the deers (we were told that we were extremely lucky to have spotted them as these sightings are incredibly rare) and also saw some camels.
We had our lunch at a local family's home. And my god, it was such a wonderful experience. We finally experienced, how legendary Kazakh hospitality is which we kept hearing about so much. The food they served were the best food that we had during our Kazakhstan trip. It was fresh, hot and so delicious.
Finally, on our journey back we were dropped at out hotel in the evening.
Now, coming to the host and the travel agency.
Out guide for the day was Lana. However, I must say, not for a single moment we felt like were out with a guide but rather a dear friend.
We had such lively and fun interactions with her throughout the trip. She is an extremely knowledgeable guide, she kept providing interesting info about places and its history and people. We learnt a lot from her about the Kazakhs and this beautiful country.
My wife shared a strong bond with Lana throughout this trip. They shared, all kinds of shopping info and Lana provided such invaluable tips and tricks to her.
The trip although was long, we never felt any dull moment, and its all thanks to Lana.
Regarding our driver, he was very polite and drove wonderfully. Our driver also offered to provide a drone shot from our small dune trek. We didn't avail it, but people interested in it must not miss it.
The agency made a great itinerary, we were comfortable with it.
Below are my final ratings,
Singing Dune - 4.5/5 (not the full marks because unfortunately, we couldn't hear it sing)
Operator and its itinerary - 5/5
Host - 5/5
Driver - 5/5
Vehicle - 5/5
Thank you so much, Lana and the Kazia tour team for such a wonderful trip.
Operator response
Dear Diptangshu ,
Thank you so much for your detailed review of our tour! We truly appreciate that you took the time to highlight all the advantages of traveling with us — it means a lot.
It's incredibly valuable when a traveler takes a moment to express their gratitude. Your kind words motivate us to be even better.
It's a pity that the Dune was not singing that day. Usually when it's windy we can hear it.
Please send our warm regards to your wife from the our team.
Wishing you many more wonderful journeys ahead!
Warmest regards,
U
U5503DTbernhardk
January 31, 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Singing Dune with Kazia-Tours
We had an amazing guide with Kazia Tour and were able to experience an extraordinary landscape in the national park in an impressive way. The park itself had some surprising wildlife encounters in store, the winter weather had almost disappeared, and we had the singing dune all to ourselves. So, be sure to head out into nature outside the peak season!
Kazia provided us with a great driver and, most importantly, an incredibly friendly guide. Everything worked out perfectly as planned, and the day trip from Almaty to Altyn-Emel National Park was worth every kilometer – the journey itself was the goal, and the singing dune was the ultimate reward.
To top it off, we had the chance to enjoy a traditional Kazakh lunch with a local family.
Thanks again – we will definitely be back!
Bernhard Küppers, Heidelberg
Operator response
Dear Bernhard,
Thank you for your wonderful review, and especially for such a vivid and detailed description of your experience with us. We’re delighted to hear that you had such a memorable trip and that our guide, Elnar, and driver, Boris, made it smooth and enjoyable.
We truly appreciate your kind words and look forward to welcoming you back for another unforgettable journey!
Best regards,
G
Go44199336516
December 16, 2024 · via Tripadvisor
Amazing and beautiful Kazakhy experience
Had an amazing time with Kazia tours during the singing dunes visit. Inspite of having challenges while climbing the dunes, our guide was extremely patient and helpful! Coupled with a hot local Kazakh meal , I and my spouse had a great time!!!
Got some great clicks with my phone, our guide takes better pictures than me for sure!
Surely will recommend for travelers!
Operator response
Dear Makam,
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear that you had such a memorable experience!
We’re so glad our guide Elnar made hiking enjoyable for you.
Your recommendation means the world to us. And we would be happy to host you again on another adventure.
We are happy that you liked your experience!
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