Aktau and Katutau Mountains

About this trip

Route

Itinerary

1. 

   Stop 1

   Almaty

   Leave Almaty by 05:30 to reach Basshi by 10:00, allowing time to complete permit registration before the lunch-break closure at 13:00. Take the A3 northward out of the city toward Konaev (formerly Kapchagai), then continue northeast on the A3/A351 toward Saryozek. The road is paved throughout and moves quickly in the early morning. Download 2GIS or Maps.me offline maps for the Zhetysu Region before you leave — cell signal becomes unreliable after Konaev and disappears entirely inside the park. The park lies about 295 km from Almaty, taking four to four and a half hours without stops. The Aktau-Katutau circuit covers an additional 140 km of park tracks on top of the Almaty-Basshi drive, so a full fuel load at departure is essential.

   Tip: Bring enough KZT cash for two days of park permits (800 KZT/person/day plus 200 KZT/vehicle/day), guide fees (typically 10,000–20,000 KZT per day depending on group size), and overnight accommodation at the Shygan ranger camp. No ATM between Almaty and Basshi. The overnight at the park camp adds roughly 5,000–8,000 KZT per person.
2. 

   Stop 2

   Konaev — Fuel and Supply Stop

   From previous:

   80 km · 70 min drive

   Stay:

   ~0.5 h

   Konaev (Konaev city, formerly Kapchagai) is 80 km northeast of Almaty on the A3 and sits beside the Kapchagai reservoir, the Ili River's wide impoundment behind a 1970 hydro dam. The petrol stations here are more reliably stocked than those further east, making this a sensible first fuel stop. The town has a small supermarket for any last-minute supplies. The Kapchagai reservoir stretches north and is visible from the bypass road; in spring the water level is visibly higher after snowmelt from the Tian Shan foothills. From here the route continues east through open semi-desert steppe on the A3 toward Saryozek, where a second fuel top-off is advisable before the turn south toward Basshi.

   Tip: Top up the fuel tank here and again at Saryozek (~100 km further east). After Saryozek the road to Basshi has no fuel. Carry an extra 20 L jerry can for the park interior tracks — Aktau and Katutau combined add around 140 km of unpaved driving.
3. 

   Stop 3

   Basshi Village — Altyn-Emel Permit Office

   From previous:

   220 km · 145 min drive

   Stay:

   ~1 h

   Basshi is the administrative entry point for Altyn-Emel National Park and the only place to register for the Aktau-Katutau sector permits. The headquarters at 2 Mametova St. issues route-specific permits and assigns mandatory park guides. Budget 30–60 minutes for registration. The 2024 entry fee is 800 KZT per person per day plus 200 KZT for the vehicle, payable in cash — there is no card reader. At the permit desk, confirm that your route covers both Aktau and Katutau and that camping at the Shygan or Mynbulak ranger station is included. The Aktau Mountains lie 72 km from Basshi along a sandy track that is accessible to 4x4s in dry conditions but closes quickly after rain. Basshi has a small grocery store and a basic guesthouse if you prefer not to camp in the park.

   Tip: The permit office closes for lunch 13:00–14:30 and shuts at 17:30. Arriving before noon leaves enough time to reach the Aktau first viewpoint before the late-afternoon light fades. Call ahead (+7 72840 45209) if your arrival may run late. Confirm that your guide knows the Aktau track — guides assigned for the Singing Dune sector do not always have recent Aktau route experience.
4. 

   Stop 4

   Aktau — First Viewpoint

   From previous:

   72 km · 110 min drive

   Stay:

   ~1.5 h

   The 72 km track from Basshi to the Aktau Mountains takes 90–120 minutes in dry conditions. The track crosses open sandy steppe, then rounds a ridge to reveal the Aktau escarpment abruptly: a 30-km wall of layered sediment in white, red-orange, ochre, and blue-grey that rises from the flat valley floor. The colours come from the mineral content of lake and river sediments deposited in what was once a humid subtropical basin: white chalk and cream from calcite, red and orange from iron oxides, yellow from limonite, and pale blue-grey from volcanic ash layers. The first viewpoint is at the western end of the massif, where the full extent of the banded formation is visible in one sweep. Fossil bones and shell fragments are occasionally visible in exposed cliff faces — do not remove them; they are protected under national park regulations.

   Tip: April through June and August through October are the most comfortable months for walking the Aktau formations. July and August midday temperatures regularly exceed 40 °C and the white rock reflects heat intensely — carry a minimum of 3 L per person for any walk here. In spring, the clay drainage channels can hold standing water and the ground becomes very slippery.
5. 

   Stop 5

   Aktau — Labyrinth Walk and Red Gorge

   From previous:

   3 km · 10 min drive

   Stay:

   ~2.5 h

   A 2–3 km walking loop enters the gully system known locally as the labyrinth — a maze of eroded clay channels that cut 5–15 m deep into the sediment. The Red Gorge section runs through an iron-oxide-rich stratum where the walls are a deep ochre-red on both sides and narrow to shoulder width in places. A second formation called 'the Paw' — a cluster of eroded pillars on the ridgeline that silhouettes into the shape of a large animal's foot from the south — is a 400 m side detour from the main track. The guide will typically identify both landmarks as part of the standard Aktau walk. The sediment underfoot is soft and powdery when dry; it adheres to shoes and clothing and can turn to thick mud after rain, so gaiters or tall rubber boots are useful in shoulder season.

   Tip: The palaeontological layer most likely to contain visible fossils is the upper white chalk band near the head of the labyrinth. Bones and teeth are small and easily mistaken for rock fragments. The park guide can point out confirmed fossil exposures — ask specifically, as this is not included in every standard tour by default.
6. 

   Stop 6

   Aktau Panorama Ridge — Overnight at Shygan Camp

   From previous:

   5 km · 15 min drive

   Stay:

   ~14 h

   A short 4x4 drive brings you to the base of the Aktau ridge — the highest accessible point on the Aktau escarpment, where the stacked sedimentary layers are visible in cross-section from above. In late afternoon the low-angle light picks out the colour banding more sharply than at midday: the white chalk glows warm, the red bands deepen, and the shadowed gullies turn blue-grey. The Shygan ranger station (also noted as Mynbulak on some maps) operates a permit camping area at the foot of the mountains with basic toilet facilities and space for tents. Bring your own water — there is no water source at or near the camp. Evening temperatures drop considerably; the desert cools fast once the sun is gone. The camp is shared with the park ranger, who can provide orientation for the next morning's Katutau drive.

   Tip: Camping at the Shygan station requires a camping permit issued at the Basshi headquarters — confirm this when registering your route on day one. The Matai Yurts camp run by the park can accommodate small groups with meals; contact the park office (+7 72840 45209) well in advance to book. If no camp accommodation is available, the fallback is returning to Basshi guesthouses (90 km back) and driving to Katutau from Basshi the following morning.
7. 

   Stop 7

   Katutau — Volcanic Basalt Ridge

   From previous:

   25 km · 45 min drive

   Stay:

   ~3 h

   Katutau ('Bitter Mountains' or 'Hard Mountains' in Kazakh) lies 25 km west-northwest of Aktau. The 25 km track from the Aktau camp takes 40–50 minutes. The landscape changes completely within a few kilometres: the pale chalk world gives way to dark red, purple, and violet-grey basalt formations — solidified lava from two large volcanoes that erupted roughly 240 million years ago into a shallow lake. The lava cooling in water produced hollow formations, arches, and pillar shapes unlike typical flat lava fields. The highest ridge tops out near 1,720 m. A 2–3 hour walk with the guide covers the main lava fields, a natural arch, and the Tiger Mountains sub-formation in the southeastern foothills — banded ochre, red, and white slopes where volcanic outcrops meet sedimentary rock from the same era. Kulans and gazelles are often seen on the steppe approach.

   Tip: Start the Katutau walk by 09:00 to avoid walking on sun-heated basalt rock in the afternoon — the dark surface absorbs heat quickly and the surfaces become difficult to handle by midday in summer. Wear thick-soled shoes; volcanic rock is uneven and sharp-edged. The lava formations are fragile in places; walk on established paths where the guide leads.
8. 

   Stop 8

   Return — Basshi Gate to Almaty

   From previous:

   342 km · 370 min drive

   The return drive from Katutau to Basshi covers approximately 47 km and takes 60–80 minutes on the park track. Stop at the Basshi permit office to hand back any temporary permits and to verify the guide has checked you out — this is required procedure. From Basshi, the route retraces the Saryozek–Konaev–Almaty corridor on the A3 and A351. The 295 km drive takes approximately four to four and a half hours without stops; fuel up at Saryozek before the long stretch back. Almaty in the late afternoon on a weekday will have city traffic; arriving by 16:00 avoids the worst of it. The total round-trip distance for the two-day circuit, including park interior tracks, is approximately 640 km.

   Tip: The park track from Katutau to Basshi can be slick after overnight dew in spring and autumn — allow extra time and drive conservatively in the early morning. If there was any rain overnight, check the track condition with the ranger before setting out; the clay sections near Aktau can become impassable for several hours after even light precipitation.

What to bring

• ●Water (minimum 5 L per person per day — no water sources at Aktau camp)
• ●Cash in KZT (permits, guide fees, accommodation)
• ●Offline GPS maps (2GIS or Maps.me downloaded before leaving Almaty)
• ●Full spare tyre plus tyre repair kit
• ●Jerry can (20 L extra fuel for park interior tracks)
• ●Sun hat and SPF 50+ sunscreen (white chalk reflects intense UV)
• ●Warm sleeping layer (desert temperatures drop sharply after dark)
• ●Tent or camping gear if not using ranger-station accommodation
• ●Packed meals for both days (no shops or cafes inside the park)
• ●First-aid kit
• ●Headlamp or torch
• ●Dust-proof bags for cameras and phones
• ●Waterproof jacket (clay track turns impassable in rain — if caught, shelter and wait)

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