Altyn-Emel National Park

Altyn-Emel covers around 460,000 hectares of desert and rocky ground in the Ili valley, roughly 250 kilometres from Almaty. Its best-known sight is the Singing Dune, a crescent-shaped barchan about 1.5 kilometres long and 120 metres high that, in dry weather, can give off a deep droning sound when the sand moves, something often compared to an organ. Scientists have suggested that friction between dry grains causes the vibration, though the effect is not fully explained.

Further east the Aktau mountains, sometimes called lunar mountains, are formed of colourful layered sediments laid down on the bed of an ancient sea, while the Katutau range shows contorted remains of old volcanic lava. The green Kosbastau oasis, fed by warm springs, provides contrast, and the park is home to kulan, Przewalski's horses, goitered gazelles and argali.