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CLIMATE
Temperatures:
- April:
+15°...+25°C daytime;
+2°...+12°C in the night
- July:
+33°...+43°C daytime;
+15°...+25°C in the night
- October:
+5°...+15°C daytime;
0°...+10°C in the night
- January:
-5°...-15°C daytime,
-10°...-20°C in the night
Snow cover:
- April --------
- July ---------
- October ------
- January 0.2-0.5 m
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INFRASTRUCTURE
Roads: there is a good asphalt road from Almaty to Bas'shi village (260km). Inside a park there are only ground trails. Distances: Bas'shi - Dune 40km, Bas'shi - Aktau 70km, Shengeldy - Bes Shatyr 80km. Limp salt marshes, found in some places, can make the ground roads impassable in/after the rain.
Trails: all trails are cattle-running, there are no specially marked hiking routes.
National Parks: there are 2 official entries to Altyn Emel NP: northern from Bas'shi village, and western from Shengeldy village. Permissions are issued only in the central office in Bas'shi or in Almaty branch office. You cannot buy tickets in Shengeldy, when enter. Both entries have posts, where permissions must be shown.
Petrol stations: last big one is in Saryozek village
Shops and cafes: there are few shops in Bas'shi village. No cafes.
Water: there are no any water sources inside a Park, so pack enough for the whole before entering the desert. The last point on a way where can take drinking water before going to Aktau is Araltobe village (9km to the south from Bas'shi)
Cellular coverage: is good along the asphalt roads and in villages. Connection inside a park is unstable, but there are points where it can be (in particularly, near the upper shelters in Aktau)
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ACCOMMODATION
Guest houses
• there are guest houses in Bas'shi village and in the forester's post on a way to Singing Dune.
Camping
• there are good places for tents in Aktau mountains. Separate permission for tent camping is not required.
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HOW TO GET FROM ALMATY
To the western entry: Almaty - Kapchagai town - Shengeldy village - Altyn Emel NP western entry
To the northern entry: Almaty - Kapchagai town - Shengeldy village - Saryozek village - Altyn Emel pass - Bas'shi village (NP main office) - northern entry
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WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Natural and cultural attractions: Aktau colorful hills, Katutau volcano, Bes Shatyr scythe burial mounds, Oshaktas dolmens, Singing Dune, rock carvings, 700-year-old willow tree and oasis. Wildlife: herds of kulans and Persian gazelles "djeirans" are often met here.
Activity options:
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POSSIBLE RISKS
In rainy weather, mudflows sometimes happen in the clayey gorges of Aktau hills - it is a serious danger. Limp salt marshes, found in some places along the ground trails in the Park, can make the road impassable in/after the rain.
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