Trip from Almaty to Altyn-Emel Park -
Jeep tour to the Matai Mountains in Almaty Region -
The Matai Mountains are the most beautiful, severe, secluded, ancient mountains, like the Kazakh land itself, rise and are located in the Altyn-Emel National Park and are one of its natural attractions. These mountains do not shout about themselves - they are silent with dignity, like an old batyr who has survived everything and keeps great secrets inside himself. Matai is not just a ridge among endless expanses, it is one of the sacred elements of the Altyn-Emel landscape, breathing antiquity, sun and wind. These mountains are spurs of the Dzungarian Alatau and are located on the northern shore of the Kapchagay Reservoir and their western part adjoins the national park. These mountains are visible from the location where the Besshatyr mounds are located and these mountains are visible from the "Singing Dune". The path to the mountains starts from the village of Basshi, where the visitor center of the reserve is located. A road for 4x4 off-road vehicles leads to the mountains, along which you can drive up to the foot of the mountains and even climb up one of the gorges, where small cattle farms are located. (GPS coordinates: 44°06'31"N 78°25'56"E : 44°07'46"N 78°26'00"E)
How to get there and visit -
The Matai Mountains are located in the Almaty-Emel Reserve, the northern shore of the Kapchagay Reservoir, Kerbulak District, Panfilov District, Almaty Region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 44°9'22"N 78°27'1"E
Information -
The Matai Mountains greet the traveler with restraint but majesty. Their slopes, covered with dead bushes, bare ridges and sandstone ledges seem to be written by the hand of time. There are few trees here, but a lot of light, space and sky. The stone waves of Matai are like frozen handfuls of earth raised to the sun. And if you look at them at sunset, it seems as if the steppe itself is ablaze with copper fire, slowly falling asleep in the embrace of ancient mountain silence. The mountains were formed 300 million years ago, in the summer small mountain rivers form in the mountains: Itmyrun, Baigabay, Akkora, Kurimytai, Kavray, Sonerli. The length of the mountains is 182 kilometers, the width is 23 kilometers, the mountains border with the Degeres Mountains in the west, and in the northeast with the Altyn-Emel Range.
The nature around Matai lives a special rhythm. In the spring, the slopes are covered with a carpet of wild tulips and herbs, filling the air with the aroma of life. In the crevices and valleys you can meet gazelles, kulans, mountain goats, and in the sky - soaring predators, carrying the spirit of freedom. There is no noise of cities, no traces of vanity - only the eternal conversation of the wind with the stone. This is why the Matai Mountains are so loved by those who seek solitude and strength, who go not just to see, but to feel. Legends say that once upon a time in these mountains ancient nomads hid from disasters, warriors prayed, and shamans performed rituals under the starry sky. And it is true – the air here seems denser, and the earth holds more than it seems. It is worth stopping, sitting on a warm stone, closing your eyes – and you will hear: echoes of ancient voices, steppe songs, and stories told and sung around the fire are still alive in the rocks.
Matai is not a peak or a record. This is a place of power, a place for those who want to connect with nature and with themselves. A journey to these mountains is a journey to simplicity and truth. There is no need for words here, the stones, the sky and the silence speak. In Altyn-Emel, everything breathes eternity, and the Matai mountains are its ancient, strong, wise voice.
Attractions nearby:
Terekty Gorge
Terekty petroglyphs (rock carvings)
700-year-old willow
Chokan Valikhanov Spring
Big Besshatyr Mound
Besshatyr Menhirs (stone steles)
Oshaktas Steles (stone steles)
Aktau Mountains (White Mountains)
Katutau Mountains (lava mountains)
Sholak Mountains
Ulken-Kalkan Mountains
Kysty-Kalkan Mountains
Matai Mountains
Degeres Mountains
Kerkulans (Przewalsky horse)
Kulans (wild donkeys)
Sights of Altyn-Emel Park
History of Besshatyr Mounds
Legend of the Singing Dunes
History of the Przewalski horse
Fauna of Altyn-Emel Park
Flora of Altyn-Emel Park
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