Trip to the "Singing Dune" from Almaty -
Photo tour of the Oshaktas steles in Altyn-Emel Park -
The Ulken-Kalkan Mountains are located in the Altye-Emel National Nature Park - these are majestic stone giants towering over the endless steppes like ancient guards. The name of the mountains is translated from Kazakh as "Big Shield", and this is not just an image - the massif really resembles a stone barrier protecting the peace of these wild, untouched lands. Their red-red rocks, reminiscent of a giant fortress wall, create a stunning contrast with the golden sands and emerald valley of the Ili River. The age of these mountains is estimated at hundreds of millions of years - they were formed in the Paleozoic era. These mountains are interesting because there are rock walls up to 300 meters high, bizarre weathering forms resembling towers and fortress battlements, and a characteristic reddish-red hue of the rocks, especially bright at sunset. These mountains keep centuries-old secrets - imprints of ancient mollusks in limestone, petroglyphs of Turkic hunters, traces of caravans of the Great Silk Road. Along the perimeter of the mountains there are such attractions of the park as: the Chokan Valikhanov spring, the Oshaktas steles and the famous Singing Dune.
How to get there and visit -
The Ulken Kalkan mountain range is located on the right bank of the Ili River on the territory of the Altyn-Emel State National Park, near the Pobshiy Dune, Kurbulak district, Almaty region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 43°52'53"N 78°30'17"E
Information -
The play of light gives the Ulken-Kalkan mountains a special magic - at dawn the rocks seem pink, during the day they glow fiery red, and at sunset they are painted in deep purple tones. The wind walking between the stone towers creates bizarre sounds reminiscent of ancient chants. In the spring, carpets of wild tulips bloom at the foot of the mountains, and in the crevices you can find relict bushes of wild apricot that have survived for thousands of years. The mountain slopes are the kingdom of mountain goats and rare birds of prey. If you are lucky, you can see a herd of argali gracefully jumping along the steep cliffs, and a majestic bearded vulture, the largest feathered predator of these places, circling high in the sky. The mountains come to life especially early in the morning, when the first rays of the sun illuminate every crack in the stone, and in the evening, when long shadows turn the rocks into a fantastic stone forest. Here you especially keenly feel the connection with the history of these places - it seems that at any moment a detachment of ancient nomads will appear from around the bend or the ringing of caravan bells along the Silk Road will be heard.
Ulken-Kalkan is not just a mountain range, but a real natural archive, preserving the memory of ancient seas, nomadic civilizations and changing climate. Its harsh cliffs, painted in crimson tones at sunset, create one of the most epic landscapes in Central Asia. For those who decide to travel to these mountains, the opportunity opens up to see Altyn-Emel from its wildest and most untouched side - without tourist infrastructure, but with an amazing feeling of unity with the ancient nature of these places.
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