Poyushchiy Barkhan

The "Poyushchiy Barkhan" (or Singing Dunes) in the Altyn-Emel National Park in Kazakhstan are truly remarkable. The combination of these majestic dunes and the unique sound phenomenon they create due to the wind makes it an outstanding destination for nature and landscape enthusiasts. The magnificent view and the mysterious atmosphere of these dunes make it a must-visit place if you have the opportunity to explore the region.

Sorry for the poor photos, it had been a long morning for us. First, I completely disagree with those that say you *must* have a 4 wheel drive to get there. It's a gravel road the whole way. You can certainly drive on a gravel road in a regular car if you want to, don't let the fact that you don't ha e a 4x4 stop you. We've been on the road several days and we've been going hard we're also very experienced travelers. Both my husband and my daughter have injuries at the moment and we simply decided against trying to walk all the way up the dunes to then slide down them, I'll have to trust others to believe they really do sing. They are beautiful. We drove through the park all day long and the only wildlife we saw was one vulture. It's okay though, we've seen loads of wildlife over the years. I encourage you to make the drive, especially of you're into this stuff and don't worry about the four wheel drive. You won't be comfortable but you can make it. Gravel roads in the middle of nowhere are never comfortable for anyone.

National reserve. They breed up many species of artiodactyls here. We were lucky to see the onager, the gazelle, the gopher. The Ili river winds to the south of the Singing dune. To hear it roar, the chief ranger advised we should go up and slide down the eastern part of the dune. And it sang)))

The singing dunes are not so easy to access. You definitely need a 4x4 as the road is very bumpy.

Amazing place!!!
Only around 30min driving from Kalinino (Basshi). And Genghis Khan stelas are only 10min driving from here.
I really recommend to visit this places. And the best you can do is to take a ranger-guide from the office in Kalinino. They know this park very well, roads, tell you a lot of interesting things for not very much money and you also help to the locals.

Beautiful view, amazing sounds :) it's worth to go further then most turist and go down the dune on the 'no-wind' side to hear it sing

Awesome experience. Short distance to the top of the dune. Moderately difficult, but on the way down it’s easy. It makes hum that you can feel if you put your palm on the sand. The hum usually appears when someone decides to slide down the dune on one side. Tip: it’s easier if you walk on the very top edge of the dune so as not to work one leg more than the other.

Unique and unusual desert in the mountain. About 50 km from the office. The road is almost off-road, sedan is tough to drive, but you can!!! It takes 5 hours from Almaty, and you have to be ticketing in the office of the national park.

Definitely a very peculiar view

Worth the visit, better seen in person than photos.

Definitely one of the highlights of Kazakhstan! Best to go there early in the morning or in the evening when the sand is not too hot.

Beautiful! It is just a long way to get to the dune. I recommend maps.me for the navigation system. Life saver

Very hot, but I have never seen anything like this before. A must go

Beautiful place

Famous olace near the Almaty

Windy and stunning

Really impressive

Незабываемые впечатления. Бархан издает звук похожий на хруст снега в мороз, только более протяжный. Рекомендую. Единственное что, запасайтесь терпением по поводу качества дороги.

О! - Восклицание восторга при виде этой горы песка.
Одна из достопримечательностей природного парка "Алтын-Эмель" - Поющий бархан. Эту огромную дюну длиной около 3 км. шириной 500 м. и высотой более 130 м. назвали поющим из-за гудения, которое производит бархан в сухую ветреную погоду. К нему мы попали после дождя. Песок был влажный, и бархан был нем, словно воды в рот набрал. Но зато взбираться по гребню было легче - песок не сползал под ногами. Путь на вершину в 150 метров не долог и с гребня открываются замечательные виды на реку Или и горы вокруг - Большие и Малые Калканы и далекий Алтын-Эмель. Было облачно, ветрено, прохладно, поэтому засиживаться на высоком холме из песка не стали, а спустились вниз: кто-то обычно на ногах, а кто-то и на пузе или кубарем. Бархан по-прежнему молчал.

Обязательно к посещению! Поет бархан в сухую погоду, имейте в виду, поэтому после дождей ехать смысла особого нет. Также немного поет когда скатываешься вниз по склону, больше звук похож на гул, очень необычно и захватывающе. Дорога не очень хорошая до Бархана, в основном ездят на джипах и уазах. Подняться на сам бархан не сложно, не очень высокий, но вид с него открывается отличный! В праздничные и выходное народу довольно много приезжает.