Tourism in the park Altyn-Emel.

“My companions and I walked for a long time along this sand, and it sounded under the feet of each of us. It was a kind of music ... In places, under a loose sand, a crude layer of oolite was found. In these places the sounds became the strongest and easiest to be made with the foot”

Miller. Germany.

Guide to the park Altyn-Emel.

The Singing Sands tract or the Akkum-Kalkan sand mountain is located on the right bank of the Ili River in the territory of the Altyn-Emel State Natural Park, east of the Kapshagai reservoir in the Kerbulak district of the Almaty region.
The Akkum-Kalkany mountains are 175 kilometers northeast of the city of Almaty between the spurs of the Zhungarsky Alatau - the Degeres mountains located to the west and the Kattu-Tau mountains in the east. The Kalkan mountain range, with a shield covering the Baskhyskaya Depression in the southwest (“Kalkan” - “shield”).
The Akkum-Kalkan mountains are part of the Kalkan mountain range, which stretches from west to east for 23.5 kilometers, its largest width is 9 kilometers. The length of the sandy Akkum-Kalkan, from west to east, 6.6 kilometers, width, from south to north 5.2 kilometers.
The highest height of 667.4 meters above the level is located in the central part of the sand massif. In the northern part, a rise of 580.5 meters above sea level is observed. The Ili River in the vicinity of the Akkum-Kalkan Mountains flows at an altitude of 477.4 meters above sea level. In the western mountains they border on the mountains of Kysty-Kalkan.
In the western mountains, they border the extensive Ulken-Kalkan mountains. The Akkum-Kalkan mountains are completely composed of fine quartz sand, from grains of quartz with a diameter of 0.3 - 0.5 millimeters.

Authority and photos:
Alexander Petrov.