🛖 Kazakh yurt at the Caravansarai Campsite in Basshi, Altyn-Emel National Park.
🏆 Altyn-Emel ranks 7th in the Top 10 most incredible national parks outside the USA, according to Travel+Leasure's A-List advisors.
🏘️ Basshi is an authentic Kazakh outback among the vast steppe surrounded by the Dzhungarian Mountains.
🛋️ We have all the amenities for travelers - good toilets, showers, comfortable and clean bedding, delicious national cuisine, outdoor dining, and a variety of services.
The space
🛖 Unusual nomadic house, a round yurt with a high dome.
🌾 The floor and frame are made of natural wood and steppe cheegrass.
🖼️ Colorful oriental decoration: wall panels, carpets, mattresses.
🔅 Heater for cool weather.
❄️ Fan for hot weather. For the comfort of guests in the hot season, the felt covering is removed. The yurt is well ventilated.
🪣 We pay special attention to cleaning and disinfection of the premises.
🧑🧑🧒 The yurt sleeps up to 4-6 people.
🛏️ We provide all bedding.
🧏🏻♂️ Since the yurt traditionally has thin walls, please be ready for the sounds of nature: the lowing of cows, the roar of donkeys, the bleating of sheep, the neighing of horses, and in the morning you will certainly be awakened by the cheerful crowing of a rooster. Please bring earplugs for your comfort.
🚾 Traditionally, the yurt does not have a bathroom inside. But there are comfortable showers and toilets a few meters away, so this is usually not a problem for our guests.
You can use all the amenities of the Caravansarai" campsite:
🫕 Fully equipped kitchen. You can cook your own food or pre-order from the menu (we have a cook).
🍽️ Shared dining area: dining room in the house and summer terrace.
🪑 Tables and chairs near the yurt.
🚾 Shared toilets and showers outside:
🚽 2 men's and 2 women's WC. Toilets, urinals, hygienic shower, sinks, liquid soap, napkins, toilet paper.
🚿 4 shower rooms. Hot water, heated floors, hangers, large mirrors, Grohe sanitary ware.
🏡 I have bought this estate in the village of Basshi for myself as a quiet place away from the noisy city and for exploring the huge Altyn-Emel National Park, which has not only the Singing Dune, the colorful Aktau Mountains, but also ancient artifacts, rock paintings of nomadic tribes.
🐫 Altyn-Emel has hardly changed since the Silk Road.
🛋️ Subsequently, I began to invite guests and tourists to show them these places and provide maximum comfort after a rather difficult journey through the national park.
🛠️ A lot of work has been done to improve the house and the yard, and we continue this.
🛖 My small collection of retro cars, motorhomes and national yurts has allowed me to create a unique space to relax.
🐂 You may be interested in observing the daily life of locals and immersing yourself in the atmosphere of a Kazakh village thanks to 3D fence panels.
🚿 At the same time, we want you to enjoy comforts of home. We offer modern toilets, showers, clean bed linen, good drinks and fresh food. We have everything a tired traveler needs.
🍽️ The campsite accepts many guests from all over the world, they usually gather for breakfast and dinner on the terrace or in the dining room, but the campsite provides enough space for privacy. You can sit at separate tables in the garden.
💡 The campsite has outside lighting.
🚗 You can park in the yard, there is no need to carry your luggage too far.
Guest access
📝 2 minutes' drive from the Altyn-Emel National Park office.
🛒 A small grocery store next to the campsite (only basic foodstuff).
🅿️ Free parking on the campsite.
🚾 New toilets and showers on the campsite.
🌞 Large summer terrace.
🌳 Orchard.
🪑 Outdoor furniture - tables, chairs.
👩🏻🍳 You can cook your own food or pre-order from the menu (we have a cook). We offer European breakfasts, national dishes, vegetarian food, a variety of drinks, freshly brewed coffee, homemade bread, fresh pastries, fruits, vegetables and herbs from our own garden, lunch boxes for the trip to the park.
🧖🏻 Try a real Russian wood-fired sauna, it is a great way to make you feel like new after the trip (KZT 16,000/2 hours).
🚙 We offer tours from Basshi to the Altyn-Emel National Park on Pinzgauer 4x4 cars:
✔️ Singing Dune (3-5 hours) - KZT 84,000.
✔️ Colorful Aktau Mountains (5-6 hours) - KZT 102,000.
✔️ Singing Dune + Aktau Mountains (whole day, can be very tiring) - KZT 164,000.
✔️ Dzhungarian Mountains, petroglyphs (3-4 hours) - KZT 80,000.
🗣️ Russian and English speaking guide services:
Singing Dune route - KZT 25,000.
Aktau Mountains route - KZT 30,000.
🚙 Price per car (seating up from 4-5 pax).
The park is open for visitors only during daylight hours.
Please order tours after booking. You can message us on Airbnb regarding the tour details.
Other things to note
🌎 Internet
We have Wi-Fi. In Basshi, there is good mobile communication and 4G Internet. Inside the park, there is no Internet, and almost no mobile communication.
🚙 Roads
There is no public transport to Altyn-Emel. Dirt roads inside the park are bad, we recommend to use 4x4 cars and tyres for dirt roads.
⛽ Gas Stations
In the villages of Saryozek (on the way from Almaty) and Chundzha, or Shonzhy (on the way from Charyn).
Basshi has one old gas station, which sometimes lacks fuel.
📝 Passes (Permits)
To be bought in the park office in Basshi (2 minutes' drive from our campsite). The office is open daily, from 9 am till 6 pm, lunch break from 1 pm till 2:30 pm.
You can enter the park and stay there only during daylight hours.
To enter the Basshi village, the permit is not needed.
👋 We welcome guests all year round. You can get advice from us about visiting the Altyn-Emel National Park. Please write to us on Airbnb, we always respond.
