We are three friends from Europe who traveled through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. With a few days available for sightseeing, we needed to choose where to go. After contacting Konstantin, he suggested that since we had already been to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, we should explore a completely different landscape—the colorful desert mountains of Aktau.

We are so glad we took his advice and made this trip! Having Konstantin as our guide was a perfect match, as he shares our passion for hiking. We spent hours exploring this hot but absolutely breathtaking area.

Our journey to the Altyn-Emel National Park lasted three days and was packed with activities. Each day started early in the morning and ended around 8 p.m. One night we stayed at a small hotel in the park, which was great because we could shower after visiting the Singing Dune (sand got everywhere!). The second night we camped in complete solitude near the desert mountains.

It was amazing to see the colorful desert mountains during sunset—an unforgettable experience!