Kazakhstan: Charyn Canyon
Казахстан: Чарынский каньон

Charyn Canyon is a unique semi-desert valley cut against the bed of the Charyn River. One of the most popular tourist outings from Almaty, these lovely landscapes are often compared to the Grand Canyon in the US. It’s an essential destination for hiking in Kazakhstan.

Total Km: 5km
Total Days: 1
Elevation Gain/Loss: 195m+ / 195m-
Start Point: Charyn Canyon Parking
End Point: Charyn Canyon Parking
GPS Files

While Charyn Canyon presents quite a spectacular landscape to visitors, the most common trekking route through the Valley of Castles offers no technical challenges. Expect a casual scenic walk, suitable for any ages or abilities.

Large tour busses will typically stop at the small parking lot at the top of the Valley of Castles – so named for the fanciful rock shapes that define the area. From the parking area, one obvious dirt road continues downwards into the canyon itself while another runs parallel to the canyon above the top rim. Both are worth wandering, but typically visitors start with the canyon itself and then climb up to the northern rim for part or all of the walk back to the parking lot.

The route is really very straightforward, following the small dirt road all the way down through the main canyon to the banks of the Charyn River. Do stop on the way to take lots of photos, scramble up the canyon walls occasionally for new views on the rock outcrops, and in general just take time to enjoy the environment – it’s a very attractive place.

Follow the main canyon all the way to the Charyn River at the end. Though it may look tempting for a swim, especially in the heat of summer, the river’s flow is deceptively fast so be extremely careful and stick close to the shore if you do so. Most visitors will either bring a picnic to enjoy on the bank here or stop in for a meal at the small Eco Lodge at the end of the canyon here.

For the walk back out of Charyn Canyon, follow the main canyon back up towards the parking lot, but at some point en route pick one of the trails that climbs steeply out to the north rim of the canyon and hike up to enjoy the view from above. It’s quite a different view than that from within the canyon walls, and an equally essential part of the experience of visiting Charyn’s Valley of Castles.

Continue following the rim of the canyon all the way back to the parking lot. If you arrived on a bus tour, you should have been given a departure time by which you needed to meet back at the bus. Be sure not to miss it, as the public transport options for getting back to Almaty from Charyn aren’t much to look at, so you’ll definitely want to catch your ride home!

Alternate Options for Charyn Canyon

While the Valley of Castles described here is by far the most popular walking option in Charyn, particularly for organized tours, the canyon system is quite a bit larger than is explored here – it stretches for around 150km overall. Visitors with either their own transport or suitable equipment for staying self-sustainable can explore much further into the Charyn Canyon system, and will see very few other visitors when doing so.

Good To Know

Entrance to the canyon is around 750 Tenge, payable at a small kiosk along the road into Charyn. Most tours will include this in the price, but be sure to verify when booking. There’s no water and very little shade in the canyon until the Charyn River at the end, so carry water and sun protection, particularly if you’re visiting in the heat of summer.

Getting to Charyn Canyon

The reason most visitors come to Charyn by either their own vehicle or by organized tours is because of the transport problem – there’s just no convenient way to get here on public transportation. It’s possible to take a bus towards Saty and ask the driver to let you off at the turnoff for Charyn, but that’s still 10km on a dusty flat road through the desert to get to the canyon.

Where to Stay and Eat

There’s a small Eco-Lodge at the end of the Valley of Castles that rents yurts, cabins, and rooms as well as running a small restaurant. It looks fine, but if we were planning to overnight at Charyn we’d prefer the self-sufficient tent camping option in order to really experience the emptiness of these beautiful canyons. Not that if you plan to camp, you’ll need to pay an additional fee when you enter the national park.