Charyn Canyon.

 

     The Charyn Canyon is located in the Charyn National Park  about 215km east of Almaty and approximately a 3 hour drive via the A 351 and A 352.  The Canyon has been described as the Grand Canyon’s little brother.  This is not to detract from the sheer splendor of the canyon itself.  The vista of dramatic erosion made by the river Charyn below and the elements has created a dramatic and impressive landscape.

  

     The Canyon itself is approximately 150 km long, and, in places up to 300 meters deep.

One area of particular interest, is an area of 2km called the Valley of Castles, due to the pillars and rock formations forming imposing, almost man made structures.

   

     The story of the Canyon is that it was formed about 3 million years ago as the land around the canyon started to rise.  A very large lake existed in the area around the top of the canyon and it started to empty.  Over the next million years the canyon was formed by the Charyn river.  Approximately 2 million years ago a large earthquake disturbed the flow of the river by blocking it with a land-slip.  The visitor part of the canyon then has suffered from the elements forming the rock sculptures.  The Charyn River still flows at the bottom of the canyon forming the next great canyon.  Because the area used to be a large inland sea, the deposits revealed on the sides of the canyon are relatively soft and are a geologists dream, revealing hundreds of millions of years of the earth’s history at this location.

Charyn River Canyon

        The canyon extends 154 km NE-SW along the Charyn River one of the deepest rivers of the northern Tien-Shan (200 km east of Almaty). The steep canyon slopes, columns and arches rise to heights of 150-300 m. The depth of the canyon has preserved a species of rare ash tree that has survived since the Ice Age, which currently still grows in some areas.

 East of Almaty, 200 km by highway, is the breathtaking Valley of Castles of the Charyn river. 

      
    The Charyn Canyon is a long narrow gorge featuring steep sheer rocks with a rushing river flowing between them. Under the influence of wind and water the sandstone rocks have assumed fanciful shapes reminiscent of exotic figures and fairy-tale characters. That is why the canyons are also called the Valley of Castles, the Devil's Gorge and the Ghosts Gorge.       

 Doubtless, the natural complexes of the Zailiy Alatau Mountains have great ecological, scientific and aesthetic value. The canyon of the Charyn River, the Hi River's left tributary, which flows in the east of the Region 193 km from Almaty, is considered one of the most picturesque natural canyons. This is a spectacular sight!