Charyn Canyon

Charyn Canyon stretches for some 150 km along the Charyn river, close to the Chinese border. Its most famous section, the Valley of Castles, is a corridor of red and orange cliffs up to 300 m high, sculpted by wind and water into towers, walls and battlements.

An easy path leads along the canyon floor down to the river, with ever-changing light on the rock. It is often called the younger brother of the Grand Canyon — smaller, but wild, quiet and remarkably photogenic.

The canyon lies on the road from Almaty to Saty, the village at the entrance to the Kolsai lakes, so it fits naturally into the first day of a Tian Shan journey.