Tours and excursions to the Charyn canyon and natural park
Drive from Almaty city to Charyn canyon
The gorge stretches for 154 km from northeast to southwest along the Charyn River. The relief of this region is different. Many rivers, originating from the northern slopes and ranges of Terskey and Kungey Alatau, flow into the Charyn River and turn into a river, forming a huge gorge passing through the Zhalanash depression and the eastern part of the Toraigyr mountains.
Charyn canyon - how to get from Almaty
The gorge is located about 195 km east of the city of Almaty in the Charyn National Park, Uygur District, Almaty Region. All objects on the Charyn River are part of the Charyn State National Natural Park, created on April 23, 2004 on the territory of Kazakhstan.
Aktogay gorge
Aktogay gorge (White Forest) is a trapezoidal gorge, 3 km wide and 200 to 300 m deep.
Kurtogay gorge
In the eastern part of the Toraigyr ridge, the Charyn river forms a deep and narrow gorge called Kortogay. The most popular object in this gorge is the "Valley of the Fortress". Orange-pink rocks, formed by washing away rain, snow and wind, create a unique shape and transport anyone to the world of fabulous monuments - palaces, towers and minarets. The gorge acquired this modern look about half a million years ago. The depth of the gorge reaches 100 meters.
The gorges of the Uzunbulak valley
The Uzunbulak Valley, located south of the Katutau Mountains, is also a masterpiece of nature, a very beautiful work of nature. Gusts of wind and washout of rainwater created images of yellow sedimentary rocks, reminiscent of amazing architectural forms - yurts, lined up side by side. Many ravines form a series of dense and chaotic small ravines. In the gorge, dwellings and tools of labor of ancient people were discovered, fossil animals and plants of the Jurassic period were found in bare rocks.
Another small gorge is located between the "Valley of the Fortress" and a tributary on the right bank of the Temirlik River. It looks like a miniature copy of Fortress Valley. The main difference is the variety of towers and pillars that resemble Easter Island statues.
Iron gorges or small gorges on Charyn
The Zheleznaya River is the largest and last tributary of the Charyn. Like the Charyn River, Temirlik is divided into three independent gorges of equal length. The first gorge stretches for about 11 km in the valley at the foot of the Ketmen ridge, where the Temirlik river begins. It is formed of rocky hard rocks, up to 200 meters wide and about 100 meters deep. A grove of Sogdian ash trees grows at the foot of the gorge along the river. The middle part of the gorge was wide, about 1.5 km wide and 160 meters deep. Its length is 11 km. Surprisingly, this part of the gorge is strikingly different from other places. In the dark shadows of the many trees and bushes that grow along the coast, the river flows smoothly along the beautiful green coast. A real oasis in the semi-arid steppe heat. Then the river breaks out from the shade of trees and bushes and through a rocky gorge, where herds of wild horses graze, returns to a vast gorge. Then the most interesting part of the gorge begins. For millions of years, the river has flowed in a deep and narrow channel, seeking to remove sedimentary rocks. The relief resembles the "Valley of Castles" in shape. The big advantage of this part of the gorge over other objects of the Charyn River is that a dense green forest with a wide range of flora grows on it and a comfortable microclimate is created at the bottom of the gorge.
Ash grove on Charyn
Ash grove downstream of the Charyn River is also particularly attractive. This place is called "Sarytogay". A unique tree grows in the grove, which has preserved its appearance for 2 million years, starting from the Pliocene epoch - the Sogdian ash tree. There are big trees in the forest. Some of them can barely accommodate 10 people. There are also a variety of deciduous chestnuts called tugai depending on the shape and size of the leaves.
Charyn (valley of castles)
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