Kazakhstan: Charyn Canyon

Date: May 21, 2026

As part of the bus tour, we spent the day at Charyn Canyon. It's about an hour from Saty village, and the ride was comfortable. The tour covers three main sites: Black Canyon, Moon Canyon, and finally Charyn Canyon.

We started with Black Canyon, where the rocks are predominantly black. We spent about 15 to 20 minutes admiring the canyon. The weather was pleasant, slightly hot with a cool breeze, as the area is a vast, dry desert. A river runs through the canyon for miles.

Next, we visited Moon Canyon, which is similar to Black Canyon but with a wider river. It could be a great camping spot for those who want to stay a day or two. We spent another 15 minutes there before heading to the main Charyn Canyon.

Charyn Canyon stretches approximately 150 km across the desert. The area is mostly dry with some shrubs scattered around. It's an excellent place for camping and hiking among the hills, which are primarily red sand formations, offering a stunning view despite not being heavy rock formations.

The tour guide suggested two ways to view the canyon: from above for a panoramic view, which is about a 1 km stretch, or by walking through the canyon, which is around 2.5 km. I, along with two other group members, chose to walk through the canyon, finding the views more impressive than the panoramic view. On our return, we climbed the slippery red hills to enjoy the panoramic view from the top. We had two hours to return to the parking lot.

Views while walking through the canyon

While walking down the canyon we spotted some birds nest and rodents burrows. Apparently there are lot of snakes in this region.

At the end of the 2.5 km trail, you'll find a lovely river where you can dip your feet in the water. This spot is where tour group members had lunch, as there are benches available and restrooms for use. It's a great place to camp and unwind.

Canyon views while hiking to the top of the hill, I felt little bit scary a couple of times because of shoes are slippery and i was not that confident but my buddies helped me as we are climbing.

Views from top:

To fully appreciate these canyons, it's better to rent a car and spend two or three days camping in the area. I generally don't enjoy group tours due to their fixed schedules, but navigating Kazakhstan has been somewhat challenging.

Once I got on to the bus I had my lunch, as I had chicken with potatoes. It was delicious and the portions are big :). I always forget to take photos of the food, apparently my viewers love food photos :).