Шарын шатқалы (Charyn Canyon)

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is fascinating to me. If you are not easily awed come to Charyn Canyon, I was blown away by its beauty

Just as the season begins to change, the weather becomes this perfect temperate balance between the summer heat and winter chill. Best time for the first road trip in Kazakhstan. I knew it would be fun, because it started with police and we have not left the city yet. After crossing the endless, wide open steppes outside of Almaty, the canyon came as a surprise.

Charyn Canyon is part of national park and represents a monument of nature formed with multicoloured rock layers, product of different stages of sediment deposits. I found myself on top, admiring the view carved over millions of years before me and everything else in that moment wasn’t important. The chance to get out of my own mind and into nature, to be humbled by the wide open spaces is one of the reasons why I love traveling so much. And when I can share this experience with dear people, I love it even more. 

This magnificent canyon is 300 m deep. We followed the steep path downwards to enjoy the canyon from below, then sat by the river to rest before coming back up. So far this was my most interesting hike. 

TIP: Kazakhstan is huge and you need enough time to discover all the wonders of this country. I’ve had my taste and I’m constantly daydreaming to experience more.

I hope you like this little photo diary I put together to share my time adventuring through Charyn Canyon. Let me know if you have visited Kazakhstan and how did you like it. If anyone has any feedback I’d be so appreciative to receive your comments and questions below. 

♥︎ Unta