Charyn Canyon – Timerlik river

The canyon was named after the homonymous river, widely flowing along its bottom. This place is believed to be an iconic landmark of Kazakhstan. It will be enough to say that Charyn is even considered to be a twin brother of the world-famous Grand Canyon located in American Arizona. Not far from the canyon, there is the Chinese border, which is a bit over 130 km away. The attraction is 210 kilometers away from Almaty. As far as the Charyn River is concerned, it is one of the largest in the region. Both the canyon and the river are a part of the homonymous national park, which was founded here in the early 2000s.

The river has a rich history, which reaches more than a dozen million years! This time was enough for water to cut a canyon in the mountains, which got its name after the river. The canyon is about 150 kilometers long. Its special feature is incredibly beautiful relief. You will see how its lines, slopes, arches and other elements closely match each other. All of them are formed by ancient rocks with the help of water, winds and time. The bizarre forms of the canyon are tall and majestic.

Timerlik River

It falls into the Charyn River 10 kilometers to the north of the Valley of Castles. It has its own canyon; along its bottom you will be able to see a small forest shaped as a green strip. It is noteworthy that the tree crowns are interwoven here. The river has to loop among ashes and poplars. Also, tourists will be able to see unusual rocky cliffs and the most beautiful waterfalls.

You can come here at any time. But remember that in January it is very cold here – you will freeze without warm clothes. In summer, on the contrary, it is hot. Snow is rare in winter. The snow cover is no more than 20 centimeters deep.

You will certainly be fascinated by the diversity of flora and fauna. In the canyon area itself, grow about one and a half thousand plant species, some of which are included in the Kazakhstan Red Book.

Relict Sogdian ash is particularly precious. Surprisingly, it managed to survive the famous glaciation before the Quaternary era. The local ash grove is huge, with the area reaching five thousand hectares. It spread out proudly in the valley of the Charyn River. Here, you will find dense thickets of various plants that you won’t see anywhere else. However, there are familiar trees as well. For example, poplars.

The territory of the national reserve is rich in fauna. There are more than 60 animal species, about 100 species of birds and various reptiles. Most often, tourists come across foxes, hares and other nimble little animals and rare mountain goats. Among the birds, the ones included in the Red Book are worth mentioning. Especially it relates to owls, golden eagles, kumai, unique dwarf eagles and other magnificent creatures. Wandering around the area, you can come across a wide variety of reptiles, including copperhead snake and whip snakes, whose color will surely fascinate even an experienced tourist.