Charyn Canyon (or Sharyn Canyon) is a unique natural monument, built of sedimentary rocks, whose age is more than 12 million years. It can be considered as the younger brother of unrivaled Grand Canyon, which is located in the United States, their landscapes are very similar. However, the Kazakhs are very proud of it, claiming that it is no worse than the famous Grand Canyon, allegedly the American brother is just better known and, if I may say so, more touted.
Charyn Canyon is located in Kazakhstan, about two hundred kilometers east of the city of Almaty. The canyon is part of the Charyn National Park and is quite popular among the tourists. Its area is comparable to the territory of such a country as the Czech Republic. This is a very impressive and majestic place. In these places, scientists still find the remains of elephants, mastodons and other extinct animals.
The canyon length is more than 150 kilometers, and its depth in some places reaches 300 meters. Charyn River (or Sharyn River) flows here for millions of years, forming the bottom of the canyon. There are stones with a height of almost one hundred meters. This is truly an ancient and venerable place that still keeps the real relict flora. On the banks of the river in a few places there are unique groves of relict trees – the Sogdian ash tree and Asian poplar. The grove of ash-trees has survived the Ice Age and is now officially recognized as a natural monument. Another similar grove exists only in North America.
Charyn Canyon is one of the most beautiful places of Kazakhstan.
