Charyn Canyon
The Charyn canyon runs 154 km along the Charyn river, with walls 150–300 m high in rock about 12 million years old. People come for the Valley of Castles: a dry side gorge 3 km long, of which about two are the photogenic part. There is a car park on the rim and a lodge by the river below; you walk down and back up the same way, and the climb back is the whole of it. From Almaty it is 212 km of asphalt, three hours, and no 4x4 is needed. In summer the canyon is a furnace with no shade — come in spring or autumn. Entry is 865 tenge (about 22,700 UZS), 2,595 tenge for a car.
Weather
At 1 024 mNow: 3° · Partly cloudy · Wind 1 km/h
Updated: 8 min ago · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)
Trail conditions
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Discussion
No questions yet. Ask the first one.
How to get there
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Fly to Almaty, then driveAir Astana, Uzbekistan Airways, Qanot Sharq and Centrum Air fly Tashkent — Almaty. We could not verify either a fare or a flight time — the airline sites return nothing to a script — so we print no number. From Almaty to the car park on the canyon rim is 212 km of asphalt, three hours.
- Toshkent → Olmaota Flight Fare and duration unverified.
- Olmaota → Sharin darasi Car · 3 h 3 min · 211,8 km
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By car from TashkentTashkent to Almaty is 813 km and 9 h 50 min of driving — the border queue is not in that. Almaty to the canyon is another 212 km, three hours. It will not fit in a day: sleep in Almaty. · 1025,0 km · 12 h 52 min
- Toshkent → Olmaota Car · 9 h 49 min · 812,7 km
- Olmaota → Sharin darasi Car · 3 h 3 min · 211,8 km
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By train to AlmatyThe Almaty-2 — Tashkent Talgo runs daily (KTZ's own train list, May 2026 timetable). Departure time, journey time and fare could not be obtained — check at the station or on railways.kz. From Almaty to the canyon you need a taxi or a hire car, 212 km.
- Toshkent → Olmaota Public transport Daily Talgo; times and fare unverified.
- Olmaota → Sharin darasi Car · 3 h 3 min · 211,8 km
Questions and answers
Do you need a permit?
Yes. This is a protected area: entry needs permission, or a fee at the gate. National park: you pay at the barrier and keep the receipt. Kaspi QR or cash tenge — foreign cards are not taken. No permit is needed. The park's own website is dead (charyn.kz does not resolve, sharyn.kz is empty), so we could not check opening hours or the visiting rules — ask at the gate. This is a trip across a border: bring a passport.
How do you get there?
Fly to Almaty, then drive: Air Astana, Uzbekistan Airways, Qanot Sharq and Centrum Air fly Tashkent — Almaty. We could not verify either a fare or a flight time — the airline sites return nothing to a script — so we print no number. From Almaty to the car park on the canyon rim is 212 km of asphalt, three hours. There are 3 ways in altogether.
Which months are best?
Apr–May, Sep–Oct — that is when people go.
What does it cost?
Park entry, per person/day — 22 700 UZS (per person, 865 KZT @ 2026-09-16), Vehicle entry, per day — 68 000 UZS (per car, 2595 KZT @ 2026-09-16). The prices are estimates and can differ on the day.
Is there water on the way?
There is no water in the gorge. The Charyn runs below but it is silty; carry drinking water down from the top, at least 3 litres a person.
Is there phone signal?
It comes and goes.
Photos
Photos by Wikimedia Commons contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0
