Three canyons: Charyn, Moon, Black
An early start from Almaty (around 06:00–07:00) and a drive of about three and a half hours bring the group to Charyn Canyon. A path descends to the river and runs through the “Valley of Castles”, a 2–3 km section of the 154 km canyon where red sandstone towers rise on both sides and the midday sun turns the cliffs to copper. After the walk, the road continues to Moon Canyon, a neighboring valley with gray and bluish rock formations whose bare, folded slopes look more like a lunar surface than a place on Earth. Around lunchtime, visit Black Canyon with its volcanic walls and narrow passages, a dark, contrasting palette after the red of Charyn. Then the road leads back to Almaty, where the group arrives late in the evening. It is a long day of about 13–14 hours, much of it on the road.