Unlike the Northern Rim Trail, where you walk along the edge of the cliff and look down at the canyon from above, this Valley of Castles Floor Trail begins with a descent. Right at the visitor center, you need to head for the wooden staircase. It is quite steep but equipped with handrails. This is the only point where you can safely descend to the bottom.
The depth here is only about 50 meters, and the descent takes 10–20 minutes. Do not miss this moment: if you walk further along the edge, as many tourists do, you will no longer be able to descend — the sheer walls drop down 200–300 meters, and there are no more staircases there.
Unlike the Northern Rim Trail, where you see the canyon as a giant map, here you find yourself inside it. This is a completely different dimension. There — panorama and geometry; here — scale and power that towers above you on both sides.
First Kilometer: Width and Calm
The first kilometer of the Charyn Canyon Floor Trail does not deceive expectations — the canyon here is quite wide, the walls do not seem threatening, it is easy to walk, and you get the impression that you are simply strolling through a spacious stone valley. The rocks on both sides are still not high, the sun floods the space, and the route seems almost ordinary.
But this is only the beginning. The valley gradually narrows, the walls begin to rise higher and higher, and you feel the space compressing around you. If on the Northern Rim Trail you see this process as a whole, here on the floor you experience it step by step.
Second Kilometer: The Birth of the "Castles"
About a kilometer in, the most interesting part begins. The gorge narrows, and on both sides appear the famous "Castles» whimsical rock formations that truly resemble towers of medieval fortresses. They rise directly from the canyon walls: sharp spires, massive columns, carved by wind and water over millions of years. In the Valley of Castles, you look up at them from below, and they tower over you like stone guardians.
The Narrowest Passage: Two Giant Stones
The narrowest point of the Charyn Canyon Floor Trail is approximately one and a half kilometers from the start. Here, the distance between the walls of the gorge is only about 100 meters. And right in the middle of the path lie two giant stones that once broke off from the peaks and fell to the bottom. Between them remains a narrow passage, through which a small vehicle — used to carry tourists along the canyon floor — barely squeezes. It passes literally centimeters from the walls — a sight that leaves no one indifferent.
For hikers, this passage becomes a natural gateway. You walk between two massive stone monoliths, and the gorge beyond them opens again — but already completely different, even deeper and narrower.
Final Stretch: Black Basalt and the Charyn River
On the final stretch of the Valley of Castles route before the Charyn River, two significant changes occur.
First, here stand several stone remnants that truly resemble real castles. They are separated from the main walls, and they have "towers" and "walls." It is here that the name "Valley of Castles" becomes fully justified. From above, from the Northern Rim Trail, you see these shapes as part of the landscape. From below, however, they transform into architecture — created not by man, but by nature itself.
Second, among the familiar red sandstones, dark, almost black basalt rocks begin to appear. They cut through the red mass in powerful veins, and this contrast — warm red and cold black — becomes simply fantastic on the last kilometer. On the floor, you walk inside this contrast — you touch the black basalt with your hands, you see how the red sandstone transitions into black right at ground level.
Wall Height: From 50 to 300 Meters
Over the entire Valley of Castles route along the Charyn Canyon floor, you will travel from a point where the walls rise only 50 meters, to the place by the Charyn River where they soar to over 300 meters. These are not just numbers — this is a feeling. At the beginning, you feel like you are on a walk. At the end, you stand at the bottom of a huge "stone sack." This is the main thing that visitors on the Northern Rim Trail miss. They see the size. But they do not feel the depth.
Who Is This Trail For?
The Floor Trail is for those who:
• want to experience the scale of the canyon from within,
• are prepared for the climb at the end (the return journey is always uphill),
• are not afraid of the heat (the sun beats down especially hard on the floor),
• want to pass through the "gateway" of two fallen stones and see the stone castles from below looking up,
• are seeking not just a beautiful view, but a physical and emotional adventure.
The Charyn Canyon Floor Trail is an opportunity to find yourself inside one of the most picturesque gorges in Central Asia, where over two kilometers of walking, nature manages to show you everything: width and narrowness, light and shadow, ancient geology, and the water of a mountain river.
