Charyn Canyonvisitor guide

Charyn National Park trails: the ash grove and beyond

The Valley of Castles is one of four routes the park has laid out, 30.5 km in all. The other three, the relict ash grove by the river, a field of burial mounds and the small canyon of the Temirlik, are in other parts of the park.

Distances, fees and facts checked November 2026.

The four routes

RouteLength (park figure)Time with stops (park figure)
Valley of Castles3 km1 h 40 min to 1 h 45 min
Charyn ash grove2.5 km1 h 30 min
Burial grounds and mounds12 km1 h 15 min
Temirlik Small Canyon13 km4 h

The park describes the four as “with a total length of 30.5 kilometres”. Its description of the Temirlik route gives the canyon itself as 10 km long, inside the 13 km route.

Map of the routes of Charyn National Park: the Valley of Castles route (3 km), the Charyn ash grove route (2.5 km) at the ash grove cordon on the Charyn river, the Temirlik river, and the road between the Valley of Castles and the ash grove (83.9 km)
The Valley of Castles and the Charyn ash grove, 83.9 km apart by road, and the Temirlik river.

Valley of Castles

The park’s main route, 3 km from the staircase on the rim to the Charyn river, open all year. It has its own page: the Valley of Castles trail.

Charyn ash grove

Downstream of the Valley of Castles, to the north, on the floodplain of the Charyn, grows a forest of Sogdian ash (Fraxinus sogdiana). The park calls it a relic of the Paleogene era and gives its area as 5,014 hectares, of which 1,100 hectares are pure ash. Its route document describes trees 20 to 25 m tall and more than 300 years old.

The route through the grove is 2.5 km, about an hour and a half with stops. The grove has a park cordon, and the park has guest houses on this route for an overnight stay. By road it is a long way round from the Valley of Castles, 83.9 km, because the road has to go round to cross the river; in a straight line the two are 32.4 km apart.

Illustration: tall, old ash trees with grey furrowed trunks on a green river floodplain, dry ochre canyon walls rising behind them
Illustration. Old ash trees on the floodplain of the Charyn.

The park’s route document for the grove asks walkers to keep away from the edges of the cliffs, to watch for snakes and scorpions and to keep away from the river.

Burial grounds and mounds

The third route, 12 km long, visits burial grounds and mounds. The park counts 108 mounds on it, from 3 to 16 m across and from 0.1 to 1.2 m high. The park does not publish where the route starts; ask at the park office in Shonzhy or at a checkpoint before setting out.

Temirlik Small Canyon

The Temirlik is a tributary that comes from the south and joins the Charyn downstream of the Valley of Castles. The park’s route along its small canyon is 13 km and takes about four hours, at an altitude of about 939 m by the park’s figure. It is the longest and least visited of the four routes; carry more water than you think you need, and tell someone your plan.

Planning

  • Fees: the park charge of 865 tenge a person and about 3,030 tenge a car (2026) covers a day in the park: entrance fee.
  • Park office: Kydyrbaev Street 4, Shonzhy, Uygur district; phone numbers are on the park’s contacts page.
  • Route map and documents: the park publishes a route map and the route passports (scanned documents, in Kazakh).
  • Staying the night: park guest houses on the ash grove route and in Shonzhy: where to stay.

Questions visitors ask

What is the Charyn ash grove?
A grove of Sogdian ash along the Charyn river, which the park calls a relic of the Paleogene era. The park gives the grove’s area as 5,014 hectares, of which 1,100 hectares are pure ash, with trees 20 to 25 m tall and over 300 years old.
How long is the ash grove trail?
The park gives the ash grove route as 2.5 km, about 1 hour 30 minutes with stops.
How far is the ash grove from the Valley of Castles?
83.9 km by road from the Valley of Castles car park to the ash grove cordon, although the two are 32.4 km apart in a straight line: the road has to go round to cross the river.
What trails are there in Charyn National Park?
Four official routes, 30.5 km in all: the Valley of Castles (3 km), the Charyn ash grove (2.5 km), the burial grounds and mounds (12 km) and the Temirlik Small Canyon (13 km).

More on Charyn Canyon

Almaty to Charyn Canyon 210.8 km by road; the route via Baiseit and Kokpek, the turn-off, and the options without a car. Entrance fee and hours 865 tenge a person, about 3,030 a car (2026); every rate, how to pay, and when the park is open. Valley of Castles trail 3 km from the rim to the river, the two viewpoints, the river camp and the ride back up. Charyn, Kolsai and Kaindy 89.2 km from the canyon to Saty; the lakes' park, fee and hours, the Kaindy track and the Kolsai trail. Weather and best time Monthly temperatures, heat and frost, and the best months for the Valley of Castles walk. Where to stay Yurts by the river, the park's guest houses, camping prices, and Saty for the lakes. Charyn Canyon: the full guide The canyon, the park, the fee, the road from Almaty and the season on one page.