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Charyn Canyon vs the world's canyons: depth and length compared

Charyn is often compared with the Grand Canyon. How much smaller is it? Depth and length next to eight famous canyons, with a source for every figure.

Verified: 2026-10

Engraving: cross-sections of five canyons of different depths side by side, like a geological plate
IllustrationEngraving: cross-sections of five canyons of different depths side by side, like a geological plate

Charyn Canyon is 154 km long and 150–300 m deep according to reference sources, up to 370 m at some points per park materials. Below are the same two measures for eight canyons around the world. Charyn’s depth is always shown as a range: a single number would be more precise than any measurement we can cite.

Data and sources

CanyonDepth, mLength, kmDepth vs CharynSource
Charyn CanyonKazakhstan150–300up to 370 in places154range in reference sourcescharyn.kz
Grand CanyonUSA1,600average4475–11× deeper than CharynNPS
Fish River CanyonNamibia5501601.8–3.7× deeper than CharynWikipedia
Colca CanyonPeru3,2707011–22× deeper than CharynWikipedia
Verdon GorgeFrance700252.3–4.7× deeper than CharynWikipedia
Tara River CanyonMontenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina1,333824.4–8.9× deeper than CharynWikipedia
Sulak CanyonRussia, Dagestan1,920536–13× deeper than CharynWikipedia
Antelope CanyonUSA370.414.1–8.1× shallower than Charynslot canyonWikipedia
Yarlung Tsangpo Grand CanyonChina, Tibet6,009average 2,268504.620–40× deeper than CharynWikipedia

Eight canyons of the world

  • Engraving: wide view into a deep canyon with terraced walls and erosion pillars
    Charyn Canyon Kazakhstan depth 150–300 m · length 154 km
  • Engraving: a vast canyon of horizontal red sandstone layers and buttes
    Grand Canyon USA depth 1,600 m (average) · length 447 km 5–11× deeper than Charyn
  • Engraving: a wide winding canyon in a rocky desert, the river in tight bends
    Fish River Canyon Namibia depth 550 m · length 160 km 1.8–3.7× deeper than Charyn
  • Engraving: a deep mountain valley with ancient farming terraces and a condor
    Colca Canyon Peru depth 3,270 m · length 70 km 11–22× deeper than Charyn
  • Engraving: a narrow limestone gorge with a turquoise river
    Verdon Gorge France depth 700 m · length 25 km 2.3–4.7× deeper than Charyn
  • Engraving: a deep forested gorge spanned by a high arched bridge
    Tara River Canyon Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina depth 1,333 m · length 82 km 4.4–8.9× deeper than Charyn
  • Engraving: a gorge with sheer stepped cliffs and a turquoise river in dry mountains
    Sulak Canyon Russia, Dagestan depth 1,920 m · length 53 km 6–13× deeper than Charyn
  • Engraving: a narrow slot canyon with wavy walls and a shaft of light
    Antelope Canyon USA depth 37 m · length 0.41 km 4.1–8.1× shallower than Charyn
  • Engraving: an immense gorge between snowy peaks and a great river bend
    Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon China, Tibet depth 6,009 m · length 504.6 km 20–40× deeper than Charyn
Illustrations Engravings in the style of a 19th-century atlas, not photographs of these places. Figures come from the table above.

Why comparisons differ

  • Depth varies along a canyon. For the Grand Canyon the US National Park Service publishes only an average depth of about 1.6 km, labelled as such. We do not invent a maximum.
  • A slot canyon is a different type. Antelope Canyon is tens of metres deep but in places one step wide: its effect is narrowness, not scale.
  • Canyon length is not river length. The river runs above and below the gorge; the table gives the canyon’s own length from the source.

What it means for a visit

The Grand Canyon recorded 4,430,653 visits in 2025, per NPS statistics. Charyn is 195 km from Almaty and can be seen in a day: getting there. How deep the canyon is next to familiar buildings is on the scale page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Charyn bigger or smaller than the Grand Canyon?
Much smaller. Charyn is 154 km long against 447 km — almost three times shorter. Depth differs more: 150–300 m for Charyn against an average of about 1.6 km for the Grand Canyon.
Which canyon in the comparison is the deepest?
The Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, up to 6,009 m according to the figures cited by Wikipedia — 20 to 40 times deeper than Charyn.
Are any canyons shallower than Charyn?
Yes — Antelope Canyon in the USA is a slot canyon about 37 m deep: narrow rather than deep.

Sources

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