Yangykala Canyons

Yangykala is a vast system of canyons in the Balkan region of western Turkmenistan, often called the Grand Canyon of Central Asia. Its cliffs rise up to 100 metres above the desert floor and are striped in red, pink, orange, yellow and white.

The colours come from layers of sediment laid down on the bed of an ancient sea that once covered this land. Over millions of years wind and water carved them into ridges, towers and deep gorges that stretch for kilometres towards the Garabogazkol bay of the Caspian Sea.

There are no towns, roads or crowds here – only silence, open sky and some of the most dramatic landscapes in the country. The canyons are at their best at sunrise and sunset, when the cliffs seem to glow.

Highlights

• Panoramic viewpoints over the multicoloured cliffs
• Sunset and sunrise photography
• Camping under a clear desert sky
• Easy to combine with the pilgrimage site of Gozli-Ata