Camping at Charyn Canyon

I had to find things to do while in Almaty for a few days or rather I had to burn time doing nothing. I decided to make a 2 Day 1 Night day trip to Charyn Canyon just because I could. 

I figured that places I covered and explore now can be skipped hop later. My initial plan of visiting this part of Central Asia last, has now changed as I was here awaiting Bern & Ita return from KL with the Wise card.

On my way to Charyn Canyon - Kazakhstan

Charyn Canyon National Park - Kazakhstan

Charyn Canyon was a good 200km ride one way and while the roads were good, the ride was dreadfully boring. I thought I would be happy with good roads after going through long unforgiving dirt track in Kyrgyzstan but now I think I am becoming pampered really looking for that sweet spot. Good roads with maybe 20km of off track to for the last bit.

I reached Charyn Canyon in the afternoon and did a walk on the top ridge to see the second largest canyon in the world. Yep its the second largest which even I did not know about it till a few days ago hence decided to make the detour trip. 

Walking the Top Ridge of Charyn Canyon

Walking the Top Ridge of Charyn Canyon

Me taking a Photo of Charyn Canyon - Kazakhstan

I figured I would camp at the Canyon but after trying multiple dirt track to get down to the bottom of the canyon without success I back track and decided to find another camp spot.

Leaving Charyn Canyon for the main road I headed south towards one of the smaller towns. Ioverlander helped me this time and I found the little track from the main road going into the bushes which turns out to be the beginning valley of Charyn Canyon which is outside the national park. 

I pitched my tent by the river that evening as the sunset and just sit there alone in the forest by the canyon wondering if any bears would come out and eat me in the night.

The begining of Charyn Canyon

Dirt Track all the way down to the river bank for a campsite for the night - Charyn Canyon - Kazakhstan

I don’t know if anyone of you had the experience of camping alone in remote areas. It takes a certain amount of crazy to do it and after you take that one lovely picture, there is nothing else to be done other than go back to your phone or laptop.

One can only look at scenery while smoking for so long before getting bored. The place I choose to camp had intermittent reception as well so I was mostly reading a pre-downloaded offline book.

Sleep comes early during camping when you have nothing much to do. So I was fast asleep, yet somewhere around 1am when I woke up to the sounds of purring and rustling of bushes. 

It can’t be a bear I thought to myself and just went back to sleep but then later I could hear whispers of people talking. It was soft so I could not make out the words or maybe it was in Russian but it sounded like people and not animal.

I woke up for a piss but could see no one around. Yet the whispers were still barely audible. What could be worst than bears I thought, ghost would be way worst than bears. I quickly went back into tent and wrapped up for sleep ignoring every sound that came my way.

A new friend while camping at Charyn Canyon - Kazakhstan

The next morning while I was packing up camp, a guy came round the bushes and greeted me. He had a green uniform which looked like a ranger so I just waved back. Somehow that was not enough and he engaged me in conversation which after a few words I gave up and brought out the translator.

Turns out my ghost was him creeping up at 1am in his vehicle only to see me and then back up to go around another bush. I got invited to breakfast which his wife made and we continued conversation with the translator. 

I was crazy he said. There are bears here in this region he said. You were camping here as well I told him and he replied that he was a traffic police and had a gun. He came here to go hunting for bears and I was the crazy one camping alone.

My baffled look only gave him more laughter but he was really serious about the bear. Anyway I was packing up so I wished him luck for the hunt while I set off for another adventure.

Travelled on: June 2024