Sulak Canyon

The Sulak cuts through the Dagestani limestone in a canyon that reaches about nineteen hundred metres from rim to river at its deepest, which by that measure is deeper than the Grand Canyon and among the deepest gorges in the world; it runs for around fifty kilometres. The standard view is from the edge at Dubki, a village built for the Chirkey hydro station, where the rim drops straight to a river that is an intense turquoise from suspended limestone particles. Boats run from Zubutli up the gorge between vertical walls, which is the other way to see it and gives the scale properly. The Chirkey dam upstream, at 232 metres one of the highest arch dams in Russia, holds a reservoir of the same colour. Dagestan has become a major domestic destination since about 2020 and the canyon is its single most visited site, with the crowding and roadside stall development that follows.

What you actually see

• The depth - about nineteen hundred metres from rim to river at the deepest point.
• The turquoise water - colour from limestone particles suspended in the Sulak.
• The Dubki rim - the standard viewpoint, straight down from the village edge.
• The boat trips - runs up the gorge from Zubutli between vertical walls.

When to go

April to June and September to October; summer is very hot and the busiest. A day from Makhachkala including the drive.

Honest expectations

Rim edges at Dubki are unfenced with a nineteen-hundred-metre drop and people take risks for photographs. Very crowded since 2020, with heavy stall development. Boat operators vary and life jackets are not always given. The road from Makhachkala is slow.

Nearby

The Chirkey dam and reservoir are upstream; Sarykum dune is south towards Makhachkala.