Yangykala Canyon

Yangykala Canyon, hidden in the remote western deserts of Turkmenistan, is one of the most spectacular and least-visited natural wonders in Central Asia, a breathtaking maze of steep canyons and cliffs. Carved by an ancient sea, its dramatic rock walls are banded in vivid, glowing stripes of pink, red, crimson, orange and creamy white, which blaze most intensely in the low light of sunrise and sunset, earning it the name canyon of fire. Utterly empty and silent, its surreal, otherworldly formations spreading to the horizon make it a stunning and unforgettable desert landscape.

What you actually see

• The banded cliffs - the walls striped in pink, red and white.
• The sunset colours - the rock blazing in the low light.
• The canyon rim - the viewpoints over the vast formations.
• The desert emptiness - the silent, otherworldly wilderness.

When to go

Spring, April to May, and autumn, September to October, for the mildest weather, as the desert is scorching in summer; the canyon glows most spectacularly at sunrise and sunset, so an overnight camping trip or an early or late arrival captures its colours at their most vivid.

Honest expectations

It is extremely remote, in the far west of the country, reached by a long four-wheel-drive journey with no facilities, and, like all travel in Turkmenistan, is undertaken on an official guided tour, adding cost and planning. There is no infrastructure at the canyon itself. For the reward of a spectacular, banded desert canyon glowing at sunset in near-total solitude, though, it is one of Central Asia's great hidden natural wonders.

Nearby

The Caspian coast at Türkmenbaşy and the western deserts are within reach.