Aktove Canyon

The Mertvovod cuts through granite of the Ukrainian shield at Aktove, leaving a gorge about a kilometre and a half long with walls up to fifty metres and a floor strewn with enormous rounded boulders. It sits in flat steppe country where nothing suggests it is coming. The rock is old, among the oldest exposed on the continent, and the combination of granite, water and steppe grass has made it a favourite of Ukrainian photographers and campers.

What you actually see

• The granite walls - rock rising up to fifty metres above the riverbed.
• The boulder floor - huge rounded blocks filling the gorge bottom.
• The steppe setting - flat grassland giving no warning of the gorge.
• The ancient rock - some of the oldest exposed granite on the continent.

When to go

May to September is the season. Water is highest in spring and the river can be low by August. Weekends bring campers.

Honest expectations

There are no facilities and litter from camping is a persistent problem. The boulders are awkward and slippery to move across. Access roads are unsurfaced.

Nearby

Myhiya is northwest on the Southern Buh, and Voznesensk is east.