The Yangykala Canyon: For most people, when travelling to Turkmenistan, they usually visit to see the Darvaza Gas Crater (The Gateway to Hell), or Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s white marbled gleaming capital. Not too aware; there is much else to see.
The Yangkala Canyon is a site worthy of any number of tourists, although very few Turkmens know of its existence and even fewer overseas visitors.
Location
Yangykala Canyon is located in Turkmenistan’s far northwest, at around a 591 km drive from Ashgabat and 168 km north of Balkanabat in Turkmenistan’s Balkan Region.
Turkmenistan’s Balkan Region is the westernmost of the five regions of Turkmenistan, rich in natural resources but home to harsh Rugged desert terrain.
The Balkan region has the lowest population density of Turkmenistan and is home to many nomadic herding families.
Formation
The Yangykala Canyon was formed 5.5 million years ago by the receding Tethys sea, a vast natural ocean located between the ancient continents Gondwana and Laurasia. With the gradual movement of the tectonic plates and shifts in the earth’s crust, the sea gradually receded, and the remnants of this vast waterway were trapped, forming the vast inland lakes found in Central Asia.
As the water dried and the land shifted the sedimentary limestone, the ocean base was slowly exposed. Over time, the rise and fall of the nearby Garabogazköl Black Strait Lake, combined with the cutting waters of the Amu Dara river, all contributed to the area’s erosion. Finally, the wind and rain action over thousands of years would sculpt the cavernous martian landscape we see; today.
When atop the beautiful Yangykala Canyon, make sure to look underfoot, and you will find fossilised corals, shells, and other sea creatures remnants of the oceanic heritage of the region.
Features
On approach to the Yangkala Canyon, you’ll begin to see examples of just how breathtaking the area is. The road that reaches the area sweeps down via a desert valley with stunning views of the Canyon formation, which runs into the distance (over 25KM). At this point, don’t turn back as the real wow factor is yet to emerge!
The road surface, which runs parallel to the Canyon formation, is broken and potted, making for a bumpy advance (if you’re a seasoned adventurer, this will be a piece of cake).
After around 20KM, you turn off the road and climb up a dirt track onto a raised plateau to reach the scenic area for the views of the canyons; this is where the fun begins. As you drive across the dusty desert plain dust and sand is kicked up, making for quite an adventurous drive (make sure windows are rolled up.)
Just as suddenly as you made the turning for the plateau, the first part of the canyon is there, stunning and breathtaking we defy anyone not to let out a “WOW”.
The road narrows to only a few metres wide at the first section, with stunning cliffs rolling down to the canyon floor on each side; it’s challenging to know what to photograph first.
All of the similies that you hear about the Yangykla Canyon are true; it looks like a lunar/martian landscape and resembles a fiery fortress, stupas, and monstrous teeth. We’ll leave it to you to add a few more.
The narrow road leads to a broader plateau from the first section and becomes even more beautiful. The second stop is at the end of the plateau, surrounded by rocky drops to the scenic canyon, a perfect spot to photograph the layered canyon walls with reds, browns, whites, and yellows leaching into each other.
A few metres from where your vehicles can safely stop is a feature known as the Crocodile’s Mouth. An outcrop of two horizontal overhangs, one above the other, resembling a crocodile’s open jaws. The drop-down to the valley below is over a couple of hundred metres; to stand atop the mouth isn’t too dangerous as long as it’s not too windy and you’re steady on your feet. Climbing down into the mouth itself is not recommended as the path down is steep and crumbly with no safety barrier.
Getting There
The journey to the Yangykala Canyon is not the easiest and not the most difficult. There is no public transport to the site so you would need to rent a driver and vehicle. Due to the rugged terrain, 4X4s are highly recommended (with spare tires, fuel and extra water).
The nearest cities that can be easily reached as tourists are Balkanabat (168 KM) and Turkmenbashi (170 KM). If you’re not travelling from Ashgabat, Turkmenbashi would likely be your best location to secure a 4X4. However, given the nature of travel in Turkmenistan, you’ll probably need to book your tour before entry.
Most people will visit Yangkala Canyon as part of a more extensive tour incorporating other sites in the region, such as the mighty Caspian sea and the bizarre Awaza resort. As luck would have it and the main reason for us writing this guide we have a varied number of tours that visit this beautiful region.
Check out our tours which visit Yangykala: