A day trip to Charyn Canyon

Three hours of steppe each way, and worth every kilometre. The Valley of Castles is exactly as dramatic as the postcards, but what I'll remember is the silence at the bottom of the canyon, broken only by the river and one very curious lizard.

Bring more water than you think. Bring a hat. Leave early enough to be walking down before the tour buses arrive.

On the way back we stopped by the road where granite outcrops stick out of the grass like the backs of sleeping animals. Ten minutes, two frames, no regrets.