Canyons and gorges

Destinations

Africa 1 Fish River Canyon, Namibia. The largest canyon in the Africa and second largest in the world. (updated Jan 2024) 2 Blyde River Canyon, South Africa. Blyde River is very much a "green canyon", being almost completely covered in subtropical vegetation. (updated Jan 2024)

Asia 3 Taroko Gorge, Taiwan. This 19 km (12 mi) long canyon in the east of Taiwan has a number of stunning hiking trails. (updated Jan 2024) 4 Tiger Leaping Gorge, China. (updated Jan 2024)

Europe

5 Kevo Canyon, Utsjoki, Finland. The largest canyon of Finland. (updated Jun 2024) 6 Verdon Gorge, France. One of the most beautiful canyons in Europe. (updated Jan 2024)

Oceania 7 Capertee Valley, New South Wales, Australia. The second-widest canyon in the world, even wider than the Grand Canyon. (updated Jan 2024) 8 Kings Canyon, Red Centre, Northern Territory, Australia. (updated Jan 2024) 9 Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm, Purnululu National Park, Kimberley, Western Australia. (updated Jan 2024)

North America 10 Grand Canyon, United States. (updated Jan 2024) 11 Linville Gorge, United States. A rugged nature preserve off the tourist trail in North Carolina. (updated Jan 2024) 12 Canyon de Chelly, United States. Not far from the Grand Canyon, this national monument is smaller but at least as beautiful as its more famous cousin. It's also home to ancient ruins left by the Ancestral Puebloans. (updated Jan 2024) 13 Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre), Mexico. A group of six canyons formed by six different rivers. The walls of the canyons have a copper-green color, which is the source of the name. (updated Jan 2024) 14 Cañón del Sumidero (Sumidero Canyon), Mexico. This canyon is best explored in a boat ride on the Grijalva River. (updated Jan 2024)

South America 15 Colca Canyon, Peru. This canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, though its walls are not as steep. (updated Jan 2024) 16 La Paz, Bolivia. A city built in a canyon, resulting in beautiful urban landscapes and unique city planning decisions like a public transit system based on aerial cable cars. (updated Jan 2024)

Stay safe

Many canyons are found in arid and semi-arid climates. See arid region safety for tips on staying healthy in such environments. If hiking down into a canyon and back, be careful not to overtire yourself. On a typical hike up a mountain, the downhill second half is less tiring than the uphill first half, and your hiking intuitions are probably accustomed to this. A canyon is different: the first half down into the canyon is easy and the second half may be much more tiring. If you rely on your instincts to decide when to turn around in a down-and-up canyon hike, you might end up too tired to keep going on the climb up out of the canyon. This is a common problem for visitors to the Grand Canyon! Flash floods are a particular risk in canyons because a lot of water may be funneled to the narrow area at the bottom. Seek expert advice, always have an escape route, and be careful where you camp.