10 Most Breathtaking Canyons In The World

Carved over millions of years by rivers, wind and shifting earth, the world’s great canyons are among the most spectacular landscapes on the planet. From the sheer scale of the Grand Canyon to the glowing sandstone curves of Antelope Canyon and the dizzying depths of Peru’s Colca Canyon, each tells a different story of geological time. Here are ten of the most breathtaking canyons in the world.

A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Here’s a list of some of the most breathtaking and spectacular canyons in the world: 1. Grand Canyon, Arizona – The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s largest canyons, it is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet or 1,800 meters). It is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

  2. Fish River Canyon, Namibia – The Fish River Canyon is located in the south of Namibia. It is the second largest canyon in the world and the largest in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles (160 km) long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep 3. Indus Gorge, Pakistan – Indus Gorge is the deepest canyon in the world. The Indus river, a major river in Asia, flows in this gorge. The Indus river passes the gigantic gorge 4,500-5,200 meters (15,000-17,000 feet) deep near the Nanga Parbat massif, where it passes the Nagan Parbat mountain – the 9th highest mountain in the world which is covered in glaciers.   4. Bicaz Canyon, Romania – The Bicaz Canyon is located in north-east of Romania. The canyon was dug by the waters of Bicaz River and it serves as a passageway between the Romanian provinces of Moldova and Transylvania. The road is around 8 kilometers long of ravines and curves with rocks on one side and a sheer drop on the other. It is famous for being one of the most spectacular drives in the Romania [put_links_units_468_15] 5. Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Iceland – Fjaðrárgljúfur is a canyon in south-east Iceland which is up to 100 m deep and about 2 kilometers long, with the Fjaðrá river flowing through it. The canyon was created by progressive erosion by flowing water from glaciers through the rocks   6. Verdon Gorge, France – The Verdon Gorge (Gorges du Verdon) in south-eastern France is a river canyon that is often considered to be one of Europe’s most beautiful canyons. It is 25 kilometres long and up to 700 metres deep and was formed by the Verdon River. The canyon is very popular with tourists, who can drive around its rim, rent kayaks or hike, and even do rock climbing on the limestone walls, which are several hundreds of metres high   7. Antelope Canyon, Arizona – Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the Southwest America. It was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone, primarily due to flash flooding and secondarily due to other sub-aerial processes. Rainwater, especially during monsoon season, runs into the extensive basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand as it rushes into the narrow passageways. Over time the passageways are eroded away, making the corridors deeper and smoothing hard edges in such a way as to form characteristic ‘flowing’ shapes in the rock. Flooding in the canyon still occurs 8. Kali Gandaki Gorge, Nepal – The Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi is the gorge of the Kali Gandaki (or Gandaki River) in the Himalayas in Nepal. The gorge depth is difficult to define due to disagreement over rim height, but by some measures, the Kali Gandaki is the deepest gorge in the world. The gorge separates the major peaks of Dhaulagiri (8,167 m or 26,795 ft) on the west and Annapurna (8,091 m or 26,545 ft) on the east. The Kali Gandaki gorge has been used as a trade route between India and Tibet for centuries. Today, it is part of a popular trekking route from Pokhara to Muktinath, part of the Annapurna Circuit   9. Copper Canyon, Mexico – A group of canyons consisting of six distinct canyons in Chihuahua, Mexico. The canyons were formed by six rivers that merge into the Rio Fuerte and empty into the Sea of Cortez. The origin of the name if from the color of the canyon walls which are copper-green   10. Tiger Leaping Gorge, China – A canyon on the Jinsha River, southwestern China. It is a contender for the world’s deepest river canyon, depending on the exact definition used

For more of the planet’s natural wonders, see the deepest lakes in the world, the most beautiful sand dunes, and the most amazing salt flats.

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