Search flights to the Grand Canyon
Canyons are a bit like Earth’s big dry pores – the pockmark scars left over from its teenage years. Rather than the pizza and cake that blemished your spoiled teenage progeny, the world’s colossal fissures are caused by plate tectonics and… oh I don’t know, probably aliens or something.
Anyway, let’s have a look at some of these marvellous grand canyons (our glorious featured image, above, is by Wolfgang Staudt).
The Grand Canyon – Arizona, USA
Whoever came up with the name of the largest canyon in the world, couldn’t have thought of a more appropriate name – it’s 275 miles long and 18 miles wide. Actually, maybe it should have been called “The Grandest Canyon”? Perhaps somebody should start a petition.
Cheap flights to the Grand Canyon
Fish River Canyon – Karas, Namibia
The second-largest canyon in the world is home to the gruelling Fish River Canyon Ultra Marathon, a 56-mile run through extreme heat and jagged terrain. Competitors can choose their route as long as they pass through defined checkpoints, but they’ll probably end up crying either way.
Blyde River Canyon – Mpumalanga, South Africa
Blyde River Canyon may not be the largest canyon in the world but it is by far the greenest, with a dense mass of sub-tropical flora and fauna overflowing throughout its 16-mile length. Surveying the intense natural beauty here, it should be of no surprise to learn that “Blyde” is Dutch for “happy”.
Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons – Arequipa, Peru
These spectacular canyons take the title of world’s deepest, with Colca being around 3,200 metres (double that of the Grand Canyon), and Cotahuasi even more impressive – 3,535 metres at its deepest point.
When trekking in these areas, you’ll also see multitudes of condors flying overhead between the massifs. The town of Chivay at one end of Colca Canyon is home to natural springs too, bringing welcome relief to all intrepid hikers.
