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Balka Pkhamakhuko seen from above (Sentinel-2)

Russia Russia Ravine

Balka Pkhamakhuko

323 m deep, 4.7 km long.

See the cutWhen to go

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30

The cut

323 metres, to scale.

A slice through Balka Pkhamakhuko where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.

926 m936 m323 m6.2 km rim to rim1.0 kmvertical scale × 2.1926 m936 m323 m6.2 km rim to rim1.0 kmvertical scale × 3.0

Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m

Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.

323m

Depth

measured on the 30 m relief model

6.2km

Rim to rim

measured on the 30 m relief model

22°

Steepest wall

average over 300 m, from the relief

4.7km

Length

Rim to floor

2 °C warmer at the bottom.

In August the afternoon reaches 29 °C on the floor, against 27 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in May and from September to October. The rim freezes at night from December to March. The wettest months are from May to June.

rim · 936 mfloor · 603 m
  1. 4°2°Jan
  2. 6°4°Feb
  3. 11°9°Mar
  4. 16°14°Apr
  5. 22°19°May
  6. 25°23°Jun
  7. 28°26°Jul
  8. 29°27°Aug
  9. 24°22°Sep
  10. 18°16°Oct
  11. 12°9°Nov
  12. 6°4°Dec
Hike: May, Sep–OctFrost on the rim: Dec–MarWettest: May–Jun

Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.

Ravine in Russia

Balka Pkhamakhuko is a ravine in Russia. The relief model measures 323 m from the floor to the lower rim. It runs for 4.7 km. Rim to rim it is 6.2 km wide where the cut was taken.

Getting there.

  • Inzhich-Chukunnearest town · 3.3 km in a straight line
  • Parking 830 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
  • Mineralnye Vody Airport (MRV)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 104 km in a straight lineCar hire at KUT airport (Kopitnari)Discover Cars · sponsored link
  • In May and from September to Octoberbest months to hike (estimate)

Plan the visit

Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

The river

The the river runs highest from March to June.

The the river carries about 19 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from March to June.

  1. 16 m³/sJan
  2. 18 m³/sFeb
  3. 40 m³/sMar
  4. 41 m³/sApr
  5. 49 m³/sMay
  6. 41 m³/sJun
  7. 21 m³/sJul
  8. 4.9 m³/sAug
  9. 6.0 m³/sSep
  10. 19 m³/sOct
  11. 8.8 m³/sNov
  12. 5.6 m³/sDec

From about 4.9 m³/s in the lowest month to 49 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 1,502 km².

The Maly Zelenchuk from source to mouth on Riveryas — coming soon

Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.

From the sky.

The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.

Balka Pkhamakhuko seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 3 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around the canyon.

  • 1footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
  • 1caves within 3 km
  • 1car parks within 3 km
  • 1bus stops within 2 km
  • 1hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmгостинично-туристический комплекс "Адиюх-пэлас"
  • viewpoints within 5 km
  • marked hiking routes within 4 km
  • via ferrata routes within 4 km
  • climbing crags within 3 km
  • rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
  • swimming spots within 3 km
  • named waterfalls within 4 km
  • information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
  • campsites within 8 km
  • restaurants and cafés within 4 km

Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Towns nearby

  • Inzhich-Chukun3.3 km in a straight line
  • Khabez5.5 km in a straight line
  • Ali-Berdukovskiy12 km in a straight line
  • Ust’-Dzheguta14 km in a straight line
  • Ispravnaya15 km in a straight line
  • Besleney17 km in a straight line
  • Druzhba21 km in a straight line
  • Pravokubanskiy22 km in a straight line

In our other atlases

What else is around Balka Pkhamakhuko.

The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.

Peakyas3 mountains within 15 km
Gora El'burgan-Akhua · 8.1 kmGora Tumba-Chig · 12 kmGora Kreyda · 12 km

Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.

Month by month

The weather, at the floor and at the rim.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Afternoon · floor461116222528292418126
Afternoon · rim2491419232627221694
Night · rim-6-5-228121515105-1-5
Rain (mm)484370548284695659715650
Rainy days10912111414121010101011
Sun hours/day3.54.94.86.87.88.89.59.27.45.33.83.1
Snow on the ground (cm)17161482000041116
Afternoon · floorAfternoon · rimNight · rimRain (mm)Sun hours/day
Jan42-6483.5
Feb64-5434.9
Mar119-2704.8
Apr16142546.8
May22198827.8
Jun252312848.8
Jul282615699.5
Aug292715569.2
Sep242210597.4
Oct18165715.3
Nov129-1563.8
Dec64-5503.1

Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (603 m) and the rim (936 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.

Recent years

Wet years, dry years.

Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
202075%101%255%53%130%129%82%61%39%37%92%36%
2021150%201%91%206%119%126%118%147%156%62%108%98%
202276%76%50%83%91%103%100%43%177%143%34%45%
202312%108%135%136%127%92%101%28%37%55%213%118%
2024144%98%35%30%92%95%63%65%153%90%126%61%
202527%87%72%209%109%72%51%78%153%178%36%149%

130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month

Compare with the neighbours.

Balka Pkhamakhuko

Russia

  • 323 mDepth
  • 6.2 kmRim to rim
  • 4.7 kmLength
  • 22°Steepest wall

Kodori Valley

Georgia · 112 km

  • 1,838 mDepth
  • 15 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 45°Steepest wall

See the guide

Balka Shangala

Russia · 176 km

  • 76 mDepth
  • 17 kmRim to rim
  • 14 kmLength
  • 6°Steepest wall

See the guide

Tsitse

Russia · 192 km

  • 121 mDepth
  • 16 kmRim to rim
  • 30 kmLength
  • 10°Steepest wall

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name, type, published depth and lengthWikidata (Q25701070) · CC0
The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D modelCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
River flow and basinHydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020
Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearbyCoastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here