Juukuchak Waterfall
Juu-Kuchak (2220 m). Issyk-Kul Region, Juu-Kuchak Gorge.
Located 3 km from the hot spring.
The southern shore of Issyk-Kul remains an unexplored mystery of nature for travelers and tourists. No matter which gorges and canyons you visit, you will be enveloped by the feeling of pristine nature in these lands. One of these untouched places is the Juu-Kuchak gorge, located south of the village of Saruu.
The mighty mountains of the great Terskey Alatau part to reveal a deep chasm that stretches nearly 50 km into the ridge. At the very beginning of the gorge, like large bright gates, red rocks stand tall. The further you venture into this area, leaving behind the sunlit mountains, the more you encounter solitary fir trees and thuja, and after a few steps, you find yourself in a dense mountain forest of Tien Shan spruces.
In the upper part of the gorge, there are many waterfalls and high-altitude lakes (Juu-Kuchak, Juu-Ku, Chokolyk-Köl, Lower, Small, Kashka-Suu, and others). The color of the water in the lakes is astonishing and unusual: it displays shades of green, blue, and purple.
One of the most beautiful spots in the Juu-Kuchak gorge is a waterfall located in the forest thicket, in the middle reaches of the Juu-Kuchak River. The height of the waterfall is 15-17 m. Tall and powerful, it drowns out voices and fills the surroundings with the sound of water crashing down from the cliff. The roar of the water cascading from a great height can be heard long before your eyes catch sight of the waterfall itself.
Long ago, this was one of the sections of the Great Silk Road, where long and heavily laden caravans walked step by step along these same roads, among these rocks. Now, only wild herds of beautiful turs (mountain goats), mountain argalis, and stone martens roam here. In the forests, you might encounter roe deer, and higher up, you can find snowcocks, chukars, and bearded partridges.
In addition to ancient monuments and natural beauty, in the Juu-Kuchak gorge, you can touch healing springs that have been renowned for their curative properties since the times of the ancestors of the Kyrgyz people. The mountain ranges framing the southern shore hold many wonders, and if you choose a route to travel back in time, the Juu-Kuchak gorge will hospitably open its red gates to you and welcome you into its world of mountain lakes and waterfalls.
