“Kegety now resembles a winter fairy tale,” shares photographer Vlad Ushakov, who captured this picturesque gorge covered in snow.
Located about 75 kilometers from the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, the road here is especially attractive in winter due to the snow-covered forests and mountains, while the Kegety River sometimes "smokes" from the cold.
The beginning of the gorge is adorned with juniper, barberry, wild rose, and rowan, which stand out with dark silhouettes against the snow in winter. In the central part of the gorge, there is a waterfall about 20 meters high. In particularly cold winters, it partially freezes, turning into a stunning ice monument.
Traveling further, one can reach the At-Dzhailoo gorge, located about 11 kilometers from the ranger station. This place is known for its abandoned mines, which add a sense of mystery to the surrounding landscape against the backdrop of snowy slopes in winter.
As you move up the gorge, the terrain changes sharply: the bottom rises by almost 200 meters, and the forest retreats to the left bank. With each kilometer, the number of Tien Shan firs increases, the slopes become more forested, and the gorge fills with an atmosphere of silence unique to winter mountains.
Winter Kegety is about snow, silence, and the feeling of true mountain nature,” concludes the photographer.
