During the warm season, many residents of Tashkent set off on a trip to the Charvak Reservoir. Here, you can not only escape the exhausting city heat but also admire the amazing natural landmarks. I've already talked about hiking to the Kungurbuka Ridge and a trip to the Tavaksay Canyon. Today, however, I'm going to tell you about a walk to the Kyzyl-Su waterfall.
Getting to Kyzyl-Su Waterfall: How to Get There
During the summer, it was convenient to reach the attractions of this area by train. The train from Tashkent departed early in the morning, and the ticket cost only 6,000 Uzbekistani som. In the autumn, the morning service of the electric train was canceled. According to locals, this is due to the decrease in tourist flow — such trips will become available again in the spring.
We had to take a taxi towards the waterfall, and the cost was 50,000 som per person (November 2023). There are many taxi drivers heading in that direction waiting for customers at the two eastern exits of the "Buyuk Ipak yo’li" metro station. If needed, you can negotiate with the driver to wait for you and take you back to the city.
Local residents mentioned that it's possible to get here using public transport: take a minibus to Chirchik, then to Gazalkent, and transfer to a bus there. However, such a journey seemed quite inconvenient to me.
Another option is to go to the mountains on a guided tour. This type of trip is likely to be more comfortable but also more expensive.
Hike to Kyzyl-Su Waterfall
By car, you can only reach the gates of the "Sokol" children's health camp. The guard let us onto the premises and showed the route we needed to take. The total distance of the round trip was about 12 kilometers. If you decide to return by train, keep in mind that the camp is located approximately 10 kilometers from the railway station.
When visiting natural attractions near Tashkent, it's worth noting that some of them are located in border areas, and you need to obtain permission to visit them.
The route to Kyzyl-Su Waterfall differs from my two previous mountain trips in that along the way, tourists encounter several places where a cold mountain stream intersects the hiking trail. Despite the comfortable autumn temperature outside, it's better to cross such obstacles barefoot during the summer — or choose spots where you can hop across to the other side on stones. The second option scared me because if I slipped, my camera equipment would fall into the water with me.
Another piece of advice for travelers who decide to come here is to wear comfortable shoes with treads and bring trekking poles. Despite the seemingly simple route, this will help you navigate slippery sections or overcome water obstacles.
Stories about other hikes to the mountains of Uzbekistan can be found on this page.
Have a nice trip!
