Valley of 33 Waterfalls
Valley of 33 Waterfalls is a picturesque mountain gorge and one of the most popular natural attractions for vacationers in the Lazarevsky district of Greater Sochi. The tract with cascades of waterfalls up to 12 meters high is located on the northern slopes of the Main Caucasus Range, in a narrow canyon of the Dzhegosh River. Entering the canyon, the river flows for 0.5 km along rocky ledges, forming waterfalls, spillways and small rapids. Due to the location of the tract, the place is often called Dzhegosh waterfalls.
.The surrounding slopes are covered with relict forests with oaks, hornbeams, alder and maples. Near the waterfalls one can see endemic Colchis boxwood, southern lianas, sprawling ferns, evergreen semi-shrub – Pontius needlewort and a large number of green mosses.
Video: 33 Falls Valley
Tourist Information
The Valley of 33 Waterfalls is part of the territory of Sochi National Park and is protected by the state. Visiting a natural attraction is paid – an ecological fee is charged for entry to the national park. Several recreational routes are laid along the protected area. It is forbidden to litter, make fires, stay overnight in tents, damage trees and bushes, pick flowers, fish and hunt.
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The lower part of the gorge, stretching up to the twelfth waterfall, is equipped with comfortable wooden bridges and railings, and movement here is not very difficult. Those who want to see all the waterfalls up to the top climb up a steep mountain slope covered with stones and slippery tree roots. The road to the upper waterfalls is not paved intentionally – so the staff of Sochi National Park is trying to avoid large crowds of tourists and reduce the recreational load in the area of the protected gorge.
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It should be borne in mind that traveling through the unequipped part of the Valley of 33 Waterfalls requires a certain physical fitness and endurance. For safety during the excursion in the Dzhegosha Gorge you should wear sports shoes and use an alpenstock or trekking poles for self-assurance.
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From late spring to mid-autumn in the Valley of 33 Waterfalls daily bus tours, which are attended by vacationers in coastal resort villages. In addition, there are many children’s tour groups and amateur tourists traveling through the beautiful Dzhegosha Valley.
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As a rule, excursions to the waterfalls try to combine with a visit to the huge Tulip Tree, which grows in the Black Sea village of Golovinka. Tourists also look into the ethnographic museum-estate of the aul Akhintam, which presents unique exhibits about the life, traditions and history of the Caucasus mountaineers. In this mountainous aul, tourists can taste local wine and fragrant Krasnodar tea.
.How to get there
The Valley of 33 Waterfalls is located in the valley of the right tributary of the Shakhe – mountain river Dzhegosh, 4 km north of the Adyghe village of Bolshoi Kichmai. Most tourists get here as part of sightseeing tours.
.Those who are traveling independently, can drive to the aul Bolshoi Kichmai and then come to the gorge on foot. From the railway station in Lazarevsky to Bolshoi Kichmai there are shuttle buses and bus number 158 (31 km). Some travelers take a train from Sochi to Golovinka and there change to a bus to the aul.
.In Bolshoi Kichmai, tourists get off at the bus terminus and continue up the right bank of the Shakhe River. At first they follow an asphalted road and then a dirt road that leads to the Dzhegosh Gorge.
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