Shar Waterfall is also known as a Shaar waterfall or the Bash-Kaindy waterfall and is located in Bash-Kayunday gorge in the Naryn region of Kyrgyzstan. The height of the free falling Shar waterfall is 220 m, but taking into account the cascades it is about 400 m making it the highest waterfall in Kyrgyzstan, Central Tian Shan area and in the whole Central Asia. Shaar waterfall sits at the height of 3200 m above sea level in the gorge of the Bash-Kaindy river. Nearest settlements to Shar are Birlik, At-Bashi and Bash-Kaindy together with the Taldy-Suu and Birinchi May villages. A good example of the proportion of Shar waterfall is that you can even see it from as far as the Naryn-Torugart road that runs through the At-Bashi village and is 20 km away. 

The name of the village Bash-Kaindy and the gorge with the same name comes from the Kyrgyz word bash which means “beginning” and “head” and Kaindy means “birch”, which means “beginning of birches”. The Kayunday gorge is very picturesque with the continuous coniferous forests (which is somewhat contradictory with the name of the gorge). Even during the hottest summer days comfortable temperatures and humidity reign here making it a nice hiking destination for the ones who feel too hot in the lower lands. Fir-trees are growing on the slopes, and Asian junipers emit a delicate aroma of needles. The flora of the surrounding area of the waterfall includes more than 270 plant species including relics and endemics. Many plants here are also listed in the “Red Book of Kyrgyzstan”.