TAVAKSAI WATERFALLS
Tavaksai (tovoqsoy) waterfalls
Takvaksai (or tovoqsoy) gorge and its waterfalls are just a short car drive from Tashkent. The trail to reach also the last waterfalls by walk takes about 3-4 hours and the distance of hike is about 7 kilometers one way. There are four larger watefalls in the Tovoksoy valley and several smaller ones. Name of the first larger waterfall is “Forty Pigtails” as it reminds the style how Uzbek women have traditionally braided their hair.
Second waterfall is a fairly small one but the third one is the largest and named “Chukuraksu”. After the second waterfall there is a view towards mountain that resembles the humps of a camel and is named accordingly “Camel”.
How to reach Tavaksai waterfalls
Marshrutkas drive regularly to Chirchik village from Tashkent and from there one can continue to Tavaksai with another marshrutka. Once in the Tavaksay village, you have to follow the road north. Since the road conditions are quite bad it is best to have a SUV for the last part of the road or to drive very slow with a normal car. There is also a train connection to Tavaksai from Tashkent and the same train also goes all the way to Chervak reservoir.
Tavaksay waterfalls it is by far the easiest location to enjoy Uzbek nature. The entire Tavaksai hiking route is easy to handle even by people of age or not feeling themselves exceptionally fit.
The most difficult part of the trail is the last 500 meters of the route while climbing in the canyon side and quite steeply upwards in order to reach the last waterfall. Otherwise the routes are quite obvious and generally you follow the small Tavaksai river and cross it by hopping stones few times along the way.
In winter, the waterfalls get frozen and they create beautiful ice falls and the trail is mostly accessible for winter hikes as well. In spring, when the water flow of the river increases and the first flowers start to bloom, the valley becomes overwhelmingly green and truly beautiful, making spring the best time to visit it.
One should be also aware that there are some legless lizards in the Tavaksai, that look like snakes. They are afraid of people but are often enjoying the heat of the sun near or on the path along the river, especially in the upper areas.
Tavaksay Day Trip
Contact us for a day trip to Tavaksay or to combine it to a longer tour in the same area, as for example the Charvak and Chiman area.
N0TE
- Take extra clothes as the weather might change rapidly in the mountain area. There are no bridges during the hike and therefore you will need to cross small rivers several times. Depth of the streams is only about knee-deep for an adult but you might get your legs wet if you don't manage to walk over the rocks. Don't forget the sun screen and water!
- Swim and walk carefully in the waters. Leeches live in the waters of Tavaksai during summer period.
- Jump carefully while hiking and only if necessary. There are often cases where phones have fell out of pockets into the water during jumps.
Sights and destinations near Tavaksay
Page updated 9.6.2021
