Crimea
Uchan-Su Waterfall
Price: 20 UAH
Yalta’s picturesque surroundings conceal many wonders of nature: their concentration per square meter rolls over limit, exceeding all thinkable and unthinkable norms. One of them is majestic waterfall Uchan-Su, located on the southern slope of the beautiful Ai-Petri Mountain. Its name means flying water in Crimean Tatar. It is the highest waterfall not only in Crimea, but in the whole Ukraine as well: the water stream falls from the 100-meter-high cliff; it is twice the height of Niagara Falls.
The Uchan-Su Waterfall is formed by the namesake river that originates at the edge of one of the Ai-Petri tops and flows down the steep slope, falling down with a crash at the altitude of 390 meters. Its torrent strikes stone ledges and turns into water dust, providing a fantastic spectacle.
Uchan-Su falls in two cascades: the upper cascade can be reached by a specially equipped staircase that leads from the observation area in front of the waterfall. It is there that the power and majesty of Uchan-Su can be felt in full, watching how water torrents fall from the steep’s edge, fly down and break into hundreds of silver trickles, flowing down the rocks. There is a small water intake structure on the border of two cascades. It is crowned with a sculpture of an eagle, which is the symbol of the highest Crimean waterfall.
The Uchan-Su Waterfall looks differently in different seasons. In summer, it usually dries up and, instead of a turbulent flow, one can see just a few lazy water streams, trickling down. And in severe winter, it freezes, turning into an impressive canvas, as if woven of crystal fibers. The Uchan-Su looks most spectacularly in spring: during active melting of mountain snow and after heavy rains.
A well-maintained trail, running through stately relict pines, leads to the waterfall, located on the territory of the Yalta Mountain Forest Nature Reserve.
Getting here. Take a route taxi № 30 or № 50, departing from Yalta bus station.
