Tobot Waterfall is the highest waterfall in Dagestan and one of the highest in the Caucasus. This waterfall is also called Hunzakhsky, after the name of the village where it is located. The height of the Tobot waterfall reaches 70 meters. Like all the waterfalls of Dagestan, it feeds on melting snow in the mountains, so the Tobot waterfall is full-flowing only in spring.
The Tobot Waterfall consists of three branches of the river of the same name, which falls into a crevice of a mountain plateau. The main stream is quite powerful, the second stream is significantly smaller and is located several dozen meters away from the side. The third stream is noticeable only in spring. At other times, it dries up.
The cleft of the mountain plateau near Khunzakh is no less impressive than the waterfall itself. When you go to the village of Khunzakh from Makhachkala, the road is constantly going up. After the fork at the Gunib HPP, the road goes among the rocky mountains, but the village of Khunzakh itself is located on a flat mountain plateau. There are no high mountains here, although the altitude above sea level reaches 2000 meters. The size of the Khunzakh mountain plateau is 10 km by 25 km.
The upper part of the plateau is very flat. The cleft is a sheer cliff of several tens of meters, which turns into cone-shaped scree. Viewing platforms are located on both sides of the mountain plateau. The most beautiful photos from both sites are possible in the morning when the waterfall is fully illuminated. After lunch, the waterfall is in the shade.
In the immediate vicinity of the Tobot Waterfall is the Hunzakh Fortress (it is also called the Arani Fortress). It was built after the end of the Caucasian War in 1864-1867 together with the Gunib fortress. The Khunzakh fortress has been well preserved to this day. It was built in the form of an army barracks with powerful walls. The area of the fortress occupies 3 hectares. The Khunzakh fortress is an object of cultural heritage of Dagestan.
The tourist infrastructure in the village of Khunzakh is well developed. There are many guest houses. The Tobot Waterfall can be also considered as an interesting excursion from the village of Gunib, which is 50 kilometers away. On the way from Gunib village to Hunzakh there is also the Karadakh gorge. 40 kilometers to the west of the Tobot Waterfall is another famous attraction of Dagestan - the Goor Tower Complex. However, it is very difficult to visit all three attractions (Tobot Waterfall, Karadakh gorge, Goor towers) in 1 day. The roads in this area are mostly unpaved.
