Uchar Waterfall is the highest waterfall in the Altay Mountains. It is possible to include it to the list of the most powerful and most beautiful waterfalls in Russia. It is located on the Chulcha River in the Altay Biosphere Reserve. The beauty of the Chulcha and Chulyshman rivers will not leave anyone indifferent.
Uchar Waterfall is also called the Big Chulchinsky Waterfall. The word Uchar in the local Altay dialects means "Unapproachable”. Geologists suggest that the appearance of a sinkhole in the gorge that formed the waterfall after an 11-point earthquake. It happened in the Altay in 1898.
The streams of the Chulcha River fall from a height of 160 meters, but this fall is not vertical, like most waterfalls. In fact, the Uchar waterfall is a stepped cascade littered with huge stones. Streams of water beat against these stones, raising up a cloud of spray. This spectacle fascinates with its beauty.
For the first time, the Uchar waterfall was opened in 1981 by ordinary tourists. Then this place was very remote and difficult to access. The path to Uchar begins at the bank of the Chulyshman River and stretches along an incredibly beautiful winding Gorge of the Chulcha river, sandwiched by inaccessible rocks. Thousands of tourists come here every year to walk along this route.
In 2011, the Uchar waterfall was included by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia in the list of the most inaccessible attractions in Russia. This statement has been repeatedly replicated on the Internet. Perhaps it was so in 1981, but now it can be called a big exaggeration.
Nowadays, several comfortable campsites have been built in the valley of the Chulyshman River, near the confluence of the Chulcha River. You can stay there in small wooden houses or in your tent. Here you can order a boat to cross the river and then the hiking trail along the gorge of the Chulcha River begins.
The distance from the Chulyshman River to the waterfall is only 8 kilometers. The climb is 330 meters, and it is evenly distributed over this distance. Thus, we can say with full confidence that there are no difficulties with the accessibility of the waterfall for visiting.
