Valley of the Avar Koisu River

The Avar Koisu River is the main waterway of mountainous Dagestan. Its length is 178 km. A very picturesque section of the Avar Koisu River valley is located between Hebda and Chalda villages. Its length is 45 km. It stretches along the southern side of the Khunzakh mountain plateau, among picturesque mountains. 

The source of the Avar Koisu River is located on Mount Guton. It is located on the territory of Azerbaijan and is part of the Greater Caucasus Range. Near the village of Gimry, the Avar Koisu River merges with the Andiy Koisu River and the Sulak, the largest river in Dagestan, is formed. Then it flows for more than a hundred kilometers through the deepest Sulak Canyon in Europe.

The word "Koisu" means "Sheep River". Most likely, this is due to that sheep flocks Sheep were wading across the river in the mountains. The Avar people live in these places, so the river was called the "Avar" Koisu. A large number of rivers and streams flowing down from the mountain slopes flow into it. The largest of them is the Tobot River. It flows down the Tsolotlinsky Canyon from the Khunzakh plateau.

The highway is laid almost along the entire length of the Avar Koisu River. Two hydroelectric power plants have been built on the river. The Irganai HPP was built in 1977, and the Gotsatl HPP was launched only in 2015. Both hydroelectric power plants have formed large reservoirs among the mountain slopes.

If you are driving along the valley of the Avar Koisu River to the Karakhakh gorge or to the abandoned villages of Old Goor or Old Kahib, you will pass the Gotsatl reservoir. Its azure waters among the sharp layered mountains look very picturesque. On the riverbank in the valley, locals are building guest houses and hotels where you can relax, swim in the river and go fishing.