Uchan-Su waterfall in Crimea: description and location

The Crimean peninsula is an interesting place not only in terms of recreation on the seashore, since it can interest tourists with a host of other attractions. Among the existing diversity, waterfalls should be distinguished, one of which is Wuchang-Su.

The peninsula, in addition to the sea, also attracts tourists with a large number of waterfalls, of which there are about two hundred. The largest and most watery is considered to be Wuchang-Su. This natural attraction is on the way to the Ai-Petri Mountain, and the height of the giant approaches a hundred-meter mark, which is twice the size of Niagara Falls.

The length of the river with the same name, from which it originates, is 7 kilometers. A feature of Wuchang-Su is the ability of water streams hitting a rock to form a beautiful cloud of water dust in the air, in sunlight it turns into an incredibly beautiful multi-colored placer that flickers like precious stones. Small drops spread far beyond the falls, contributing to the natural moisture of the vegetation.

In summer, like most waterfalls in the Crimea, Uchan-Su dries up, therefore, among the locals it is called in a humorous form “a water-drop”. And in winter, the waterfall transforms and becomes no less attractive than in spring, since its jets will become incredibly beautiful icy canvas, from which silver drops or jets sometimes break through. In light of its size and location, it is conditionally divided into two cascades.

The first high stream descends from the cliff to the ledge, at the next stage there is a small structure built by man. It serves as a water intake station. As an ornament on the ledge stands a statue of an eagle made of plaster.

There is an observation deck on the mountain, in addition, near the waterfall there are mountains and forests of the Yalta Reserve. Such an arrangement causes compliance with certain rules. So, tourists are forbidden to make a fire, smoke, litter, spoil the environment. Entrance for visitors in the daytime will be paid, but in the evening the territory is not guarded, and the approach to the waterfall remains open for those who wish, so you can take a walk to the sights in the evenings.

Nearby and at the entrance to Uchan-Su there are souvenir shops, and also a restaurant with the same name is located nearby. Since jets of water come down from great heights, frequent fogs and drizzle can be observed in this part of the reserve. Such features require vacationers to comply with all personal safety measures. Tourists are offered excursions to the waterfall under the guidance of experienced guides who will tell tourists who come here interesting facts about the peninsula, the waterfall and local attractions.

In the list of official historical places and attractions of Crimea, Wuchang-Su only got to the end of the XX century. The translation of such an unusual name from the Crimean Tatar literally sounds like “flying water”. However, in the history of this place there are also the names "flowing water" or "hanging water", the meaning of which follows from the size and power of the waterfall. During the USSR, Uchan-Su was called the Yalta Falls. The attraction owes its names to the peoples inhabiting this place.

Guarded and locals say that over time, the power of the waterfall decreases. However, it remains the largest. According to some historians, 10-15 years after combining these places into a conservation area, the height of the waterfall was several times greater, but the destruction of the forest had an extremely negative impact on its size.

Almost every unique place is gradually overgrown with legends, this trend and the waterfall have not passed. So, according to the locals who once inhabited this area, in the rock formation near the river bed there is an old iron ring, and the river itself had a convenient pier, then the sea level was much higher. This ring served to moor ships, but numerous searches for the mysterious ring did not yield results. Therefore, the legend is still a legend.

The next legend associated with the waterfall is the tale of a beautiful young girl who was stolen by an evil spirit and kept in this area. The brave girl decided to return to the people, so she rushed down from a high cliff, and the good spirits of the forest came to her aid and turned her into a river. Thus, she managed to return to her house, as well as save all living beings from the drought, which the evil spirit promised to send them.

The emergence of various myths did not pass and the statue, which is located between two parts of the waterfall. According to legend, if you get to the statue of a bird and tie a ribbon on one of its wings, a person will surely fulfill his most secret desire. However, such an event is quite risky, since there is a high probability of falling from a height. But this fact still does not prevent courageous travelers from decorating the wings of the eagle with their ribbons.

The waterfall is located near Yalta on the south side of Ai-Petri.The distance of the attraction from the city is 6 kilometers, which allows you to get to places by car or in any other convenient way without unnecessary difficulties. Each local resident can tell about how to get to the reserve. In addition to a personal vehicle, you can get to the waterfall by public transport, which leaves from Yalta from the city bus station. The final stop at route number 30 is a waterfall, therefore vacationers do not need to make any transfers.

And also to Uchan-Su there is a walking trail, it starts from the house of A.P. Chekhov, passes through a reserved scenic area. The path to the waterfall is called Taraktashskaya. You can also get from the city to the stop “Sanatorium Uzbekistan”, and then continue the mini-journey along the highway. About 4 kilometers will remain to the waterfall. It will be possible to drive up to the sights on any regular bus that will follow to Sevastopol, Gaspra, Foros or Alupka.

The easiest option would be a trip in a personal car. To do this, you need to go to the South Coast highway, which frames the city along the upper border towards the "Sanatorium Uzbekistan". The turn to the waterfall will be on the right side, it will be quite difficult to drive through it, since the entrance to the attraction has a sign. On the map, this turn will be the same for the entrance to Ai-Petri.

It is this pointer in the winter that may contain information that “The passage is closed,” but this applies to the road to the mountain itself. Parking for cars is located near the restaurant of the same name with a waterfall, about 300 meters to the attractions you need to walk. An alternative to personal vehicles will be the services of local taxis.

Visits to the waterfall are directly related to seasonality. Most vacationers come to the peninsula in the summer, when the prevailing weather conditions in the area are heat and lack of rainfall. Such features lead to the natural drying up of rivers, from which all world waterfalls subsequently form. To see all the beauty and power of a water attraction, It is recommended to visit this place in spring or autumn.

With the arrival of spring heat, the rivers fill up due to melting snow, and in the fall, water bodies become full-flowing due to natural precipitation. Locals recommend planning a trip to the reserve from November to May. During this period, Uchan-Su reaches the peak of its power, in light of which the roar of water falling from a great height will be heard for many kilometers.

When planning a short trip to the sights, in one trip you will be able to visit several interesting places on the peninsula. So, a little further from Wuchang-Su you can take a walk along the famous Stangeevsky trail. The length of this route will be a little over two kilometers. Such a walk will lead vacationers to the observation deck in the reserve, equipped with a bench. On this plateau you can relax, breathe fresh air and admire the landscapes that open from a height.

If you go even further, you can go to the river from which the waterfall forms. In this place he will appear from the best side. For the safety and comfort of tourists, signs are everywhere in the conservation area, so it will be extremely difficult to get lost. For visitors also exists separate passage to the eagle statuelocated at the waterfall. Since the staircase to it is in an unsuitable state for operation, a small path was trodden from the Stangeevsky trail, which will lead to a pedestal covered with myths and legends.

In the summer, when the waterfall becomes smaller, tourists will have the opportunity to admire the flora of the Yalta Reserve.The mountain slopes of this area are covered with forest, where you can find centuries-old relict cultures. The air in the conservation area, due to the content of coniferous phytoncides, will be extremely useful. That is why there are many "health paths" nearby. Walking in this area can lead tourists to a private zoo and Glade of Fairy Tales. To do this, you need to move from the restaurant to the reserve.

In the next video, you can look at the Wuchang-Su waterfall in all its glory.