Sangardak Waterfall

A wonder pouring off the cliff in hundreds of streams

Sangardak is Uzbekistan's most beautiful waterfall: the water doesn't fall in one stream but in hundreds of thin threads down a mossy cliff from 30 metres — like a giant green curtain! The water comes from underground springs, so the falls never dry up even in summer. Cherry and walnut trees grow all around. In summer people come here to escape the heat.

Sangardak Waterfall lies on the southern slope of the Hissar Range near Sangardak village (Surkhandarya, Sariosiyo district), 150 km from Termez. It is 30 m high and about 50 m wide; the water comes not from a river but from karst springs emerging from the cliff — so the flow is steady all year (over 30 l/s), and the water is clear at 10–12 °C. Lime deposits (travertine) and moss split the water into hundreds of threads — a 'beard waterfall'. Around it are relict walnut, cherry-plum and cherry forests; the Hissar Reserve is nearby. In summer locals and visitors from Tashkent come; facilities are simple. Legend says the falls are the tears of Farhad and Shirin's love. One of Surkhandarya's ecotourism centres.

Fun facts

• Sangardak's water comes from springs inside the cliff, not a river — it never dries up.
• On the mossy cliff the water splits into hundreds of threads — hence 'beard waterfall'.
• Wild walnut and cherry forests grow around the falls.