The hike to the Big Gusgarf Waterfall, in the Varzob Gorge of the Tajikistan Mountains

The Big Gusgarf Waterfall, also known as the Pioneer Waterfall, is located in the Varzob Gorge past the village of Gusgarf. The hike to this waterfall was quite an adventure. The first time, back in June, I went alone to Gusgarf without any idea of where it was located, relying only on oral descriptions. As it happens, I got lost but eventually stumbled upon some waterfall, apparently nameless.

Journey to the Eagle's Nest Waterfall in Gusgarf, Varzob Gorge, Tajikistan

The Eagle's Nest Waterfall is located behind the village of Gusgarf in the Varzob Gorge. Many people call this waterfall "Echo," but Echo is actually a pass that can be reached by following the trail through this gorge. Somehow, the name Echo has also become associated with the waterfall. However, the Eagle's Nest Waterfall was named for good reason - no matter what time of day you come here, eagles or other large birds are always circling above the waterfall. Of course, they are actually circling above the gorge, but it creates the impression that they are circling above the waterfall.

Hiking in Zimchurud Gorge, Varzob, Tajikistan

The trail to Zimchurud Gorge begins from the Varzob highway, near the village of Varzobkala, which is about 24 kilometers away from Dushanbe, a little before reaching the village of Varzob. After some time past this village, the next village, Zimchurud, appears. I think the name "Zimchurud Gorge" comes from the name of the village rather than the river, as is usually the case. This is because the river here is called Angoriso, which is a tributary of the Varzob River.

Hiking in the canyon at the 22nd kilometer of the Varzob road, in the mountains of Tajikistan.

The canyon at the 22nd kilometer of the Varzob road is sometimes called "Mulberry Canyon" or "Snake Canyon". At the beginning of the canyon, there are indeed many mulberry trees, but the season for them has already passed. However, there are many other berries, such as blackberries, apricots, and grapes, and they literally cover the ground deep inside the canyon. Fortunately, we did not encounter any snakes as the weather was cloudy and they usually do not come out of their burrows in such conditions since there is no sun to warm them up.

Hiking in the waterfall gorge in Odzhuk, Varzob, Tajikistan

In the Odzhuk gorge, if you don't cross the second bridge and go straight, you can reach a meadow called "Pensioners' Meadow". A funny name, by the way, apparently because it's not far to walk. Although, I know some pensioners who walk so well that not every young person can keep up with them, regardless of their level of fitness. The gorge that begins after this meadow is also called simply "The Waterfall Gorge".

Hiking from Takob to Odzhuk, Varzob Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

We decided to make a two-day hike with a crossing over the watershed ridge from the Takob gorge to the upper reaches of the Odzhuk gorge. The plan was to go through the Childukhtaron pass, but since no one knew the exact path, we asked the locals for directions. They confused us a little, and we initially went to the wrong couloir. As it turned out, locals don't use this pass to get to Odzhuk, as it is not very convenient for them. Moreover, the locals refer to the whole ridge as Childukhtaron, which does remotely resemble the famous mountain of the same name in Muminobod. And one can cross this ridge from Takob to Odzhuk in several places.

Evening Dushanbe - a waterfall, singing fountains, Ismaili Somoni Square

It so happened that I don't usually walk around the city in the evenings, although it does happen, but rarely. And for a long time after arriving in Dushanbe, I couldn't see such attractions as the man-made waterfall and singing fountains in Dushanbe. And yet, I often passed by them, but either in the morning or during the day when they are not operational. I decided to correct this regrettable omission and one evening specifically went to see all of this.

Hiking to the waterfalls in Begar, Varzob Gorge, Tajikistan

Not far from the village of Begar, which is located 27 kilometers from the Varzob highway, there is a small recreation area called "Gulobod". Beyond this recreation area is the Begar gorge, which is of interest to us. Often you can hear people talk about a place called "waterfall gorge", in my opinion, the real waterfall gorge is the Begar gorge, as there are many waterfalls here and they are very beautiful.

Hiking to Kabanye Gorge in Odjuk, Varzob, mountains of Tajikistan

The Odjuk Gorge seems familiar and nearby, but in reality, it is very large with many branches leading to small gorges in different directions. Among these small gorges, there are many unusual and beautiful ones, and today I am introducing one of them to you - the Kabanye Gorge. I do not know why it is called "Kabanye," perhaps because wild boars roam around, but I am not a hunter and cannot say anything on this matter. The Kabanye Gorge is also called the "Jacuzzi" Gorge due to the many indentations in the rocks along the river that flows through it, which really resemble Jacuzzis.

Hiking-Quest - Waterfall in Gusgarf, Varzob Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

Last weekend, I decided to go to the Gusgarf waterfall, which is located near the village of the same name. It was not just a hike, but a quest to find the Gusgarf waterfall. The thing is, I didn't know the roads, didn't find any companions, and still decided to go alone, which some might say was a big mistake. But I will say, it was a very cool adventure. It took about three hours to walk to the waterfall, but I walked for seven hours, turned onto the wrong trail, realized it too late, decided to go straight, ended up on rocks, loose soil, and thorny bushes - in short, I entertained myself as best I could....

Hiking to Timur-dara Lake, Karatag Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

Timur-dara Lake is a very beautiful mountain lake of the avalanche type, located at an altitude of about 2000 meters above sea level. In the area of Timur-dara Lake, as well as another lake called Payron which is located slightly further away, people were searching for the Yeti, observing UFOs, and other anomalies in the 80s and 90s. This is the so-called "Gissar anomalous zone". However, as the craze for all this mysticism faded away, it turned out that most of the stories and supposed evidence in the form of footprints, etc. were invented and made up by local shepherds.

Rudaki Park in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

This morning, I decided to take a walk in Rudaki Park, located on Rudaki Avenue in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The park was renovated in 2007-08, previously known as Lenin Park. I cannot judge whether the park has become better or worse, as I am biased - I grew up here, near this park, and all my memories are associated with childhood, so it is difficult to be objective. However, this will not prevent me from enjoying a walk and contemplating this wonderful place...

National Flag Park in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

This morning I decided to take a walk to the National Flag Park, which is located in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (for those who don't know). To breathe in the fresh air, take some photos - it was cloudy, but still great, refreshing...

Hike to the Fanfarok waterfall at the 21st kilometer of the Varzob gorge, mountains of Tajikistan

Our previous hike in the 21-kilometer section of the Varzob Gorge was in winter, and we made it up to the poplar grove where we set up camp and ended our journey. With the arrival of spring, we can now hike further in a day, for example, to the waterfall. That's what we'll do on this hike, we'll reach the waterfall in the 21st kilometer of the Varzob Gorge.

Hiking to Upper Chayka, Varzob Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

Upper Chayka gorge is located 23 km along the Varzob highway and gets its name from the former pioneer camp Chayka. The designation of upper or lower simply depends on how you plan to move along the gorge, i.e. downwards or upwards, and we chose Upper Chayka.

Photos of Dushanbe in the 1960s and the same places in 2015

By chance, I came across some photographs of Dushanbe from the 1960s. I decided to walk around the same places and take photos from the same angles, if possible. I thought that many people, especially those who have left Tajikistan for various reasons, would find this interesting. I remember myself searching for photos of Dushanbe online when I was in Russia - everything was interesting to see what it looks like now.

Hiking in Odzhuk Gorge for Epiphany, Varzob, mountains of Tajikistan

The tradition of Epiphany bathing dates back to ancient times. Of course, if you have the opportunity to bathe in the holy Jordan River (in Israel) on Epiphany, do not miss it. However, you can bathe on Epiphany in any lake, river, or body of water. It is preferable for the ice hole to be in the form of a cross. But there are no strict rules for how to bathe on Epiphany. In other words, a mountain river, in our case, is perfect.