This popular tourist destination is located in Kabardino-Balkaria, 55 kilometers from Nalchik, in the Chegem Gorge. The nearest settlements are Nizhny Chegem and Khushto-Syrt.
There are three main waterfalls here:
- Small Chegem waterfall, or Adai-Su (Maiden Spit). Despite the name, this 30-meter waterfall is the most powerful and beautiful of the entire group.
- Waterfall on the Sakal-Tup River. Like the Small Chegem waterfall, it looks like a giant trough with water, only of a different shape and much less water.
- The main Chegemsky waterfall – several waterfalls located next to each other. Part of the water falls in the form of small cascades from a height of 50-60 m, the other oozes from dozens of crevices in the upper part of the rocks of the gorge.
The Adai-Su waterfall stands apart 8.5 kilometers from the other two.  ;
from the parking lot to Adai-Su about 300 meters.
Adai-Su waterfall
paths to the Adai-Su waterfall
Adai-Su waterfall, Kabardino-Balkaria
Small Chegem waterfall
Small Chegem waterfall, June
Sakal-Tup waterfall and Main Chegem waterfall are located nearby. The first waterfall is the most beautiful, especially if you are lucky and there are no people there.
Sakal-Tup Waterfall
The main Chegemsky waterfall personally did not impress me at all – there are too many tourists, cars and traders. Trading stalls and goods hanging on the walls of the gorge spoil the visual part of this place.
Main Chegem waterfall
The main Chegemsky waterfall and the river
Main Chegem waterfalls
Chegem waterfalls
The main Chegem waterfalls, June
There is an observation deck, and here is a staircase to it:
stairs to the observation deck
entry 50 rubles
view from the stairs down
Entry costs 50 rubles, the girl collects the money, receipts for payment and entrance tickets are not issued.
there is a steep staircase at the top
path to the observation deck
Viewpoint at the Chegem Falls
the observation deck is located far from the edge of the cliff
There is only one name from the observation deck, in fact it is hard to see the gorge from it. I went around it and went down a little lower on the stones. Be careful if you want to repeat, you can slip and fly from a height of 60 meters into the river.
view of the gorge and waterfalls if you go down outside the observation deck
After visiting the observation deck, I had lunch at a cafe a little further from the noisy center in a cafe that had a summer playground near the water. I took salad, soup and chicken kebab with compote. Lunch cost 750 rubles. Everything was delicious, the only thing I didn’t like was some uncomfortable tables, well, for example, it was possible to make tablecloths, there was no running water – you had to wash your hands in some strange “dacha” tank, and a terrible toilet with disgusting smells. I dined on the flyer alone, all other visitors ate inside the building.
lunch by the river
view of the cafe summer area from the river
lunch for 750 rubles
toilet
There are either toilets in the cafe – they are free for visitors, or there is one paid one, it is located in the very center of the gorge right by the waterfalls on the second floor, in general it will be difficult to pass by it.
Parking a car can be difficult, the whole gorge is a solid parking lot, cars are right next to each other.
There are a lot of traders and it’s better not to look in their direction, otherwise they won’t be left behind with their knitted socks and souvenirs.
Chegem waterfalls and trade
Chegem waterfalls, traders
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Chegem waterfalls, photo 2
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Chegem waterfalls, photo 4
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Chegem waterfalls, photo 6
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Chegem waterfalls, photo 7
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Chegem waterfalls, photo 8
Cafe at the Chegemsky waterfalls, on the right at the top there is a gazebo
Is it worth going to the Chegemsky waterfalls specially from afar? I would advise you to combine their visit with some other place, for example, with a trip to the Aktoprak pass, then it will be a really interesting spectacular day. And just to come here and that's it – especially if you are coming from afar, probably not quite right. It took us two hours to visit two waterfalls and lunch. This time was enough for everything. The visit to the waterfalls itself is completely free.
I would definitely not come here specially for the second time. We stopped here only because the Chegem waterfalls were on our way to the Aktoprak pass. It would be foolish not to stop by, especially since you could also have lunch here.
Also interesting:
A trip to the Tsmiakom Gorge to the flowering of rhododendrons
Climbing Mount Kai-hokh in North Ossetia
A trip to the Aktoprak pass, Chegem waterfalls and Lake Gizhgit
