Popular destinations mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

"We crossed Barskoon and began to climb the cape that forms an angle between it and Keregetas, since here it is already clear that Barskoon flows out of an impassable crevice, where the only road would be its bed, if it were not for the waterfalls, and the sides of the crevice, sheer cliffs, descend to the bed itself, leaving no room, even for a narrow path."

"Travel through the Turkestan region and exploration of the mountainous country of Tien Shan." N. A. Severtsov. 1873.

Mountain hiking from town Karakol to Tien-Shan mountains.

Waterfall in Barskoon gorge is located at an altitude of 2495 meters above sea level, is located on eastern slope of gorge, 900 meters from road, 17 kilometers from village of Barskoon, on northern slope of Terskey Ala-Too ridge, in Jety-Oguz district of Issyk-Kul region. 
The waterfall is located on one of the nameless left tributaries of the Barskoon River, the sources of the stream are at an altitude of 4347 meters above sea level. The length of the walk from the A 364 Barskoon - Kumtor road to the waterfall is 1600 meters.
The sources of the river on which the waterfall is located begin with a small glacier, which is located north of the Dzhangykorgon pass at an altitude of 3745.5 meters above sea level. The waterfall has been protected by the state as a natural monument since 1975, as indicated in the encyclopedia "Issyk-Kul. Naryn" for 1991.
Waterfalls turn splashes of water into bright and colorful frames that create piles of ice, so it is necessary to take precautions when visiting waterfalls. In no case should you climb or stand on the ice, this can lead to its collapse. There are several other small waterfalls with interesting and unusual names in the vicinity of the waterfalls: 
Waterfall "Tears of the Barsa" in Barskoon gorge.
This waterfall is the very first one you will encounter on your walk to the waterfalls. As a rule, a walk to it takes up to 30 - 35 minutes of leisurely walking. The large waterfall "Tears of the Barsa" is located in a narrow canyon-type gorge framed by Tien-Shan firs.
The waterfall is located at an altitude of 2470 meters above sea level. The width of the waterfall is about two meters, the height is up to 20 meters, in the lower part the waterfall consists of several cascades. You need to carefully prepare for this walk, at least your shoes should be comfortable and ready to move on the stones.
It is necessary to pay attention that the stones are slippery. The path leads to a picturesque meadow, from where the view of the waterfall is presented in all its glory. This is the most famous waterfall on an unnamed stream in the Barskoon gorge, the cliff from which the water stream falls is very expressive, there is an incredible noise of falling water, which completely drowns out other sounds.
From the "Tears of the Barsa" waterfall, you can walk along the slope to the northeast to the "Splashes of Champagne" waterfall.
"Splashes of Champagne" waterfall in Barskoon gorge.
This waterfall is the middle one between the cascade of waterfalls on an unnamed stream on the left side of the Barskoon gorge, located at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level. The width of the waterfall reaches about two meters, the height of the fall of water from a steep ledge is up to 15 meters.
From the "Tears of the Barsa" waterfall, it will take about 20 minutes to get to the "Splashes of Champagne" waterfall.
"Bowl of Manas" waterfall in Barskoon gorge.
This is the uppermost and farthest waterfall in a series of cascades of falling water in the Barskoon gorge, located at an altitude of 2700 meters above sea level. The left side of the gorge, in which the waterfall is located, is steep, the right side of the gorge is more gentle.
The waterfall consists of two cascades, the upper cascade reaches a height of up to 20 meters, the lower cascade, breaking on the rocks in the riverbed, falls from two ledges from 1 to 1.5 meters high. The width of the Manas Bowl waterfall is approximately four meters.
You can get to the Manas Bowl waterfall on foot in one hour from the Champagne Splashes waterfall. The difference in altitude for a walk in this case is from 300 to 350 meters. According to legend, the waterfall was formed after Manas scooped up water with his hand, and from this a bowl remained in the rock.
"Wide" waterfall in Barskoon gorge.
The waterfall is located in the western part of the three previous waterfalls. The walking tour to the waterfalls will take between 4 and 5 hours, so this walk should be taken very seriously. seriously. The width of the falling water reaches about ten meters, the height of the cascading stream is up to 25 meters. 
Waterfall "Rocky" in Barskoon gorge.
Waterfall "Rocky" is located in a narrow, vertical gorge on the right side of the Barsoon valley. The waterfall is clearly visible from the road that leads to the first pass Sary-Moynok at an altitude of 3442 meters above sea level. The approach to the waterfall will be very difficult, since the path to it lies along a very steep slope on scree.
The waterfall is about 20 meters high. Visiting the waterfalls is available in different seasons of the year. The surrounding waterfalls of Barskoon, mountain forest landscapes, are exceptionally picturesque and have great recreational value. The complex of objects of the natural monument includes a large stone block located in a forest clearing, on which was located a bas-relief of the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
Not far from the stone there is a bust of the first cosmonaut with the inscription "Yu.A. Gagarin, the first cosmonaut in the world".
Geographical coordinates of Barskoon waterfall: N42°00'36 E77°36'26

Author and photos by:
Alexander Petrov.