Sangardak Waterfall

The Sangardak waterfall is in the Sariosiyo district of Surkhandarya region, two hundred and five kilometres from Termez and thirty from the Khandiza rest house. It is among the most striking places in the country.

You hear the waterfall in the gorge long before you see it, and it grows louder as you approach. The water falls a hundred and fifty metres and breaks into countless fine droplets that rise as mist. When the cloud reaches you, the sense of up and down goes, and it is as if there were neither mountains nor scorching sun around. The mist swallows sound too, so when the cloud drifts on, the roar returns all at once.

The coolness is especially welcome after hours on a winding mountain road among sun-baked rocks. The rocks around the falls are covered in moss of a deep green usually seen only in films. The strands of falling water catch the sun and seem to shine of their own accord.

It is a long drive, so it is worth setting aside a day for it and, if you can, seeing it not only in the middle of the day but towards evening, when the light changes.