Kamyshlinsky Waterfall

Kamyshlinsky Waterfall (Камышлинский водопад) lies in the Shebalinsky district of the Altai Republic, on the Kamyshla River, a left tributary of the Katun. It sits in the lower third of the Katun, only 300 meters from where the Kamyshla flows into it, near kilometer 490–492 of the Chuysky Trakt, about 60 km from Gorno-Altaysk. It is one of the most visited waterfalls in Altai thanks to its closeness to the highway and the tourist infrastructure built up around it.

What to see

The waterfall is 12 meters high and made up of three cascades, the main and widest of which is the middle one. The riverbed here cuts through limestone, quartzite and shale. The surrounding forest is mixed — pine, maple, oak and birch, with ferns in the undergrowth. In summer the flow breaks into spray; in winter it freezes into an ice mound. A wooden viewing platform has been built by the upper cascade, and a small bridge crosses the river for viewing the falls.

History

According to one version, the Kamyshla waterfall took its present shape after a dam was built on the river in the 1930s. In 1940, collective farmers from the village of Kamlak built a water mill on the Kamyshla; during the Great Patriotic War it was converted into a sawmill, with logs for it floated down the Katun. The mill's blackened wooden wheels, still bound with metal fittings, survive to this day. In 1996 Kamyshlinsky Waterfall was given the status of a regional natural monument.

Legends

A legend tied to the waterfall tells of the love between the chief's daughter La and the warrior Kamysh: unable to be together, the two are said to have leapt from the cliff, and the waterfall was named after them. Other accounts hold that the Altai people considered the place sacred and that shamans used it — the word "kamy" itself is linked to the shamanic tradition.

Getting there

Kamyshlinsky Waterfall can be reached by scheduled bus to the villages of Barangol or Ust-Sema. From Ust-Sema a free route to the waterfall crosses the road bridge over the Katun. A popular hiking route starts from the "Tsarskaya Okhota" resort: from the "Orlyonok" children's camp it is about 3 km of trail to the falls. The resort also runs motorboat trips to the mouth of the Kamyshla (about 20 minutes) and horseback tours to the waterfall.