Gulkam Canyon

The Gulkam Canyon is located in the Ugam-Chatkal National Natural Park, near the Chimgan ski resort highly popular among Tashkenters and the visitors of the Uzbek capital. Its nearness to Tashkent (85 km from the city) would take you no more than a couple of hours to move from the bustle of a metropolis to the quietude and cosiness of high mountains.

On the bottom of the canyon runs a little stream, the Gulkam, which forced its way through the mountains to the Charvak Reservoir. The canyon extends for many kilometres, narrowing to a width of 5-6 m in some places or widening to a broad valley in others. on its way to the mouth it receives several small streams from the surrounding slopes. The most interesting is the canyon’s narrowest section, which ends abruptly in a 10-metre waterfall. Take the left side of the canyon as you walk past the waterfall (it is recommended that you use a rope for safety). Right behind the waterfall there are a few more obstacles to overcome. At low water the canyon can be walked through on the bottom without using a rope and much risk of stepping into water. In spring and in wet years the canyon can only be overcome on its left side with the help of a fixed rope. Although quite easy and safe, this section of the route 30 m long is interesting and memorable, and on passing it any person feels he or she is a real explorer and mountaineer. The rest of the route that goes downstream along the canyon does not have any other challenges, and tourists can enjoy an easy walk along a path skipping from one bank to the other and admire the surrounding nature, waterfalls, flowers, butterflies, grasshoppers and fantastic rocks. They can stop and bathe in one of a series of narrow and deep natural pools.

Gulkam Canyon photos

Gulkam Canyon on map