RussiaDescription and Whether It's Worth Visiting
There are many waterfalls in the mountainous areas of Sochi, but if you're choosing just one thing to visit during your holiday, we'd definitely recommend the "33 Waterfalls" in the Shakhe River valley on the Dzegosh tributary, also known as the Dzegosh waterfalls. This place is very hyped and always crowded, since it's the best-selling tour at Sochi resorts, and people come here even from more distant places, for example from Tuapse and even Gelendzhik. After all, this is the only place where you can see such a variety of waterfalls and cascades in one spot, as well as the beautiful nature of Sochi National Park. Since the waterfalls are on the territory of the national park, access to them is paid – 400 rubles, children under 10 – free.
At the entrance to the waterfalls near the parking lot, a whole tourist complex has formed with cafes, fast food sales, and a market with souvenirs and goods for vacationers. Once you pass through the rows of the market and cafes, you'll reach the entrance to the tourist route and the payment ticket office. Then you need to follow on foot along a more or less safe and equipped trail with railings and stairs, and the first waterfall, which is the largest, will appear just a couple of minutes after entering. At the base of some waterfalls there are natural pools for swimming, but the water is cool.
Good to know before your trip: at the cafe at the entrance there's a toilet – free for customers or for a small fee. There's nowhere to change on the territory, so bring a towel or a cover-up. The ticket office only accepts cash, but you can buy a pass in advance on the national park website npsochi.ru and pay online – though the "33 Waterfalls" route isn't available there yet, but it may appear in the future, check the website via the link. You can eat at the cafe and shashlik place near the entrance, and on the route itself there are gazebos where it's convenient to have a snack with food you brought with you.
But don't be intimidated by the scale of this attraction and don't think you'll have to walk a lot here looking for waterfalls. In fact, it's a very compact place to visit, and in our opinion one of the easiest tourist routes in Sochi National Park. All 33 waterfalls are located on the Dzegosh River close to each other. At the same time, most vacationers will be able to see not all 33 waterfalls, but only the 13 most easily accessible and equipped with a convenient path and stairs. After the 13th waterfall there's a "Stop – end of route" sign, and here the equipped trail ends. In fact, you can go further to see the remaining waterfalls, and many tourists go beyond the "Stop" sign. But there the trail almost disappears, there may be blockages and fallen trees, so there's no guarantee that you'll get far. And the waterfalls there aren't anything outstanding. In terms of time, the equipped route takes at most about 15 minutes (roughly 600-800 meters), and with swimming and resting it'll take about an hour. If you decide to go higher up the unequipped trail, you should plan for 2-4 hours. And for the whole visit from Sochi or Lazarevskoye including the road, allow at least half a day.
The route is great for families with children. But for tourists with limited mobility it'll be challenging: with strollers and wheelchairs it's hard to climb the steps and trails. Only the first waterfall is easily accessible – a level path leads to it, then stairs and climbs begin.
What else to do nearby: right next to the waterfalls there's a trout farm. Entry costs about 100 rubles. Here you can see how fish are bred (tours only as part of a group), and also catch trout from the pond for a separate fee and immediately have it cooked at the local restaurant or take it with you. Payment is by the weight of the fish caught. A good addition to the walk if you have the energy and time left.
When It's Best to Go
The best time to visit is spring or early summer, as well as the period after heavy rains. In summer and autumn the waterfalls may dry up and turn into thin streams. Before your trip, check the condition of the waterfalls with locals or taxi drivers. If you've arrived and the waterfalls have dried up – alas, nothing can be done, except maybe stop by the neighboring trout farm.
Useful Tips Before Your Visit
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What to bring. Sunscreen, comfortable shoes, a hat, a swimsuit and a towel. It's better to go beyond the "Stop" sign only in comfortable shoes.
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On the route. After rain the stones and steps become slippery – walk carefully. You can swim in most of the pools, but assess the descent: the slopes on the stones are slippery, and not every pool is easy to enter. You shouldn't drink water from the waterfalls.
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About tours and the "Caucasian feast." A group tour usually takes a whole day, because the program also includes traditional tourist stops: honey exhibitions, wine and tea tastings, a "Caucasian feast" – a lunch at a cafe with music, dancing and performances by artists in a theatrical show with a staging of an Adyghe wedding, a toastmaster, toasts, contests. So you'll spend a significant part of your time not at the waterfalls, but at places where tourist goods and services are sold at inflated prices. If you want to avoid this – come on your own in your own or rented transport.
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How not to overpay. Prices for honey, cheese, tea, chacha and other products in places where tours are brought can be inflated several times over. Don't buy impulsively if you don't know the real price. And don't take the cheapest tours: organizers cover the low price with commissions from sales, and you'll be driven around shopping points more than attractions. Always check the trip program in advance.
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Food. If you don't want to buy food at inflated prices in places favored by guides, take sandwiches or another snack with you – on the route there are gazebos where you can sit and eat in peace. Or just don't give in to recommendations to buy exactly where the guides brought you.
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Condition of the waterfalls. Tour sellers often say anything to sell a tour, while locals and taxi drivers usually tell the truth – ask them whether it's worth going today.
🕐 Opening Hours
Access to the waterfalls in high season is from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM; in low season the opening hours are shortened to 6:00 PM. It's best to visit them in spring or early summer, as well as after heavy rains, since in summer and autumn they may dry up.
💵 Entrance Fee / Ticket Prices
For entry to the eco-trail of Sochi National Park you'll have to pay 400 rubles, children under 10 – free.
🚶 How to Get There
The 33 Waterfalls are in the Lazarevskoye district of Sochi, 50 kilometers from the city center and 35 from the resort of Lazarevskoye (33 Waterfalls on the map). The distances are small, but due to the winding road, traffic jams and not very good road in the height of the season, allow: from Lazarevskoye – 1 hour, from the center of Sochi – about 2 hours, from Adler – up to 3 hours one way.
You can get to the waterfalls on your own or with organized tours. Unfortunately, public transport doesn't go here, so it's best to go by your own or rented transport or with tours. Here's more detail on each way:
By Your Own Transport
33 Waterfalls by your own transport. In our opinion this is the best way, since you won't waste time visiting useless shopping points, and you can spend as much time at the waterfalls as you want. The road on the last kilometers is very bad, but you can get to the parking lot in front of the market and entrance in almost any car, even a low-clearance one. Parking near the waterfalls is free.
The entrance to the last section of the road to the waterfalls is through the village of Golovinka, which you have to reach along the main Sochi highway on a section with winding roads. Because of this, traffic at the height of the season is very slow here, and there are often traffic jams. So if you want to arrive here at the opening at 8 AM, while there are no big groups of tourists yet and you can swim in peace and take beautiful photos, then if possible from distant resorts we advise leaving early in the morning.
There are "legends" that it's impossible to get here in your own car and you definitely need to hire a jeep with a tour. In fact, this is complete nonsense. The road on the last kilometers is unpaved, but it can be easily driven on any passenger car, you just need to drive carefully.
By Public Transport
33 Waterfalls by public transport. As already mentioned, you can't get directly to the waterfalls by public transport; you'll have to cover the last kilometers with a transfer to passing cars or a taxi. First you need to get to Golovinka, which is best done by commuter train to the station of the same name (see the schedule at Golovinka station). Also from Lazarevskoye through Golovinka there's bus No. 158 to the aul of Bolshoy Kichmay (in high season every 30 minutes, cost about 100 rubles from Lazarevskoye, 20 rubles from Golovinka). From the stop in Bolshoy Kichmay to the entrance to the waterfalls it's almost 5 kilometers, which you can walk or hitchhike.
From Golovinka directly to the waterfalls it's 11 kilometers, which you can cover by taxi, they ask from 500 rubles one way per car. You can also hitch a ride with other tourists. For example, we always try to pick up other travelers if there's a free seat in the car, and we advise you to help walking tourists too.
With a Tour
Most often the waterfalls are visited from the resorts of Greater Sochi, but tours here are also offered from more distant resorts of the Black Sea coast, for example, from the Tuapse district, Gelendzhik, etc. The cost depends on the place (resort) of purchase and the tour program, starting from 1500 rubles from the nearest villages and reaching 3000 rubles from more distant resorts or for full-day programs with lunch and jeeping.There are tours by bus and by jeep, the latter noticeably more expensive. But don't think that jeeps make the hike to the waterfalls easier. In fact, jeeps are just entertainment, since they take tourists along the riverbed, which is fun and a bit extreme. At the end of the route, both jeeps and tour buses park in the same place, from where it's just a couple of minutes' walk to the waterfalls.
Tours to the 33 Waterfalls are sold at any street agency at the resorts, or you can buy online on these sites: