Location: Devich’i Kosy Waterfall, Jeti-Oguz, Terskey Ala-Too Range, Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan
Distance: 9.4 miles (out and back)
Peak Elevation: 8,112′
Elevation Gain: 1,416′
Trip Length: 3 to 4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Oftentimes the journey can be more scenic and packed with adventure than the final destination. The hike from Jeti-Oguz is an enchanted walk through narrow valleys, raging rivers, a meadow with wildflowers, and mountain peaks. I guess the Devich’i Kosy Waterfall is no slouch either. It really does look like a woman’s braided hair. Don’t forget to visit the nearby Broken Heart and Seven Bulls rock formations.
Jeti-Oguz Gorge | Spectacular Meadows | Woman’s Braided Hair Waterfall | Dramatic Homecoming
Directions
Trailhead: From the end of the road at the village of Jeti-Oguz, head southeast on the Bekin Baiserkeev Trail.
3.15 miles: At the bridge, turn right.
4.10 miles: At the junction, keep right to stay on the trail.
4.17 miles: At the junction, keep right to stay on the trail.
4.70 miles: You have reached the waterfall. Turn around and return to the trailhead.
Walking in the Jeti-Oguz Gorge
Along the Jeti-Oguz Gorge in the foothills of the Terskey Ala-Too Mountains, we walk by the raging Jeti-Oguz River. The river is clear and gray with a little white water. It is one of 118 rivers and streams feeding the Issyk Kul lake from the Tian Shan Mountains.
The valley has high rock walls. The road crisscrosses the river via small wooden bridges. On this Sunday morning, there are many cars on the road looking for picnic spots. Little BMWs, Benzes, Audis, and Chinese cars. A few have broken down on the side of the rocky road. One little car needs a push up hill to get started. A big blue truck has ten standing kids with big grins who wave at us as they pass.
There are tiny little blue, yellow, and white flowers on the grassy slopes. Dandelions thrive here. When the snow melts, small and white edelweiss flowers bloom and grow in the hills. At a bridge where the road meets a footpath by the Jeti-Oguz River, boys on horses offer to take us to the waterfall.
Our guide, Kamila, mentions that the waterfall is only one kilometer away even though we have hit the one-hour turnaround point. The five of us in this lead group are eager to push on through a corridor between some trees.
Spectacular Meadows
The trail crosses a stream and we enter a magical, green, lush, alpine meadow. The meadow is an open expanse of green fields in every direction. There are tall jagged mountain peaks above the tree line wherever you look.
On the high and wide side to the southwest, there are a dozen yurts. The declining northeast slope has a carpet of blue and yellow wildflowers. This is the most beautiful spot of the hike – a giant exclamation point for a sentence of majestic natural beauty!
Once we head up a western slope, the path gets extremely steep and has a handful of little switchbacks. When it reaches the ridge, the trail enters a forest. There are some horse riders from one of the families who drove past us on the way up. The last half mile of the trail is challenging. It is narrow, barely clings to the mountainside, and is covered in mud and horse poop.
Woman’s Braided Hair Waterfall (Devich’i Kosy Waterfall)
At the final climb, we reach a fenced off stretch. You can feel some light mist and hear the faint roar of rushing water. At last, the trail descends for just over 200 feet to the Woman’s Braided Hair Waterfall. The cascade does resemble long fine strands of a woman’s hair. The flow of the waterfall is really thin and you can see the ridged lines of the rock wall.
Dramatic Homecoming from the Devich’i Kosy Waterfall
We hurry back to the yurt community in the meadow, but have already taken an extra hour. This should just be a couple hours back to the trailhead. Unfortunately for us, we have kept the group waiting for too long. Kamila is upset and apologetic. The rest of the group at the bottom is probably worried and there is no way to contact anyone without reception on the mountains.
Kamila dashes to a yurt and soon we see a little VW puttering down with Kamila in the passenger seat. I squeeze into the little car with James, Margaret, and Cam. Kamila and Shane split off in search of another car. The car immediately drives right through a stream. Before we arrive at the start, one of our vans has turned back to look for us. But, there is no way to stop the white van. The other red van is just ahead, but we can’t stop them either. So, our driver speeds up, honks a nonfunctioning horn, flashes the high beams, and we wave down the van. We pay the driver 200 Kyrgyz Som each, plus an extra 100. Our van then drives to the lunch spot where Kamila and Shane eventually arrive a short while later.