Carpathian local colour with comfort

duration: 7 days
price: 394 USD

day 1

Rafting on the Dniester river

• Tourclub guides meet the group at 08:00 a.m. at the railway station in Ivano-Frankivsk
• transfer by mini-bus to the starting place of Dniester rafting
• Tourclub guides will conduct safety briefing and prepare rafting equipment; participants occupy places on the balloons of the inflatable catamarans and rafting begins
• rafting route: Zolota Lypa Village – Koropets Town, 24 km
• in order to stretch legs and discover something new we'll stop nearby the town of Koropets and have a walk to Count Badenya's Palace (the XIXth century) with a beautiful garden where exotic and rare plants grow
• we continue to observe picturesque Dniester banks for 10 km more to the village of Dolyna
• calm rafting route is finished and we leave for the Carpathians (Verkhovyna town) where mountain part of the tour takes place

day 2

• trekking in the Carpathians and visiting Hutsul culture museum
• lodging in a cozy cottage allows to enjoy mountain landscapes without carrying heavy backpack
• the second day of the tour will start with a pleasant approx. 6-hour walk to the Hrybkova Mountain (1238 m)
• after an afternoon rest in the cottage we’ll continue discovering Carpathian culture in the local Museum of Antiquities where you can observe a unique collection of ancient Ukrainian musical instruments; Roman Kumlyk, a collector and owner of  the museum, will entertain you with interesting legends and stories of each instrument and even present authentic hutsul melodies and songs
• optionally, sauna is available (pre-booking is required)

day 3

• conquering of Pip Ivan (2028 m) where an abandoned Polish observatory is located
• approx. 1-hour transfer by mini-bus closer to Pip Ivan mountain
• ascending one of the highest peaks in the Ukrainian Carpathians that can last near 8—10 hours; such a lasting trip will be rewarded with a fantastic view of the Ukrainian and Romanian Carpathians and discovering the most high-altitude building in Ukraine (in 1938 on the top of Pip Ivan was built observatory that, unfortunately, had been functioning only for a couple of years and had to stop working because of the world war); the observatory is also known as White Elephant (in winter snow and strong wind transform a majestic building into a chimerical creature that can remind silhouette of an elephant)
• on our way to Pip Ivan mountain we’ll pass a marvelous Maricheika Lake (on participants’ request mountain stroll can stop at the lake and end with a picnic on the bank of the lake)

day 4

• white water rafting on the Black Cheremosh river
• 1-hour transfer to the rafting-camp “Tourclub” where you can experience a wild adventure on the rapids of Carpathian river
• we offer two rafting routes:
• 20 km of white water rafting route that combines extreme part with main rapids of the Black Cheremosh (Dzembronya, Old Man’s Elbow, White Mare, Huchok, Huk; of ІІ-ІІІ categories of complexity) and a calmer part up to Verkhovyna town with opportunity to enjoy picturesque landscapes of the Carpathians;
• 10 km of total extreme on wild rapids
• in the evening you can relax in sauna (pre-booking is required)

day 5

• conquering of Hoverla Mountain (2061 m)
• 1.5-hour transfer to the Zaroslyak tourist base where we can start the ascending to the highest mountain of Ukraine; on the hillsides of Hoverla starts (from a small source) large mountain river called Prut
• ascending to Hoverla takes approx. 6 hours; you should remember that Hoverla is a moody mountain and it’s better not to rely on weather forecasts since sunny weather can change rapidly into a stormy one

day 6

• trekking in the Carpathians and visiting the museums of Ukrainian culture
• a 4-hour walk to Mahura Mountain (1024 m) provides a wonderful scenery with forest, river, mountain meadows and a narrow gauge railway
• after returning to the cottage and some rest we will continue acquaintance with Ukrainian culture in Ivan Franko Museum (located in Kryvorivnya, a favourite vacation place of famous Ukrainian writer, poet, scientist, translator, civic and political leader) and in Museum of Hutsul Homestead  “Khata-hrazhda” (there are records of the house dated the year of 1858; this authentic hutsul dwelling was used in shooting the film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestries”, a world-known masterpiece of cinema art)
• horse riding as an active finish of a full of interesting events day

 or
alternative entertainments in the Carpathians
1.    A jeep tour (passenger seats are available) to the Romanian border, to the mountain meadow of Rohy? 1500 m (Horns) + mineral sources in Burkut (additional payment: approx. 720 UAH per group of 4 persons).
2.    A 5-6-hour horseback riding tour in the mountains (additional payment: 100 UAH/hour/person).
3.    A 4-wheeler riding tour in the mountains (additional payment: 480 UAH/hour/person; guide on a separate quad)

day 7

• trekking to Pysany Kamin (Painted Stone) and tour to Pysanka Museum (the art of Easter eggs painting and decorating)
• transfer by mini-bus to Bukovetsky Pass
• walk to the Carpathian mountain of Pysany Kamin (1221 m) on the peak of which you can see a huge stone boulder the size of a multi-storey building (a memorial place where our ancient ancestries arranged a pre-Christian pagan temple); legend says that in ancient times the surrounding mountain were dwelling places for a Carpi tribe (there is a theory that name “Carpathians” originates from the people of Carpi tribe); Carpians were giants and possesses incredible physical strength, they brought on the mountain peak those stones to cover hidden treasures. The mountain name is derived from petroglyphs (times of Kyiv Rus) depicted on the stone.
• transfer to the town of Kolomyya
• the final chord of the tour is visiting a unique Pysanka Museum (museum collection includes more than 6000 various pysankas).
• Pysanka is an Eastern egg decorated with traditional symbols by use of wax and dyers; every region of Ukraine is distinguished by special manner of Eastern egg painting
• transfer to Ivano-Frankivsk

The organizers keep the right to make changes in the program according to the circumstances!!!

level of complexity: for beginners
accommodation: comfortable cottage (more about cottage)
food: three meals a day except the supper of the last day (more about menu)

Price includes:

• guide service
• accommodation
• food as in tour program (hot dishes for breakfasts/suppers and snacks for dinners)
• transfer as in tour program
• admission fee to the museums
• insurance

 Additional payment:

• wetsuit and sleeping bag+pad rental
• sauna
• extra entertainments in the Carpathians
• additional tourist guide - 25 $/day
• horseback riding

	How to book?
	What to take: Equipment List
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