Ukrainian Carpathians (12 days) This 12-day walking tour will give you a possibility to visit the main areas of the Ukrainian Carpathians. You will learn not only about rich and wild nature but also about culture and everyday life of people who inhabit this region of Ukraine, full of numerous historic and architectural monuments, wooden churches which you can’t find anywhere else in Ukraine. Boykys, hutsuls, pidhoryans – these are the ethnic groups of Ukrainians who inhabit the territory this route goes through. The program will suit those who would like to learn more in a short period of time as we suggest an intense excursion program and trekking in mountains with mountaineering the highest peaks of Ukraine. Season: May - October Program Day 1 Meeting of the group in Lviv. Breakfast. Lviv – a 3-hour tour around one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine – the Assumption Church (Uspinnya) and Three Saints Chapel, the Dominican Cathedral, the Rynok Square – the heart of the city (Renaissance period), the City Hall (Ratusha), the Latin Cathedral with the Chapel, the ancient Armenian quarter and the Armenian Cathedral, the Liberty avenue (Prospekt Svobody), the Opera House, Town Arsenal – a part of the city’s original fortification system. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner. Day 2 Skolivski Beskydy (Lviv region). Breakfast. Journey to the Carpathians (Skolivski Beskydy). Visiting the Rocks of Oleksa Dovbush (caves and rocks complex) – a stone maze full of the ravines, secret passages and paths, formed by the huge rocks and stones reminding the mysterious creatures (1 - 2 hour walk). Urych – the historic-cultural reserve “Tustan” – the Old Rus’ defense complex, the museum of the fortress history. Visiting cave monasteries. Accommodation at Skole. Dinner. Day 3 Skolivski Beskydy (Lviv region). Breakfast. Mountaineering the highest peak of Skolivski Beskydy – Parashka mountain. Returning to Skole. Dinner. Day 4 Polonyna Borzhava ridge (Transcarpathia). Breakfast. Mountaineering the highest peak of the Polonyna Borzhava ridge: Velyky Verkh mountain (1598m), Stiy mountain (1681m). Visiting the historic and architectural monuments – the Transcarpathian wooden churches. Dinner. Accommodation at Volovets. Day 5 Pishkonya ridge (Transcarpathia). Breakfast. On the way – visiting the old wooden churches in Kolochava. Passing the Pishkonya ridge (Negrovets mountain (1600m)). Visiting Synevyr lake. Dinner. Accommodation at Mizhhirya. Day 6 Breakfast. Skyt Manyavskyy – the ascetic monastery for men of the Eastern rite (Ukrainian Athos), an outstanding centre of spirituality, culture and art of Ukraine with a spring with healing water. Yaremche - visiting a pretty resort at the Carpathians with the beautiful waterfall „Probiy” and the hutsulian souvenir market. Excursion at the Dovbush rocks near Yaremche. Accommodation at Vorokhta. Dinner. Day 7 Chornoha ridge (9 hours). Breakfast. Passing the Chornohora ridge: Hoverla mountain (2061m) – the highest peak of Ukraine, Turkul mountain, Nesamovyte mountainous lake, Pozhyzhevska polonyna (mountain meadow), “Zaroslyak” sport centre. Returning to Vorokhta. Dinner. Day 8 Chornohora ridge (Ivano-Frankivsk region). Breakfast. Journey through the valley of the river Black Cheremosh. Mountaineering one of the highest mountains of Ukraine – Pip Ivan (2020 m). Survey of the ruins of a prewar astronomical observatory “White elephant”, marvelous landscapes of Romanian Carpathians and crystalline area of rocky “Marmaros Alps”. You will see evidences of the military operations in the mountains during the First World War (accumulation of rusted barbed wire, shells from ammunition) at some places. In May – June the slopes of the mountains of this region are flowering with the plants registered in the “Red Book” of Ukraine (East Carpathian rhododendron, saffron). It is interesting to observe sheep pasturing in the uninhabited areas on the slopes of Chornohora. Passing: Vukhaty Kamin and Smotrych mountains. Returning to Vorokhta. Dinner. Day 9 Polonyna Grynyavska ridge (Ivano-Frankivsk region). Breakfast. Passing the highest peaks of Polonyna Grynyavska. Journey to Verkhovyna. Accommodation. Dinner. Day 10 Pysany Kamin rock (5-6 hours). Breakfast. Journey to Bukovets pass. Passing: Kopylash mountain – Pysany Kamin rock. On the way you will also see the typical hutsulian houses and farming constructions, covered with shingles. These places are also called Verkhovynian Carpathians. Visiting the place which has been attracting artists, poets and travelers since the ancient times (Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrayinka, Mykhaylo Hrushevsky and many other famous people of Ukraine used to be here). Returning to Verkhovyna. Dinner. Day 11 Ihrets ridge (Ivano-Frankivsk region). Breakfast. Passing the Ihrets ridge. Returning to Verkhovyna. Dinner. Day 12 Breakfast. Journey to Kolomyya: National Museum of Hutsulshchyna and Pokuttya Folk Art (one of the best exhibitions of its kind in Ukraine), the eye-catching “Pysanka” Museum, show-casing the colourful, hand- printed Easter eggs (Ukrainian tradition), the Old city. End of the program. Departure of the group from Ivano-Frankivsk or Kolomyya. *Organizers are entitled to the right to change programs according to the weather changes. Tourists should have: tracking boots, clothes protecting from the rain, little rucksack (20-30l); participants are to be physically ready for the trip and follow instructions of the team leader (instructor). www.terraincognita.info [email protected] Kyiv, Mala Zhytomyrska Str, 16/3, of.4 Tel. +380443616801, fax +380672313200, mob. +380982259997 .