6 THE BEST PLACES FOR KAYAKING IN UKRAINE

2018-12-04 13:22:31

Kayaking is a portion of adrenaline during the fight against water element and descent on fast mountain rivers, communication with nature, physical activity and the ability to test you for endurance. People who love an outdoor sport, active holidays and nature will find kayaking in Ukraine as an easy way to explore landscapes of the main rivers. Nowadays the attraction of active tourism and ecological travelling increases involving more and more people who conduct healthy lifestyle. Travel on kayaks is a good possibility to spend the weekend outside big city combining physical activity together with pleasant impressions of being in wild nature.
Kayaking can be either on plain rivers, lakes or seas or on mountainous rivers (whitewater kayaking). There are many types of kayaking: extreme (or whitewater), slalom (Olympic sport), recreational, touristic, marine, expeditionary, and freestyle on kayaks. Each kind of kayaking requires special boats: different in length and width.
The best time for kayaking is spring when the melted snow fills rivers with a lot of water and in summer period after long-term rains and storms. The most interesting places for kayaking in Ukraine are mountainous rivers in the Carpathians and plain rivers with the presence of rapids. We will pay attention to the most interesting rivers for kayaking. Among them are Black Cheremosh, White Cheremosh, Prut, Black Tysa, Opir and Southern Buh.

1. The Black Cheremosh River

It is hard to overestimate the popularity of this river among tourists and its value for the development of water tourism in Ukraine. The river starts in the Carpathian Mountains and flows through them for a length of 87 km. The Black Cheremosh River consists of many sudden turns, rapids, rolls, gorges, and whirlpools.
The most interesting part of the river for kayaking lies between the villages of Dzembronya and Krasnyk and takes about 10 km. Every year in spring a lot of tourists and sportsmen come there to catch a high level of water in the Cheremosh. The main rapids which attract kayakers on the Black Cheremosh are called: “Dzembronya”, “Syva Kobyla”, “Didiv likot”, “Guchok” and “Guk”. Only skilful kayakers are able to overcome this part of the river without help. Beginners have to use the services of an instructor.
In some periods of the year, kayaking is possible even on the tributaries of the Black Cheremosh. They are the river Dzembronya and the river Bystrets.
The Black Cheremosh has become the main arena for holding national competitions, rafting and kayaking tours, and international events. It attracts tourists from Ukraine and from abroad by the pure beauty of its nature, the full complex of natural obstacles, and diversity of the riverway itself.

2. The White Cheremosh River

This river is less popular than Black Cheremosh because of worse accessibility and unstable level of water for kayaking. But in the periods of big water in spring experienced kayakers come there to use the fast flow of the river overcoming numerous rapids and other obstacles, improving their skills and techniques.
In the village of Usteriky White Cheremosh connects with the Black Cheremosh River forming the river Cheremosh, which continues to flow through the valleys of the Carpathian Mountains and flows into the river Prut.

3. The Prut River

The river starts in the slopes of the Mt. Goverla and flows into the Danube River. The river is suitable for kayaking in conditions of medium or high water in the area from Vorokhta to Yaremche (length is about 30 km). There some rapids of medium complexity. For instance: “Three-stage” at the end of Vorokhta, “Vodospadny” near the village of Mykulychyn and “Kosyi” between Mykulychyn and Yaremche villages.
The most difficult but at the same time more interesting part of the river for kayaking is “Yaremchanskyi Canyon” with length 2 km. The canyon forces to overcome quite complicated rapids, in particular, “Prykarpatskyi”, “Prytysk Dovbusha”, and the waterfall “Probii”.
The waterfall “Probii” is the most difficult rapid in Ukraine. The water drops on 8 meters down and the angle of inclination is almost 45 degrees. “Probii” is rapid for professionals and experienced kayakers.

4. The Black Tysa River

The river starts on the pass of Okoly in Transcarpathian region. When the level of water is enough high it is good to start kayaking from the village of Chorna Tysa due to the presence of several rapids over there. After that, the river flows quite calm until the end of the village of Yasinya. If there isn’t enough water in the river to start in the village of Chorna Tysa, kayakers begin in the village of Yasinya. Between this village and the village of Kvasy, the river flows faster and creates the Tysa Canyon. The canyon has a medium complexity and so it doesn’t make many difficulties for overcoming it by amateurs and even beginners.

5. The Opir river

The best time for kayaking on this river is spring season when the water in the river is enough high to get started in the village of Slavske. Otherwise, the place of start will be in the village of Skole. The Opir River has several interesting rapids and obstacles on the sections at a distance of 15 or 30 km, depends on the amount of water in the river.
The main advantages of kayaking on The Opir River are excellent accessibility from Lviv city (about 110 km on a good road), the medium complexity of the river which is good as for the experts and for the beginners and very picturesque nature along the river. Opir flows by the beautiful Synevytskyi Canyon with large cliffs that grow out of the river.

6. The Southern Buh River

The length of the river is 806 km and it makes Southern Bug the fourth longest river in Ukraine. It rises in the Volyn-Podilsk Upland and flows east and southeast, first through a narrow valley with rapids, and then across the plains to the Black Sea.
The Southern Buh River is considered a plain river but a presence of rapids in some parts of the river makes it interesting for the kayakers. One of such places is a chain of rapids and rolls which is called Myhiya Rapids. It is situated near the village of Myhiya in Mykolaiv region and includes three unique rapids: “Gart”, “Integral” and “Red Gates”. Hundreds of tourists come there to train on kayaks and participate in water competitions. The “Red Gates” Rapid is considered one of the best naturally created slalom lines for kayaks in Europe.

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