Castles of Transcarpathia

  Meeting of the group in Uzhgorod at the railway station approximately at 10:00-11:00 am. Several trains go to Uzhgorod from Kyiv.

  Not far from the station in the historical center of the city we will see one of the main attractions of Transcarpathia - Uzhgorod Castle. The first mention of fortifications on this site dates back to the 10th century. Later, the castle withstood many sieges, and is now used as a local history museum.

  After leaving the city, we will go towards the village of Kamenitsa, where on a high hill above the Uzh River valley there is another castle, 13th century - Nevitsky. It may not be as well preserved as Uzhgorod, but its ancient walls and towers will take the imagination to the distant past, and the opening view of the valley will not leave anyone indifferent.

  We will continue our journey through Carpathian villages along deep rivers and in the late afternoon we will arrive at the Lumshory waterfalls. The most famous are 5 of them and each has its own name. Although the height of these waterfalls is not high (from 2 to 6 meters), they are not inferior to their higher counterparts in terms of picturesqueness and fullness of water.

  The first overnight stay (in tents) is not far from the waterfalls.

  Today, exclusively natural attractions await us. This is what bike trips to the Carpathians are remembered for.

  In the morning we will begin our climb through the beech forest on a beautiful dirt road past the lake with the amazing name “Komsomolskoye” to Polonina Runa. It is also known as Polonina Rivnaya, located in the western part of the Poloninsky ridge, and its highest peak reaches a height of 1480m.

  Having admired the mountain landscapes opening in all directions, we will begin our descent. On the eastern slope of Polonina Runa, the small river Voevodin originates with a beautiful waterfall of the same name, falling from a height of 9 meters.

  Also on the south-eastern slopes of Polonina there is an ornithological reserve “Falcon Rocks”, where rare birds such as eagles, golden eagles, vultures, eagles and falcons nest.

  Overnight on the bank of a mountain river in a beech forest.

  Today, continuing to enjoy the natural wonders of the Carpathians, we will slowly descend into “civilization”.

  In the Carpathian village of Karpaty, on the territory of the Karpaty sanatorium, we will see the beautiful Schönborn Castle - the former residence and hunting house of the Counts of Schönborn. It was built in the neo-romantic style and has 365 windows corresponding to the number of days of the year. The castle is located in the center of a large park where rare species of trees and shrubs are planted.

  We are finishing our bike tour in Mukachevo. Its main attraction is Palanok Castle (Mukachevo Castle), located on a mountain of volcanic origin 68m high. This is a unique architectural fortification of the Middle Ages, combining several styles, first mentioned in the 11th century. The mountain with the castle is visible from all the nearby surroundings, and from the castle itself a panorama of the city of Mukachevo opens, where we descend to catch the evening “Kyiv” trains.

  The instructor can make changes to the route!