Ukraine is full of places to escape noise and crowds: granite canyons, quiet bays, old parks and mountain villages. Here are five destinations for a calm nature trip and tips on how to travel kindly to them.
Buky Canyon (Cherkasy region). The Hirskyi Tikych river cuts through granite cliffs here, forming rapids and small waterfalls. It is especially beautiful in spring and early summer.
Schönborn Park (Zakarpattia). An old landscape park around the late 19th-century hunting castle of the Schönborn counts, with ancient trees and a pond.
Kolochava (Zakarpattia). A mountain village known for its many small open-air museums and traditional architecture.
Bakota Bay (Khmelnytskyi region). A wide bay of the Dniester over a village flooded in the 1980s, with an ancient cave monastery above the water.
Aktove Canyon (Mykolaiv region). Granite cliffs above the Mertvovod river — one of the most scenic canyons in southern Ukraine.
In spring and early summer, when the river is full and the cliffs are surrounded by fresh greenery.
Can you camp there?
Some places have designated campsites; camping may be banned in protected areas.
Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
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