The Carpathians - Ukraine - page 241

Founded in 1980, the Carpathian National Nature Park (CNNP; ) covers 503 sq km of
wooded mountains and hills. Parts of it shelter small numbers of animals and the alpine
meadows are carpeted with species of flora. Realistically, however, hiking and skiing are
the main reasons to head this way.
The Carpathian National Nature Park straddles the Ivano-Frankivska and Zakarpatska
oblasti. From the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, the A265 cuts southwards into the heart of the
park. Yaremche, 60km south of Ivano-Frankivsk, sits across the park's northern bound-
ary. Yasinya, 37km further south along the A265, marks the park's westernmost point.
Rakhiv, 62km south of Yaremche on the A265, is just outside the southwestern boundary.
Because it stands a little apart from the main CNNP, the adjoining Carpathian Bio-
sphere Reserve is discussed under its main entry point, Rakhiv.
Train services are less frequent and extensive in the mountains than in other Ukrainian
regions, so be prepared to ride the crowded buses and marshrutky (fixed-route
minibuses), and budget for the occasional taxi. Otherwise, agencies and hotels in Lviv,
Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyya can organise guided tours and transport.
Maps featuring varying degrees of detail have become easy to source and are available
from all tourist information centres and souvenir kiosks throughout the Carpathians.
KIPPING IN THE CARPATHIANS
Several websites advertise homestays and other accommodation in the Carpathi-
ans, including www.adventurecarpathians.com , www.greentour.com.ua and
www.bikeland.com.ua . However, none is as well maintained, organised and user-
friendly as the outstanding www.karpaty.info . Hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs are
visited by the website's administrators, who post photos and provide prices, the
languages that the hosts speak as well as basic transport information. Most of the
website's content is now in English, too.
If you're looking for something a little cheaper still, wild camping is allowed with-
in most of the Carpathian National Nature Park (CNNP), apart from the eastern
side of Mt Hoverla. You'll have to pay the CNNP entrance fee, but this is just a few
hryvnya.
There are no mountain huts or properly equipped campsites. You will find some
well-used fireplaces, even though fires are officially prohibited throughout the park.
This rule is now enforced quite strictly in summer due to the heightened risk of
forest fires.