Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Activities
First, a word of warning: hiking 'trails' criss-cross the Carpathians, but until recently no
serious attempt had been made to systematically signpost them. Most Ukrainians rely on
a combination of personal family memory, logging roads and Soviet-era maps to find
their way. However, the trail to Ukraine's highest peak,
Mt Hoverla
(2061m), is well
marked, as is the continuing journey along the Chornohora ridge.
These trails aside, hiking in the Carpathians is usually best done in the company of
locals and there is no shortage of guides and tours, official and unofficial, in the area.
Hiking Mt Hoverla
It's hardly the most remote trail in the Carpathians, but the popular ascent to Ukraine's
highest peak is relatively easy to achieve. On a clear day, the expansive views from Mt
Hoverla are also breathtaking. Initially, the trail follows the Yaremche- Vorokhta
-Zaroslyak road, so how much of the way you want to hike and how much you want to
cover by
marshrutka
(which go as far as Vorokhta) or taxi is up to you.
About 7km south of Vorokhta (guides know the place as 'sedmoy kilometr'), you will
need to take the right fork in the road, heading west to Zaroslyak, where the
Hotel
you will cross the CNNP boundary and pay the entrance fee. From Zaroslyak (20km
from Vorokhta) it's about 3.5km to the summit of Mt Hoverla, which is marked with a
big iron cross and a huge Ukrainian national flag (and occasionally a provocative EU
flag, too).
Along the Chornohora Ridge
The southern Chornohora peak of
Mt Pip Ivan Chornohirsky
(2028m; not to be con-
fused with Mt Pip Ivan Maramorosky) is well known for the abandoned
astronomical
observatory
atop it. The Poles completed this observatory just before WWII, and any-
thing of value has been looted, but the place stills retains atmosphere.
One of the easiest routes to Pip Ivan is along the crest of the Chornohora ridge from
Mt Hoverla via Lake Nesamovyte. It's hard to get lost this way, as your views are unim-
peded, and the route follows the former interwar border between Poland and Czechoslov-
akia, passing the old boundary markers. At more than 40km return, the hike will take at
least three days.
Other routes to Pip Ivan include coming from the village of Verkhovyna via Dzem-
bronya and over Mt Smotrych (requiring at least one night's camping out). Alternatively,
you can approach the mountain from Rakhiv.
