Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
In the unlikely event you'll need it, the
CNNP Headquarters
( 03434-211 55;
www.cnnp.yaremcha.com.ua
;
vul Stusa 6, Yaremche; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri)
, the white concrete
building with a distinctive stained-glass window, can be reached by heading uphill from
the train line in central Yaremche. This is also where you will find the excellent, EU-fun-
ded
Ecotourism Information Centre
( 03434-222 59; 10am-4pm)
, which includes
an exhibition on the culture and natural history of the Carpathians.
BIKELAND
brainchild of Ukrainian cycling fanatic Viktor Zagreba. This project to construct a
network of cycling routes throughout the Carpathians region attracted EU funding
as well as an army of eager mountain-biking volunteers who pedalled off into the
wilds to create the 1300km of marked trails. Hotels and guesthouses affiliated to
the Bikeland project guarantee bike-friendly facilities, such as storage and a place
to wash two-wheelers, and the initiative has also spawned a number of bike-rental
centres (mountain bikes 90uah to 100uah per day), most notably in Yaremche,
meaning there's no need to haul your velocipede through customs at Boryspil In-
ternational Airport.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Yaremche
03434 / POP 7600
Stretching for around 10km along the valley of the Prut River, your average Carpathian
connoisseur shuns Yaremche (also sometimes known as Yaremcha) as too touristy and
overcrowded. True, the blitz of Hutsul souvenir markets and naff theme restaurants can
be a turn-off, but Yaremche is, in the end, all about heading out into the wilds and not
about the town itself. Plus it has more guesthouses than any other Carpathian valley com-
munity and is also a good place to look for a guide.
The town is an easily reachable staging point for an ascent of Mt Hoverla. By catching
a
marshrutka
or taxi to Vorokhta or beyond you can get to Ukraine's highest peak and
back in a day or two, depending on your preferred pace. Yaremche is also one of the best
places in the Ukrainian Carpathians to strike out on two knobbly wheels. With more
