Belovezhskaya Pushcha photos of the white vezha. Belovezhskaya Pushcha: guide

The Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve is the main natural attraction of Belarus, home to rare animals, bison. What to see in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, how to get there from Minsk, prices for excursions, food and hotels in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Reviews about the holiday with photos.

Now I am in my homeland, so on weekends I explore the sights of Belarus, which I will be happy to write about on my blog. I'll start with a story about Belovezhskaya Pushcha. “Pesnyary” also sang about her.

The Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is a biosphere reserve, part of which is located in the west of Belarus, the other part in Poland.

It consists of 500 thousand square meters of forest, the average age of trees in which is 100 years. There are oak trees on the territory of the Pushcha that live there for 500-600 years.

This is one of the oldest nature reserves in the world, which was founded more than 600 years ago. Since 1992, the national park has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Fund. This is one of the main attractions of Belarus. Holidays in Belovezhskaya Pushcha are popular among animal lovers and ecotourism.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha occupies a huge territory. You can only move around the reserve on foot, by bicycle or by excursion bus. We leave our car in the parking lot.

Essentially the Pushcha is a large forest with several lakes, a small zoo and some entertainment. The main objects that are usually seen in the Pushcha are: enclosures with animals (bison, horses, wild boars), the Estate of the Belarusian Father Frost (open all year round, not just in winter), and the Local History Museum of Nature.

Cash desk opening hours: 9.00 – 18.00

Bicycle rental opening hours: 9.00 – 18.00

Opening hours of the Museum of Nature: 9.00 - 18.00

Opening hours of the Residence of Father Frost: 9.00 - 18.00

Bus departure times from the entrance to the Pushcha to the Estate of Father Frost: 11:00; 13:30; 16:00 daily (if there is a group of at least 10 people)

Hotels in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Renovated building of the Kamenyuki Hotel and restaurant

There is one in Belovezhskaya Pushcha Hotel "Kamenyuki". One building is located on the territory of the reserve, the other is in the neighboring village of Kamenyuki, 900 meters from the main entrance to the Pushcha.

Prices in the village are lower than in the forest itself. Link to Kamenyuki No. 2 in the village (rooms from 17$ )

The Kamenyuki Hotel is now on Booking.com. Now booking rooms in Belovezhskaya Pushcha has become much easier (previously you had to call a landline phone on weekdays, but now you can rent a room on the Internet)

Houses in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

If you don’t want to live in a hotel, then in the village of Kamenyuki you can rent a room in a house, a cottage, or stay in an agricultural estate.

If you come by car, it makes sense to live not near Pushcha, but to rent an apartment in Brest, Kobrin or any other city nearby - it will be several times cheaper than living in Belovezhskaya Pushcha or Kamenyuki.

Apartments and houses in Belarus can be rented using the following links:

• Apartments for a day in Brest - from $19 per apartment

Farmsteads and houses in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Belovezhskoye Estate, from $25

Price - 25$ for a room with a shared bathroom, 45$ per room with private bath

You can rent a separate 19th century house entirely for 50-60$

The estate in the village of Kamenyuki is decorated in a traditional style. There is free wifi and free parking, garden, barbecue area and terrace. It's a 20-25 minute walk to the forest.

House 10 km from the forest, from $75

Price for a one bedroom house - 75$
4 bedroom house - from 100$

The price depends on the number of guests and the size of the cottage.

Complex of cottages. There are 1 bedroom, 4 bedroom and 5 bedroom houses. All houses have a fireplace, private bath, terrace, barbecue, free wifi and parking.

Suitable for those with a car. The estate is located 10 km from the forest in the village of Makovishte

House in Kamenyuki, from $30

Price for two - 30$ , for three - 40$ , for 4 - $50, maximum 5 people.

House with 2 bedrooms in the village of Kamenyuki. There is a garden with a terrace and barbecue facilities, a kitchen with oven, TV, free wifi. The forest is 1 km away.

Excursions in Belovezhskaya Pushcha:

• On foot— you can visit enclosures with animals, the Local History Museum and lakes

• By bike— there are five routes through the territory of the Pushcha, the longest route, 27 km long, runs along ancient oak trees, covers several lakes, partially runs along an asphalt road, and 70% along a dirt road.

• By excursion bus(2 excursions)

Prices for excursions around Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

Tickets for excursions can be purchased at the central ticket office at the main entrance. They accept only Belarusian rubles or bank cards.

Russian rubles, dollars and euros are not accepted. If you plan to go to the enclosures and the nature museum, it is better to buy tickets immediately.

All prices are indicated in Belarusian rubles. To understand how much it is dollars, divide the price on 2.

To get the price in Russian rubles, multiply the price in “proteins” by 30.

Prices for adult and children's tickets will be listed below. Visiting the estate of Father Frost, enclosures with animals, the museum of nature - child ticket up to 14 years old, sightseeing tour with a visit to the Museum of Folk Life - child ticket up to 18 years old.

Walking tour of Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Price: 1 white ruble(RUR 31 / 0.5$ ), lasts 2 hours

You pay money and receive a map with the attractions indicated on it. You can walk without a map, but since the border with Poland is very close, it’s better to get a map so as not to accidentally go where you shouldn’t.

If you just want to walk around the Pushcha without a map, then no need to pay.

Walking tour through Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Bicycle tour of Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Bicycle rental works from 9.00 to 18.00.

Prices for cycling routes:

There are several cycling routes of varying lengths, designed to last one and a half, two, four hours. The price includes bicycle rental and a map with routes. The path runs along asphalt and dirt paths.

I read different reviews about the bikes. Many people write that they got an old bike for rent and advise, if possible, to choose an aluminum one with speeds. It is recommended to take your bike from home. I haven’t rented a bike myself, so I don’t know how things are with the equipment.

Bicycle tour of Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Sightseeing tour of Belovezhskaya Pushcha by bus

Winter equipment rental

Tour of the Estate of the Belarusian Father Frost

Price: adults 8.5 byn ( 260 rub./ 4.4$), children 7 byn ( 215 RUR / 3.6$)

The price includes the performance and gifts for about 3 bel. ruble

Lasts about 2 hours. The bus leaves from the main entrance at 11.00, 13.30 and 16.00

The residence is located 12 km from the main entrance to the reserve, so you can get there on foot or by bicycle, but it will take a lot of time.

Excursion to the Residence of Father Frost

Sights of Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Local History Museum of Nature

Price: adults 3 byn (90 rub / 1.5$ ), children - 2 byn (60 rubles / 1$ ).

You can rent an audio guide for 3.5 byn(110 rubles) or book a group excursion for 5 byn(150 rubles) for groups of up to 10 people.

This is the best local history museum in Europe (although Moscow will be better). The exhibition was collected over 70 years.

Only wild boars are specially shot in the Pushcha, because there are a lot of them. All other animals died of natural causes and were found by rangers or local residents.

Museum of Nature

stuffed deer
Hunting scene

Residence of the Belarusian Father Frost

A fun performance is being held at the Residence. We danced in circles, ran around the Christmas tree, chatted with Santa Claus and Baba Yaga's sister Korgota, guessed riddles, after which we could write our wishes to Santa Claus. I liked the performance. I think children should like it too.

At the end they gave sets of very tasty Belarusian sweets worth 30 thousand ( 1.5$ ), which is especially nice. Different groups receive different gifts: chocolates, drawing kits for children, etc.

You can also make up to 100 wishes at the residence. Grandfather promised that all of them would come true within a year. We'll see.

Finding happiness with Korgota
12 months. You can hug yours and whisper your deepest wish in his ear :)
My month Kastrychnik
Territory of Father Frost's Residence
Belarusian Santa Claus. Children from Russia did not immediately recognize him
In your grandfather's house you can write down your wishes and receive a gift
Round dances around the Christmas tree in Belovezhskaya Pushcha can be done even in summer

Animals of Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Price: adults 2.5 byn ( 80 rub), children 1.5 byn ( 45 rub.).

It is better to buy tickets to the enclosures in advance at the central ticket office.

Wild animals constantly live in the forest, but you can’t always see them, so it’s best to look at the famous Belarusian bison in enclosures. The enclosures are home to bison, deer, raccoon dogs, foxes, moose, bears, wolves, horses, and wild boars.

From 15.20 to 16.00 the animals slept in the houses; large animals were far from the fence. When we found ourselves near the enclosures again around 6 pm, the animals woke up.

They approached the fences and allowed themselves to be petted. It turned out that it is better to look at the animals in the morning or evening. During the day they are busy or sleep.

!!! Please pay attention to the fact that you cannot feed the animals. There are signs on the fences of the enclosure asking people not to feed the animals, but for some reason people continue to throw loaves and whole loaves of bread into the enclosures. If you want a bison or deer to come closer to the fence, it is better to show him a blade of grass.

In front of me, not very smart, giggling people threw a stone at the boar. The boar ate the stone out of habit, but why do such a thing?

A boar that swallowed a stone
Bison in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Dappled deer
High walls of enclosures

People feed animals bread

Other attractions

Also on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha there are several artificial lakes, centuries-old oak trees, about 300 species of rare birds and about 900 varieties of plants. All this can be seen while walking or cycling.

Food prices in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Our one-day trip to Belovezhskaya Pushcha by car from Minsk cost 120 Bel. rubles (RUR 3,700) for two people.

We drove 760 km, so the main part of the expenses is gasoline (1.19 byr (42 rubles) per liter of 95). We ate at the cafe twice. Once in the forest itself, the second time on the highway. The remaining costs are entrance fees to the enclosures, the museum and the excursion.

Prices in restaurants on the territory of the Pushcha are the same as in establishments in Minsk. Also to the right of the entrance to the reserve there is the Sosny cafe, where you can inexpensively eat pancakes with blueberries or honey, order shish kebab with salad and drink tea.

Sosny cafe menu

Herbal tea with pancakes

How to get to Belovezhskaya Pushcha from Minsk and Brest

1. By car- 360 km from Minsk along the M1 highway to Zhabinka, then through the city of Kamenets to the village of Kamenyuki - this is the administrative center of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. We reach the end of the village of Kamenyuki and come to a parking lot and the entrance to the reserve.

The movement of vehicles without special permission through the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha is prohibited, so we park the car and go for a walk.

2. By public transport

By train to Brest. Tickets for the Minsk-Brest train can be purchased in advance on the website www.rw.by

From the railway station in Brest you need to get to the Central Bus Station. Walking distance is about 15 minutes.

At the bus station we buy a ticket to the village of Kamenyuki.

From Kamenyuki station we walk about 1 km to the central entrance to Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

Main entrance to Belovezhskaya Pushcha

My reviews about Belovezhskaya Pushcha

It so happened that we left Minsk late and arrived in the Pushcha at 14.30, so we didn’t have time to see everything.

What I especially liked:

• Museum of Nature. I don’t like museums, but everything here is decorated at the highest level. Made with soul. The main thing for me is that animals are not killed for the sake of the museum.

• Herb tea- poured in the Sosny cafe and in the cafe at the residence of Father Frost. To my greatest sadness, the tea itself, which is used to brew tea, is not sold on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

• Excursion to the Residence of Father Frost. They gave delicious gifts, and the performance itself was fun. Well done guys. They are trying!

• Bison and gray horse. The conditions for keeping animals in enclosures are quite good. I used to not like zoos, but now I understand that they still have meaning. Most zoos are home to old or sick animals who find it difficult to find food in the wild. At the zoo, the animals are fed - this is already a big plus. The only thing that seemed strange to me was that all the trees in the enclosures where the bison live were cut down. In summer, animals will have nowhere to hide from the sun. I hope that closer to June the bison will move from their clearing to the forest, like other animals.

There are no trees at all in the enclosure where the bison live

What I didn’t like about Belovezhskaya Pushcha

• People who, despite the ban, feed animals with bread and stones.

• According to reviews, the condition of the bikes leaves much to be desired.

• Bison are not combed. In Chizhovsky Park in Minsk, animals look more well-groomed.

Working on turning a toad into a prince

Thus, while traveling to the sights of Belarus, I recommend that you visit Belovezhskaya Pushcha and spend at least one, two or three days there. Relax your soul, breathe in the fresh forest air, ride a bike or just take a walk.

Have a nice holiday in Belarus! Sincerely,

The case when expectation and reality did not coincide (

What do you imagine when you hear Belovezhskaya Pushcha? Personally, I - “The Reserved Chant, the commanded daaaaal”, a huge dense forest through which you walk, enjoy the fresh air and accidentally meet either a bison or an elk)

After all, we were told from childhood that this is the main Belarusian nature reserve, almost the best attraction in the country. Perhaps many people think so, but I have a completely different opinion. Unfortunately(

What do we actually have?

Most of the Pushcha is closed to the public, because... This is a border area, only a specially designated area is accessible to tourists. Something like this.

You drive up to the parking lot, leave your car, and go to the ticket office.

Prices for visiting

There is a lot of information, even too much, but the girls at the ticket office are polite and friendly, they help you find your way around the services.

Among the services offered:

• Enclosures with wild animals - 3 rubles per person.
• A visit to the Museum of Nature and the Museum of Folk Life - 3.50 rubles per person.
• Excursion to visit Santa Claus by bus, available all year round. With making wishes, round dances, jokes and gifts. 8.50 rubles per person.
• Others: tour guides, audio guides and others.

You can buy tickets only at the box office at the entrance, only for white. rubles You can pay in cash or by credit card.

Right there, near the entrance, there is a rental of bicycles and other vehicles (for example, sleds in winter).

There are several routes, cycling and walking. And they are all paid, they all have their own cost) Moreover, even if you ride your own bike or walk on your own feet.

And here are 2 things I don’t understand: 1) what is the reason for this payment, depreciation of asphalt or something? 2) the routes start at a decent distance from the main entrance. If, out of ignorance, you didn’t buy a ticket right away, then what, go back?)

Strange, very strange.

Enclosures with animals in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

A very sad sight. Maybe they look good in winter, but on a sunny summer day, when it’s +30 outside, it all looks like cruelty to animals. Bears were especially not spared(

The enclosures are really big, but not for the bears. But for some reason the trees were cut down, and the animals are sitting in the wasteland. This is how bison walk under the scorching sun.

And they sit on heaps of sand. I’m not a biologist and I could be wrong, but in my opinion, this bears little resemblance to the natural conditions familiar to bison.

The situation is similar with deer.

Red deer with huge antlers sit in a swamp.

The coolest, shady area is near the horses.

And here come the bears.

2 bears, in 2 small cages with bars. In the photo he climbs into a trough to cool off in the water - and guess what? There is practically no water there. Just to drink (I don’t understand why this is happening to them.

Leva liked everything, but the adults around him were somewhat puzzled by what they saw.

You can ride around the territory on a horse-drawn carriage or on a children's train.

It seems to me that the surest option for visiting the Pushcha is to ride one of the cycling routes, but on the other hand, if there is someone in your company who does not ride, there is not much entertainment for him.

Maybe it’s a good walk – I don’t rule out that possibility. But again, if someone in your company does not like or cannot walk for a long time, he will frankly have nothing to do.

The forest itself is incomparable, but the infrastructure and organization are confusing.

And nature is beautiful, there are no questions about nature.

Where to eat in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

There are several places within the national park where you can sit, relax and eat.

Not far from the enclosures there is a cafe “Forest Fairy Tale”. The prices are quite affordable, there is a large selection. But the guys work a little strangely) If there are a little more orders in the kitchen than usual, then panic reigns in the establishment, and no one is responsible for anything)

On the day we arrived, schoolchildren were being fed lunch in this cafe. A notice was posted at the entrance that the establishment was closed for special services. In fact, it turned out that everything works, only a) the waiter won’t come to you, go order it yourself; b) not all positions are available; c) wait 40 minutes for any dish.

As a result, we sat down to eat at the Sosny cafe.

I can’t say that it was super tasty, but rather filling. But all the food is edible, and I really liked the fruit drink.

There is another cafe on the estate of Father Frost. And I think there should be a few more in other places.

Souvenirs

There is no shortage of souvenirs.

There are many of them, they are different and quite inexpensive. Magnets, figurines, plates with bison, wild boars, bears and much more.

Similar tents are located between the central entrance and the enclosures.

Working hours

• The cash desk is open from 9.00 to 18.00
• Bicycle rental - from 9.00 to 18.00
• Museum of Nature - from 9.00 to 18.00
• Residence of Father Frost - from 9.00 to 18.00, buses depart at 11:00, 13:30 and 16:00

How to get there

You need to get to the village of Kamenyuki.

It is located approximately 150 km from Brest. Regular buses go here, some of them drive right to the gates of the national park, some don’t, but the walk from the station is no more than a kilometer. The schedule can be viewed on the website ticketbus.by.

The distance from Minsk is about 360 km, you can only get there by your own transport, the road is good.

Hotels in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

There are good accommodation options in and around the national park. You can search for them on various resources.

I've been really enjoying natural attractions lately. The sight of many of them literally blows your mind. Over the past year, Tanya and I have already visited three national parks in three different European countries. We rock climbed in Spanish; admired the crystal surface of rivers and lakes in Poland; and then wandered through the amber forests in . And each of these places was magnificent in its own way.

That is why in January 2016 Tanya and I decided to visit another national park. This time – located on the territory of our own homeland. I think you understand what we are talking about. Therefore, I will say right away: Belovezhskaya Pushcha completely and completely met all my expectations. Covered in a lace of January snows, the oldest forest in Europe looked amazingly beautiful and somehow even a little fabulous in winter. Massive silhouettes of centuries-old trees stretched somewhere towards the heavens. And therefore, from just the sight of dense thickets with narrow ribbons of paths, lost around the next turn, some strange feeling of inspiration appeared in my soul. Somewhere overhead the lively trill of a woodpecker was constantly heard. The forest lived its own life. And for a short moment, our paths intertwined with him into one whole...

How to get to Belovezhskaya Pushcha?

Hmm... I'll start, so to speak, with organizational issues. You can get to Belovezhskaya Pushcha either by car or by intercity buses. I read on one of the forums on the Internet that today a certain number of private minibuses also go in the direction of the ancient forest. But I haven’t checked this information myself. Therefore, I will not dwell on this in detail now.

Regular buses from Brest travel to the Pushcha throughout the day. Some of them will take you directly to the gates of the National Park. Others will only reach the small village of Kamenyuki. From there you will have to walk to the gate of the complex. But don’t rush to get scared: the walk to your destination is no more than a kilometer. According to Google Maps - 0.8 km.

You can view the bus schedule from Brest on the website ticketbus.by. For those who are lazy, I am attaching here two screenshots with the schedule and prices. It's quite simple. How to get to Belovezhskaya Pushcha I think you'll figure it out.

At the gates of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park

All buses heading to Belovezhskaya Pushcha arrive directly at its gates - at a large parking lot located nearby. There is security here. And next to her post there are stalls with various kinds of souvenirs.

The selection of magnets, key chains and plates is approximately the same as in Brest. Plus some local flavor. At the same time, despite the fairly large number of tourists coming, the prices are quite affordable. In January 2016, most of the magnets cost around 20 – 40 thousand (1-2 dollars). The selection is pretty good. One hundred thousand can be purchased in full.

If you have enough money, for a million and a half ($50-75) you can even buy yourself a corridor rug like this. Made very realistic. I was even somehow afraid to pick it up.

Prices in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Each of the routes along Belovezhskaya Pushcha has its own separate cost. And this fact for me personally became the most unexpected discovery in this place with a “minus” sign. Usually in national parks it’s like this: you buy an entrance ticket, get a map and go where you want. In Belovezhskaya Pushcha, each route is paid separately. In Belarusian money it turns out from 50 cents to 1 dollar (depending on the specific direction). In food coupons - from 10,000 to 20,000.

There are six routes themselves (although some of them are intertwined and are, in fact, an expanded version of previous routes). There is plenty to choose from. Special stands with descriptions of various directions are located right outside the gates of the complex. As background information, each of them indicates the length of the path, the type of route (bicycle/pedestrian), as well as designations of the main attractions located along its entire length.

By the way, next to the description of the routes there are stands like this.

If you wander around the Pushcha chaotically and disorderly, you may inadvertently wander into the territory. Therefore, if suddenly while traveling somewhere in the distance you see the shine of some modern spa complex... hmm... so to speak... do not go into the light. This is not welcomed by the customs authorities of the two countries.

What other paid services are there in Belovezhskaya Pushcha? A visit to enclosures with animals, a tour of the Museum of Nature, a trip to visit Santa Claus and all sorts of other nonsense (like renting audio guides and other things). Personally, we went straight from the gates of Belovezhskaya Pushcha to see the local bison. But I'll tell you about this a little later.

Hotels in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

There are quite a lot of various hotels, inns and tourist complexes on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Some of them are located in the national park, others in the nearby village of Kamenyuki. You can find suitable options in several ways.

Option #2. Search for options on Booking.com.

Option #3: Check the options offered on the AIRBNB website.

Only in this case, options need to be looked for in Kamenyuki, and not in Belovezhskaya Pushcha itself. Another little secret: the AIRBNB website has special discount coupons. Register using the link provided and you will automatically receive a small discount on your first booking (automatically triggered when the booking amount is $75-77).

Personally, during this trip we booked accommodation in the city of Brest (from there you can get to Belovezhskaya Pushcha very quickly). For those who decide to choose this option, I suggest looking for hotels on this website. I use it regularly myself.

Enclosures in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Royal deer. Enclosures of Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

Belarusian bison, royal deer, wolves, foxes and other animals are a real “must see” of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. Going to these regions, I heard several times that with proper luck they can be quite encountered even in the natural environment. But this, so to speak, is not an acquired taste.

It is much easier to look at the animals living in the Pushcha in special enclosures of the reserve. Entrance here costs 20,000 rubles (about 1 dollar). There are cages with animals to the left of the entrance to the park. Finding this place is not difficult.

I will write more about what animals can be found in local enclosures in a separate article. Well, for now I’ll just say one thing: enclosures of Belovezhskaya Pushcha— the place is very cool and interesting, completely different from an ordinary zoo. The territory of the complex is quite large. Therefore, many animals hardly notice the cells. In winter, by the way, you could ride around the entire complex on such a charismatic horse. But again, this is a different story.

Where to eat in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

As indicated on the official website of the reserve, there are only three catering facilities on the territory of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. Plus one more - in the village of Kamenyuki. In addition to closed premises, in different parts of the reserve you can also find small tents selling pancakes, herbal tea, kebabs and other delicacies. By prior arrangement, it is also possible to organize picnics (at least that’s what is written on the official website).

Personally, Tanya and I had a decorous dinner at a restaurant with the poetic name “Pines”, located to the right of the entrance to reserve. Belovezhskaya Pushcha I was surprised by the pleasant price level. Going on this trip, I honestly thought that everything would be much more expensive here.

So, what is the Sosny restaurant?

• Pleasant price level.
• Delicious food (we took warm borscht and pancakes with blackberry jam).
• The menu includes interesting local “tricks” such as Belovezhskaya moonshine (“Pushchanka”) and herbal tea brewed using herbs that are collected somewhere here – in the forest.

Minuses:

• Unpretentious interior.
• Lack of a toilet (instead there is only a lonely washbasin in the corner).
• The lack of a certain hallway in the restaurant meant there was always a slight breeze from the street. Visitors came and went. And approximately every third person certainly forgot to close the door behind them (which, I repeat, goes directly onto the street).

Pancake prices.

Overall, I liked this restaurant. He was definitely worthy of the money we left here. The borscht turned out to be delicious. Pancakes too. And herbal tea is generally top class.

National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha": a walk along snow-covered paths

In my previous articles related to this trip to the Brest region, I have already written more than once that we chose not the best time for the trip. In the first half of January it was very cold in Belarus. Tanya and I were completely frozen. Therefore, to be honest, we were never able to make a full-scale hike along one of the tourist routes. To be honest, I’m already thinking about going to the reserve (Belovezhskaya Pushcha) again when it gets a little warmer. To take a bicycle, rent a room in one of the local “hotel complexes” and simply take a day and a half to travel along the protected paths of the oldest forest in Europe. Damn, guys, do you even know that our entire continent once looked like this?! And only in Belovezhskaya Pushcha you can see with your own eyes what the Old World was like before the period of urbanization and great industrial revolutions. Agree – this is a unique opportunity.

Returning from heaven to earth, I will say that we walked along the paths of the reserve quite a bit. However, this was enough to get to two attractions at once, marked on numerous tourist maps. I was completely delighted with each of them that day. Well, in general, see for yourself. Here they are.

Attraction No. 1. Birch with the head of a bison. I agree, it sounds strange. But it looks pretty cool. Unusual, to say the least. It's a pity that it was covered with snow in winter. In the summer, they say, it looks even cooler.

Attraction No. 2. Hermit Oak. This one actually reminded me of some kind of Tolkien Ent. Well, remember those talking trees in The Lord of the Rings. Take a closer look. It seems that this oak tree is looking at you suspiciously.

Endgame: the final word

In general, walking through Belovezhskaya Pushcha, you get the impression that this forest is one huge living organism. Some movement is constantly heard in the bushes. And somewhere overhead, almost every minute, the rhythmic knock of a woodpecker is heard. In short, as you probably already understood, I really liked this place. I understand that it is difficult to brag about a trip to Belovezhskaya Pushcha to your friends (at least, the phrase “I went to Belovezhskaya Pushcha” is difficult to pronounce with the same pathetic expression as the phrase “I went to Paris”). But this place is worth seeing. Our country also knows how to surprise. And it can also be infinitely beautiful - no worse than, for example, Poland