Belarus, Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Tours, excursions, reviews

Once upon a time in the whole Europe covered the dense forests. Part of this virgin thicket remained in the territory of countries such as Poland and Belarus. Belovezhskaya Pushcha - this is the name of this huge forest area. True, geographers refer to this ecoregion as a scientific "Sarmatian mixed forest". In this article we will consider the possibilities to get acquainted with the Belovezhskaya Pushcha in its Belorussian part. Is it a reserve, where nobody is allowed, except foresters (and the first persons of states, if you remember 1991)? Or is it still possible to visit the pushes with mere mortals? How to get there? Where to live? How is the food established there? And when is it best to visit Belovezhskaya Pushcha? We have studied all this by analyzing the reviews of tourists. And if you are planning an unforgettable vacation in the bosom of virgin nature, you will surely be interested in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

History

The first mention of the virgin thicket, which occupies a vast territory, we meet in the Ipatiev Chronicle, which dates back to 983 year. Even then, large numbers of forests in Central and Eastern Europe were cut down. Therefore secular rulers began to reserve areas of thickets for their hunting. It can be said that Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the first reserves in the history. There is an edict of 1409, according to which the Polish King Jagiello forbade his subjects to be cast into this virgin forest. Hunting there had the right only he and his brother Witold. The European bison, which was everywhere exterminated, remained, as a species, only in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. When this part of Poland left the Soviet Union (in 1939), the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the BSSR fixed its protected status over the forest. And in 1992 the national park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" was included in the UNESCO list as the world heritage of mankind. This reserve is a real miracle of nature, which has survived to our days and, hopefully, for our descendants.

Where is Belovezhskaya Pushcha

As we have already mentioned, the relic primitive forest occupies the territory of Poland and Belarus. In this last state, Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located in the Brest and Grodno regions. What is the best way to get to the recreation area of the reserve? Reviews are advised to begin the journey from Brest. From this city, twice a day twice a day (at half past nine and half past three), a shuttle bus runs. But you can get there by other public transport. Your car needs to move, according to road signs, along the route Brest-Kamenets and further, to the village of Kamenyuki, where, in fact, the entrance to the reserve is located. From Minsk you can also book a tour to Belovezhskaya Pushcha. But, since the capital of Belarus is separated from the park three hundred and forty kilometers, the price of such an excursion increases many times due to the cost of gasoline.

What is available to a simple tourist

The National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is divided into several zones. One of them is truly reserved, in the strict sense of the word. There are no people allowed to disturb the peace of forest inhabitants and preserve the virgin ecosystem intact. But there is a recreational zone in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The entrance to it is paid. In the village of Kamenyuki there is an entrance with a cash register. Only Belarusian rubles are accepted , so you need to stock up the local currency in large cities in advance. There are several types of tickets available at the ticket office. The entrance to the reserve's territory will cost ten thousand Belarusian rubles (35 Russian rubles). A ticket with pedestrian routes is to be used for the ticket. To avoid problems with the Polish border guards (after all, the state cordon is close), it is better not to go off the marked trails. You can rent a bicycle (one hundred Russian rubles per hour). For the entrance to the Museum of Nature, to enclosures with animals and to the Residence of Father Frost you need to pay separately. A sightseeing bus tour to Belovezhskaya Pushcha (in the park) will cost two hundred and ten Russian rubles.

When to visit the reserve

The climate in southern Belarus differs little from ours. But, despite the fact that the nature of Belovezhskaya Pushcha is always beautiful, it is better to visit the reserve in a season when the light day is long. In winter, reviews are recommended to be sent to the Grandfather Frost Residence. This excursion will be an excellent entertainment for children. The cost of entering the Residence is about three hundred Russian rubles for an adult. The ticket includes a set of performances and a gift for the child from Santa Claus. The climate zone, where Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located, does not please us with warm days. The best time to visit the reserve is called the summer months, May and September. By the way, the Grandfather Frost's Residence, opened in 2003, works not only in the winter. At any time, a fairy-tale character and his assistants will be able to meet with your child.

Where to live

Tours to Belarus, the package of which includes a visit to Belovezhskaya Pushcha, involves accommodation in the Kamenyuki Hotel in the village of the same name. This hotel is located at nine hundred meters from the entrance to the reserve. But recently a new building of the hotel "Kamenyuki" was built near the Museum of Nature itself. Prices in the village are much lower than in the reserve. Also in the village you can rent a house or settle in a farm with a boarding house. If you are on your car, it will be cheaper to stay in Kamenets. There prices for accommodation, assure the reviews, even lower. On the territory of the protected area, you can rent small cottages for five to nine people. But this is too expensive. In the three buildings of the hotel "Kamenyuki" there are rooms of the category "improved" and "luxury". In order to dine on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, it is not necessary to leave the reserve. Hungry visitors are expected by a fine restaurant, which treats Belarusian cuisine.

Museum of Nature

The reviews are strongly recommended to visit him first. The museum gives an idea of those kinds of animals and plants that inhabit the Republic of Belarus. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a kind of natural relic. It is noteworthy that the stuffed animals for the exposition were made of dead animals and birds by their deaths. Only wild boars are fired here, because an increased population threatens to damage the whole ecosystem. Therefore, the exposition of the museum was composed for seventy years. Reviews assure that the stuffed do not represent a dull or terrible sight. They fit very qualitatively into the "landscape" created by these masters. Therefore, one can see the present lair of wolves, roe deer and other representatives of the fauna of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The entrance to the Museum of Nature costs twenty-five thousand Belarusian rubles (90 Russian rubles). A children's ticket is two times cheaper.

An aviary with animals

If you take a hiking or cycling tour of the reserve, then you have a chance to meet with a representative of the fauna inhabiting Belarus. Belovezhskaya Pushcha, however, is too huge for the paths of people and animals to cross. And if you want to look at the inhabitants of the reserve, it is better to immediately buy a ticket to the cage at the ticket office. Naturally, all attention is attracted to the real owners of the forest - bison. These mighty bison were once home to all of Europe. But because of merciless hunting completely extinct. A small number of livestock remained only in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. And since the virgin forest became a reserve, their population has increased significantly. In addition to the bison, you can see - and even feed - wild boars, bears, raccoon dogs, foxes, wolves, deer in the enclosure. The ticket to the cage costs twenty thousand Belarusian rubles for an adult and ten thousand for a child. Reviews are advised to come to the animals in the morning or in the evening, because at lunchtime animals sleep after feeding.

Father Frost's Residence

New Year tours to Belarus must include in your program a visit to Belovezhskaya Pushcha. After all, not only in children, but also in adults, there is an exceptional opportunity to make up to one hundred desires. And they will certainly come true within the next year. Belarusian Grandfather Frost looks a little different than his Russian colleague. He has a white, embroidered zhupan with silver lace and the same cap. Dwells in the Residence of Santa Claus and the sister of our Baba Yaga - Korgoth. On New Year comes to stay with his grandfather and his granddaughter Snow Maiden. But with the first spring days, she goes to Lapland. As the tourists' reviews assure, the performance is very popular with children. They run around the tree, solve the puzzles of Korgotha, and at the end receive gifts - who gets candy, and who coloring, chocolates and similar gifts.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha: plants

But, of course, the main thing in the reserve is not the entertainment of children and tourists, but the conservation of the ecosystem. The virgin forest conceals under its crowns many plants that have long been included in the Red Book of not only Belarus but also the world. You can get acquainted with these species in the Museum of Nature. By the way, he is the most visited in the Brest region. The museum was first visited in 1963. The entire first floor of the building is reserved for animals that live in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Plants, birds, butterflies, mushrooms make up the exposition of the upper tier. Reviews are advised first to visit the Museum of Nature, and then, with the necessary knowledge, go to the forest. Belovezhskaya Pushcha in winter is priporoshena snow, so the best time for such educational excursions - summer.

Reviews about Belovezhskaya Pushcha

As a rule, tourists are satisfied with the trip to the reserve. However, they express their wishes regarding the development of the infrastructure. The residence of Santa Claus is located quite far from the entrance. If you go with an excursion, then the bus brings tourists directly to the entrance. But an independent trip is difficult. After all, the car must be left in the parking lot. And with the child to go along the path (yes even in winter) for a very long time. Tourists are advised to take lunch with them, because there is only one restaurant on the whole vast territory of the forest. The advice is to combine a visit to the reserve with visiting other interesting places in the Republic of Belarus. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located very near the town of Kamenets, in which the tower of the 14th century - Veja - has been preserved. And in Brest it is necessary to visit the heroic fortress.