Tour to the Elnya swamp + waterfall on the Vyata River
Highlights
- Minsk → Waterfall on the Vyata River + Miory → Ecotrope in the preserve "Elnia" → Minsk
Overview
Yelnya Reserve is 25,301 hectares of nature, it's a wild, ancient place created to be the subject of legends and fairy tales. This is the largest raised bog in Belarus and the fifth largest in Europe! Of course, the water and air here are very clean.
Yelnya stares the tourist straight in the heart with its 118 lakes and gives shelter to 130 bird species, including such rare ones as black-throated loon, white-tailed eagle and black stork. And Yelnya is also home to flocks of gray cranes, which feed here before each migration season.
- Day 1 - Tour program
6:30-7:00 - approximate time of departure from Minsk. We go to Miory.
Arrival in Miory. Free time for a walk around the town.
In Miory we walk along the quay and the peninsula:
The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1907, with icons from the 19th century.
The church is built in neo-gothic style of red brick not plastered. Behind the apse of the temple is a monument to the unborn child.
The square of the fallen soldiers. Partisans and soldiers who died during WWII are buried here. In the second half of the 50s of XX century there is a monument-sculpture of soldiers on their grave.
Moving to the Yelnya bog.
The nature reserve Yelnya is 25,301 hectares. This wild, ancient place is made to be the stuff of legends and fairy tales. It's the biggest upland bog in Belarus and the fifth biggest in Europe! Of course, the water and air here are very clean.
Yelnya stares the tourist straight in the heart with its 118 lakes and gives shelter to 130 bird species, including such rare ones as black-throated loon, white-tailed eagle and black stork. Yelnya is also home to flocks of gray cranes, which feed here before each migration season.
SWAMP ROUTE
We are going deep into the real swamp!
The route starts from the border of the reserve and includes: approach to the trail (900 m) and the ecological path - a wooden planking which runs through the bog. The trail is 1.5 km long, the longest and widest in Europe, and runs through transition bogs, raised bogs, disturbed bogs and ridge and swamp complexes.
There is a rest spot near the trail.
We recommend that you wear comfortable shoes, because the eco-trail is a four-layer wooden planking (two layers of aspen planks on the bottom and a crossbar and another planking of oak on top). Be sure to bring a change of shoes and socks, you will most likely get your feet wet.
Moving to the waterfall on the Vyata river.
Yes, yes! There is also an opportunity to "run down to the waterfall" in Belarus. Of course, it is the brainchild of man, not nature.
In the middle of the last century there was built an artificial two-meter waterfall, which increased the capacity of the local hydroelectric power plant. The power plant did not last long, the construction quickly fell into decay, and the waterfall soon fancied for recreation by local residents and tourists.
It is so great to listen to the resounding ripples of water! It helps to relax and really relax in nature.
Be sure to take water with you to the swamp, and on the tour - a change of shoes. You will most likely get your feet wet. Cameras and smartphones can be hidden in airtight bags just in case.
Return to Minsk.
There is no transfer to Minsk!