Active rest in a wonderful place
A great place to get to the most amazing and wonderful places in the Carpathians. We got here by train to Vorokhta, then an hour by minibus on the broken route to Verkhovyna. At the bus station in Verkhovyna they took a taxi and were there in half an hour.
They lived in a private house "By the river", territorially in front of the fork of the road Shibene - Upper Dzembronya. This is the central point for starting planned routes and excellent living conditions. We lived in a triple wooden house with a toilet and a shower. The hosts can take two meals for an additional fee. The hosts are very nice and friendly people. We really liked them, and they helped us to make a pre-planned vacation.
The first day of our vacation was Sunday and we decided to walk to the Upper Dzembron (4 km). There is the church of Princess Olga and the monastery of the Transfiguration on the mountain.
We went to the service, then went up to the monastery. Downstairs we gathered in a local store, and most importantly - learned where the route begins on Mount Pip Ivan, where we planned to climb.
Pi n Ivan. Our hike started with a transfer to the Upper Dzembron (4 km). The route starts between the shop and the church (entrance through the gate). Start at 8.00. After 2 hours of walking we reached the pasture, where there is a fork on Pip Ivan: directly - through the mountain Smotrych (10 km), on the right - on the marked route through the mountain Vuhatiy Kamin (12 km). There are at least three places along the way where you can collect water. After an hour, we found ourselves in a gloomy forest. Walk it for about an hour. Then we went to the waterfalls, after which it becomes more interesting and beautiful to walk. On the way there is a red root.
The ascent began to become steeper, and after 1 hour we reached the ridge, where the steep and sometimes dangerous ascent of 260 meters begins.
After walking 700 meters and spending more than 1 hour, we found ourselves on the Montenegrin ridge 1870 meters, Smotrych. In general, at 2.30 pm we saw Pip Ivan with his spaces.
The top of Mount Pip Ivan was 2.5 km away, and time and energy were no longer on our side. Since we were climbing with the child, we did not reach Mount Pip Ivan, we would not have time to go down physically in the light. At 15.00 we started the descent and at 19.30 we were already downstairs near the shop, where a car was already waiting for us.
Conclusion for future conquerors of peaks: it is shorter to go straight through Smotrych, but to go there for a long time in the danger zone on the slope, and you have to go faster through the Eared Stone to go down in the light.
The next day was spent resting and preparing for the next climb. The child was ridden on a horse.
The price of horseback riding depends on the distance and time, but only by arrangement, because large groups often come and all the local horses (as we were told, 18 heads) ride tourists. Most often offer a hike to the nearest mountain, which offers a view of the Montenegrin ridge.
Spitz Mountain is the most beautiful and amazing place in the Carpathians.
And now a little more. We drove to the village of Bystrets (7 km from Dzembroni) in a UAZ (agreed with a neighbor, another car will not pass there), at the end of which the route begins at Spitz (10 km). Start at 8.00. It is beautiful and interesting to follow the route (6 km by road and 4 km by trail). At a distance of 500-700 m are the crosses of the cross. At about 10.00 we reached a crossroads: straight to the mountain, to the right to the shepherds, where some stay overnight.
After walking a little up the felled meadow, we came to a cedar tree, where the crossroads ends and there is a small chapel.
In the chapel there is a notebook with reviews of the people who captured and conquered these mountains… A big request to those who are going to come here, bring a clean notebook and pen to leave it there, because the old one is already full.
After another half hour, we found ourselves in the tract Gajina - a unique place with its own microclimate. In fact, it is a huge pit, which leads to one path, along which there are interesting and rare plants. At about 13:30 we approached a small lake, which is located at the foot of Mount Spitz. Then we were waiting for 300 m of road with a steep climb of 160 m on slippery ground, in places with small stones. But how cool upstairs ...Stone sculptures, huge ditches, the power of Gajina and, of course, the view of Hoverla.
We were at the top at 14:30. The mountain let us go only for 20-30 minutes and after two lightning strikes on the nearby mountains we began an accelerated descent.
It started to rain on the way, and when we were almost at the bottom, there was a heavy downpour. It is good that we have already finished our campaign. It was 5:30 p. m.
Burkut is the last "settlement" of Ukraine on the border with Romania, where there are three springs with mineral water. We got to Burkut by bicycle - we arranged a bike ride. A few days before the trip, we agreed to prepare bicycles at the White Elephant camp. And so at 8.30 we started from the White Elephant right on the road to the village of Shibene (18 km). I would like to add at once that there is a border post in Shiben, and to travel further, you need to get passports and a child's birth certificate to pass passport control. You need to go up constantly, but it's not very difficult, because you go with fresh air.
At 12.00 we reached the first source of iron water, and in another 40 minutes we reached Burkut (6 km). There are only 3 houses and forestry.
There are two mineral springs: one is near the road (with iron and slightly carbonated water), the second - just up from Burkut through the fence and 200 meters from the source of water such as oil. To our great surprise, there was a cafe here, where we were invited to dinner. They have a lot of Carpathian teas and tinctures in their assortment. It turned out to be the only hut at 40 km. After a snack, we went back, which took us 2.5 hours. Of course, it is much easier to go down, but you will still not be driven hard by rocks and pits. Plus in the bike only the front shock absorber, so that "one place" suffered a bit))), but we overcame 48 km on a huge positive.
Conclusion. The region turned out to be interesting, the forest in this part of the Carpathians is intact. You can get here from Verkhovyna (at 12.00 there is a bus). Products must be purchased immediately upon arrival at the bus station. There are many shops and a market nearby.
The city has its own brewery - beer of 4 varieties: light, dark, semi-dark and honey (to my taste the most pleasant and original). Local tinctures are also sold here at a lower price. The best time to relax is mid-June, when the snow in the Carpathians has almost melted and pink rhododendron has begun to bloom. There is another entertainment in Zembron - rafting on the river Cheremosh.
