Let’s discover the Dnister Canyon on a kayak or cataraft trip down the Dnister River. The Dnister Canyon is rightly called one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine. Being 250 kilometers long, it is one of the longest in Europe. The Dniester Canyon impresses with breathtaking natural beauties: fantastic landscapes, rocky cliffs, wild forests, caves and grottoes, islands, waterfalls and beautiful travertine rocks. On our 5-days trip you’ll also enjoy the stunning panorama of Zalishchyky city and unique “Dnister River horseshoe”. We combine rafting with short excursions, so get ready to visit the most popular castles in western Ukraine: Khotyn and Kamianets-Podilskyi.
Join us on this tour! That will be an unforgettable adventure:)
In the morning you will meet your guides and the rest of the group at the railway station (main entrance) in Ivano-Frankivsk. There we will get a shuttle to the starting point of our trip – Zalishchyky town. Before starting our rafting trip, we’ll visit popular view point. Here opens breathtaking panorama of Zalishchyky city and unique “Dnister River horseshoe” – best spot to take selfie:)
On the river bank we get all the necessary rafting equipment ready, the group is having some safety trainings and after we head off down the Dnister River. Today we’ll stop for the night in Doroshivci village. Delicious dinner, campfire and starwatching, romantic atmosphere and friendly talks will be there for you tonight.
After the breakfast we break the camp and load the boat. Ahead – a wonderful day, exploring the nature of the canyon. The Dnister River is the second largest and the most ecologically clean river in Ukraine. The nature of the Dnister Canyon is specific and original. Its unique natural location provides the canyon with special and unusually warm for this area climate. The ending point for today is Horoshova village, where our group will stop for the night.
Another exciting day! Our team will raft along the wilderness of Dnister Canyon. Today we’re heading for the village Rashkiv. The river’s steep slopes are like the halls of a museum of Nature. Here you can see rifts from the Jurassic era and the world’s largest rifts from the Silurian, which are over 400 million years old. We raft down the river, passing through unique river meanders (large bends). That means we’ll constantly enjoy different landscapes of the canyon. Our target for today – Rashkiv village, where will camp tonight.
Our following day is a fantastic paddle through the Dnister Canyon. A 20 km rafting takes you to Khotyn Fortress of XIII century – fortification complex, located on the right bank of the Dnister River. It is a real masterpiece of the fortification architecture and also one of the biggest and well-preserved citadels in Europe. Stone walls are 5-meters (16 feet) wide and up to 50-meters (164 feet) high. In 2000 there was created Historical and Architectural Reserve "Khotyn fortress", which in August 2007 became one of "7 Wonders of Ukraine".
After excursion we’re getting back to the boats and leaving for the campsite in Braga village.
(When changing the schedule and late arrival to the campsite, the excursion to the Khotyn Fortress is planed to the next morning. We spend the last night in the village of Ataki.)
Our rafting adventure finishes, but it’s not the end of the tour yet. We have another interesting excursion to the wonderful historical place for you. We’re going to visit Kamianets-Podilskyi. This city is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The main highlight in Kamianets is an ancient fortress, built on the steep banks of the Smotrych River to protect the town. Originally, the castle was a wooden defensive building, and in the XVI century the wooden fortifications were replaced for stone ones. Kamianets is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe.
After excursion our tourist group will be picked up by a shuttle bus, leaving for Ivano-Frankivsk.
Arriving time to Ivano-Frankivsk – 8 pm.
* If you like this itinerary, but can’t find it in the tour schedule or you would like to join this trip on another date, please contact us and we will be more than happy to arrange this tour at your most convenient time.