“Belarus” and “tourism” usually don’t go together. This former Soviet state with a brutal human rights record is probably not high on the list of one’s potential vacation destinations.
But Belarus actually has a lot to offer the adventurous tourist.
Belarus has good roads, clean streets, tasty food and reasonable prices in local cafes and hotels – many thing one won’t always find in Ukraine. It’s not a large country, and you can get from one side of it to the other in a day using the country’s extensive rail network. Besides beautiful landscapes, Belarus abounds with amazing castles and well-preserved churches. But the stunning Belovezhskaya Pushcha national park stands out among all of the places of interest in the country.
Primeval forest
Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the largest remaining tracts of the immense primeval forest that once stretched across the European plain. The forest still occupies an area of more than 2,000 square kilometers in Poland and Belarus. A UNESCO World Heritage site, its breathtaking beauty can only be compared to Durmitor National Park in Montenegro. But while Durmitor has a great diversity of landscapes, the mainly flat Belarusian reserve boasts a huge variety of flora – beech and oak woods border with pine forests, and bogs and marshland are interspersed throughout.
As for the fauna, walking around Belovezhskaya Pushcha is like being in a real-life Discovery Channel nature program – foxes, wild boars, deer and bison are common sight. I was amazed to come across a fallow deer peacefully grazing in a glade, although the timid animal immediately saw us and quickly disappeared into the dense forest – I didn’t even have time to pull out a camera to take some pictures.
Those who want to return home with plenty of photos of animals in their natural environment, should take one of the photo safari tours advertised in the park’s hotels and hostels. Special photo tours cost only $11 and are available on weekdays at dawn and at sunset. They offer a good chance to spot and snap a European bison, the largest land animal on the continent, in its natural habitat.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha is also a paradise for hikers and cyclists. There are several walking tours around the forest available for less than a dollar. Prices for cycling tours vary between $3–8. The cycle paths in the forest have a smooth asphalt surface, with no steep ups and downs on the way, so even the 27-kilometer route – the longest cycling route in the forest, which can take up to four hours to complete – is not too strenuous for most people, even if you’re not in great shape.
Soviet service
Accommodation in park is cheap. There are several two-storey hotels on the territory of the reserve, with prices for rooms ranging between $8–47 a night, including breakfast. The rooms are decorated in Soviet “luxury” apartment style, but they are clean, much more spacious and have better room service than many similar places in the West.
An average (although usually delicious) lunch or dinner goes for $4-8, excluding hot drinks. Westerners might be a bit surprised by the unsmiling faces of local waiters, a relic of the Soviet reality the country still lives in.
But behind the frowns the Belarusians I met were actually very hospitable and always eager to help: The security guard at Belovezhskaya Pushcha showed us around the hotel on our arrival well after midnight without the least irritation, the chambermaid immediately brought me a smaller pillow when I asked for one, and the waiters always appeared genuinely interested in whether we had enjoyed our food.
Getting there
The easiest way to get to Belarus from Kyiv is to go by private car. It takes nearly nine-hours to drive the 640 kilometers by from Kyiv to Belovezhskaya Pushcha, but this does not include the additional time needed to cross the border between Ukraine and Belarus, which may take up to four hours. Ukrainians, as well as foreigners from about 20 other states (mainly former Soviet ones) don’t need visas to visit, but you will need to buy Belarusian car and medical insurance for the period of your stay, and you will need to show Ukrainian car insurance and ownership documents as well.
Other foreigners who do need a visa for Belarus would be best advised to apply for one through a visa service. You will need a letter of invitation to the country (a hotel booking is not considered one), and medical insurance, which can be purchased on the border. Entry visas can be obtained at Minsk National Airport, but you will still need a letter of invitation. Also, if you are staying for more than five working days, you will have to register your presence in the country with the police. Many hotels will handle this for you, however.
The process of obtaining a visa officially takes five working days, or 48 hours for double the fee if you need it in a hurry. Prices are from 10-150 euros, depending on the visa type and where you enter (the visas sold at the airport are the most expensive.)
Several foreign airlines fly to Minsk, including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Lot Polish airlines, Air Baltic, Estonian Air and Czech Airlines, but book well in advance if you want cheaper fares.
On the plus side, with no big influx of foreign tourists, Belovezhskaya Pushcha is the ideal place for those looking for solitude, distraction from the noise of the big city, and a peaceful vacation close to nature.
