You're reading: Flying high above the Dnipro River

"It's a rare bird that can fly to the middle of the Dnipro," wrote famous writer Mykola Gogol. Of course, this is an exaggeration because birds easily cross the river, one of Europe's broadest. Now, people in Kyiv can follow the birds, thanks to a ropeway across the river that opened this summer.

The route runs
parallel to Pedestrians’ Bridge
leading to Trukhaniv Island. Those brave enough can don a
hardhat, harness and
glide some 550 meters across the river dangling from a rope –
some 50 meters
above the water.

The starting
point is near the rainbow-shaped
Friendship of Nations
Arch not far from European Square.
Often
there’s a pretty long line to the platform with the iron pole to
which two
ropes are tied. The cost is Hr 150.

Two instructors
prep the riders with helmet and
belts around the body and fasten them to the ropes. Once
ready, the customer
jumps off the platform and enjoys the flight..

(Kostyantyn Chernichkin)

A person can
travel up to 60 kilometers per
hour during the 60-second ride.

Another two
instructors meet the rider on the
other side. But it’s a one-way trip – the person has to go
back on foot.

The idea for the
thrilling ride came from
businessman and speleologist Mykola Poplavko, owner of
Skypark, a company that
builds and services rope parks in Ukraine. The administrator
of the ropeway is
Serhiy Shyndler.

(Kostyantyn Chernichkin)

Poplavko’s
company has successfully stretched a
ropeway above the Kaniv reservoir in Kyiv Oblast’s Rzhyshchiv.
“We
found the proper place, 90 meters above water level, on
military maps from
where a ropeway 600 meters long was drawn to an island in the
middle of the
Dnipro,” said Shyndler. “Instructors carried the flyers
back on motor boats or
kayaks.”

The ride was
available during a youth festival
called Trolley, organized by Skypark in Rzhyshchiv. The
ropeway near Kyiv’s
Friendship of Nations Arch has the same name.

(Kostyantyn Chernichkin)

While the idea is three years old, it was
only this year that Ukraine’s Culture
and Tourism
Ministry, as well as officials of the Kyiv
City State
Administration, assisted Skypark with setting up the business.
The location
offers a wonderful observation point high above
the Dnipro River
and the Podil neighborhood and is a great way to get to
Trukhaniv Island.

The ropes were stretched manually using
the Pedestrians’ Bridge. “If
there were no bridge, perhaps, we would need a helicopter,”
said Shyndler.
“Also, we managed not to bother traffic on the Naberezhne highway
or ships on the Dnipro.”

Shyndler  assures
the ropeway is “completely safe” and
“certified.” He’s made the trip across six times.

Olena Moroz, a 19-year old student is
enthusiastic about Kyiv ropeway.

“It
takes my breath away – the
sight of whizzing trees on the hills, cars on the road and waves
of the Dnipro
under my legs,” she smiles. “It nearly blew my mind, although,
it hit me in the
pocket. But I don’t regret the Hr 150 I paid.”

People under 14, students and pensioners can
enjoy the ropeway for Hr
100 on weekdays. An adult-child pair has to pay
Hr 250.

The ropeway is expected to work until the
end of August or even
September, weather permitting. Working hours are daily
11:00–12:00 a.m. – 9:30
p.m.

Kyiv
Post staff writer Denis
Rafalsky can be reached at
[email protected]