National and Natural Parks of Belarus

One country is famous for its mountain landscapes, the other for its seaside landscapes. And Belarus is rich in beautiful forests, rivers and lakes. The nature of the republic generously presents tourists with everything that they lack in the hectic life of modern cities: healing fresh air; real fishing; ideal conditions for hiking and biking; silence, harmony and peace of mind.

Keeping in mind that nature is very fragile and vulnerable to economic (or uneconomic) human activities, they strive to preserve its best corners in pristine condition. One of the means for such preservation are the national parks of Belarus created in all parts of the country. Their mission is simple and noble: to preserve for future generations the diversity of flora and fauna of these places, the richness and beauty of nature.

This does not mean that the natural parks of Belarus are some kind of restricted areas, the entrance to which is prohibited. On the contrary, they diligently attract tourists from all over the CIS and European countries, creating decent accommodation and interesting excursion and entertainment programs for them. Fishing and hunting are also allowed. But: only in a reasonable, safe for wildlife forms.

West of the Republic: Belovezhskaya Pushcha

The most famous park in Belarus is, of course, Belovezhskaya Pushcha - the oldest forest of the entire continent, the home of the famous bison, the park-record holder in Europe for the number of animals and plants. The area of the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is more than 150 thousand hectares. It is divided into 16 forestries, plus two forestry and hunting farms. From north to south the park stretches for about 65 kilometers, and from west to east it stretches from 20 to 52 kilometers.

It is the largest "island" of virgin relic forest, which in ancient times covered almost the entire territory of Europe. Gradually, with the development of human civilization, it was almost all cut down. In a relatively untouched state, in the form of a large mixed massif, it has survived only here.

Pines prevail in Belovezhskaya Pushcha - they are about 6O% of the number of other trees here. The average age of a tree in the park is a little over 80 years. There are also many long-living trees (more than a thousand). These are 400-600-year-old oaks; 250-350-year-old pines and ash trees; 200-250-year-old spruces. Spruces are also the tallest trees in the park: some specimens are 50 meters or more in height.

The relict forests of Belovezhskaya Pushcha are home to over 11 thousand species of animals. The reservoirs of the park are not inferior to the forest in the variety of fish species. The most famous resident of these places is the European bison. It is one of the main symbols of the Republic; it is proudly emblazoned on the emblems of the world-known Belarusian trucks. Everyone who was lucky enough to spend his vacation in Belarus strives to see Belovezhskaya Pushcha and European bison with his own eyes.

Address of the tourist center of the park: Brest region, Kamenetz district, agro-town Kamenyuki.

South of the Republic: Park "Prypyatski" ("Pripyatski")

The Pripyat National Park of Belarus is located in the floodplain of the Pripyat River, in regularly flooded areas on the territory of three districts of the republic. This is a water-saturated, in many places marshy area. The whole park is cut through by many large and small tributaries of the Pripyat, as well as man-made reclamation canals. During spring floods, up to seventy percent of the park is flooded.

Since these places have long been hard-to-reach for people and more than 85% are occupied by forests, their fauna is very rich: dozens of mammal, fish, amphibian and reptile species, hundreds of bird species. The bison can also be seen here: in 1987, some of them were specially moved to the Pripyatsky Reserve from the Bialowieza Forest.

This national park offers unique conditions for fishing and hunting, both classic and "quiet" (for mushrooms and berries). There is a great abundance of them here, more than five hundred hectares are covered with cranberry bushes.

The park is distinguished by a high level of development of the base for tourism and recreation, competent use of hunting and fishing grounds. Its second, unofficial name is the Belarusian "Amazonia" in the center of Europe.

Address of the tourist center of the Pripyat Park: Gomel region, Petrikov district, agro-town Lyaskovichi.

North of the Republic: Braslav Lakes Park (Braslav Lakes)

The unique hilly landscape of this national park was created by nature during the ice age, about 20 thousand years ago. The area of the park covers more than sixty-five thousand hectares. Its length is about fifty kilometers, and its width reaches thirty kilometers. The total number of lakes is more than 70. The most significant depth (in Lake Volos) reaches 41 meters.

The park is located in the Braslav district of the Vitebsk region, which borders on Lithuania and Latvia. It is engaged in ecological and scientific, recreational and recreational, tourist and economic activities. There are recreation centers of varying degrees of comfort, campsites for tourists.

People come here to enjoy the cleanliness and freshness of nature, to hunt and fish, to hike or bike along the forest hiking trails. There are several cycling and hiking trails in the park, of varying length. Among them, there is a route for both nature and history lovers: walking or driving along it, you can see ancient temples.

The forests are inhabited by many animals, including rare, red-listed ones. Some of them have a good chance of being seen up close and personal.

Address: Vitebsk region, the city of Braslav.

Park "Narochanski" ("Narochanski")

Belarusian Pooziorje is a resort area in the vicinity of the largest lake of the republic - Naroch. This body of water is distinguished not only by its impressive size (13 x 10 km), but also by the extraordinary purity of water and picturesque surroundings.

In addition to the main lake, there are about forty small lakes. They are surrounded by mixed forests. The total area of the national park is more than 97 thousand hectares in the Minsk, Vitebsk, and Grodno regions.

The park offers excellent conditions for fishing, hunting, horseback riding, cycling and hiking. Moreover, "Narochansky" is interesting not only because of its natural sights, but also because of its historical ones. These are ancient Orthodox churches, Catholic churches, monasteries and manor houses in the surrounding villages.

It's very easy to get to the park "Narochansky" from the capital of Belarus. In two and a half hours the bus will take tourists from Minsk directly to the lake Naroch. It's even faster to get there by car on highway P28. Not all parks and reserves in Belarus are characterized by such a successful combination as in "Narochansky" - transport accessibility, abundance of accommodation options, combination of natural and historical sights.

Address: Minsk region, Myadel district, v. Naroch.