Cool, tinkling streams of water amidst lush greenery – a pleasant daydream during a hot city summer. Even better is to escape to the fresh waterfalls, of which there are many in Ukraine. Each waterfall has its own mystery, story, or legend.
Zhenetskyi Huk
Located on the Prut River in the Gorgany mountain range, Zhenetskyi Waterfall is 15 metres high. You can hear it from afar — the roar of water tumbling over the rocks gave the waterfall its name. In fact, many local waterfalls are called “huk,” meaning “roar.” This waterfall is relatively young, formed during the spring floods of the last century.
The climb from the road up to 900 metres above sea level isn’t too challenging, and near the waterfall you’ll find a restaurant and stalls selling food and souvenirs.
How to get there: It’s easy to reach Zhenetskyi Huk. Take a train to Yaremche or Vorokhta, then a bus to the village of Tatariv, and from there a local bus to the turn-off for Huk. After that, an 8 km easy walking route awaits you, half of which is paved, the other half is a dirt track.
If you’re planning a camping hike, consider climbing the peaks Khomiak and Syniak first, then descend to the waterfall. Another unmarked trail leads to the waterfall via Mount Yavornyk.
Shypit
On the slopes of the Borzhava mountain range, near the ski resorts of Pylypets and Podobovets, whispers another famous waterfall. The stream of tourists and the infrastructure don’t allow one to be alone with nature, but the 14-metre-high waterfall is worth seeing – the beauty and the whisper of the water streams have even been described in poetry.
According to legend, near Mount Velykyi Verkh, where the waterfall flows, lived a young couple, Ivan and Marychka. They fell in love but their parents were against their marriage, so they met secretly at the foot of the mountain. One day, the mother found out about the meetings, the sky burst into a storm, and the rushing water swept the couple into an abyss. Since then, the whisper of the lovers can be heard in the waterfall’s streams.
Every year, the Shypit Festival is held here in honour of Ivan Kupala, attracting hippies, punks, other nonconformists and nature lovers. The festival was founded back in 1993. Feel the unity with nature and live a week free from the constraints of the outside world.
Dzembronski Waterfalls
A cascade of waterfalls stretching 100 metres in the highland village of Dzembronya will make you sweat on the climb to an altitude of 1600 metres. Another name is Smotrytski Waterfalls. The tallest cascade is 10 metres high, and the beautiful wild spots lie further upstream, so take sturdy footwear and be careful on the wet rocks. You can reach the start of the route by bus from Verkhovyna to Dzembronya. The waterfalls are on the route from Dzembronya village to Mount Pop Ivan – if you have enough energy after admiring the waterfalls, you can continue the ascent of one of Ukraine’s two-thousanders.
Yalynskyi Waterfall
The tallest waterfall in Ukraine — water falls from 25 metres surrounded by wild spruce forest. It was only recently discovered in 2011, so there is no infrastructure yet, luckily no litter either. Hopefully, new tourists will keep it just as beautiful and clean. The route to Yalynskyi waterfall starts from the village of Delove in the direction of the Marmaros mountain range. The 8-kilometre steady climb upwards takes several hours. Some parts are steep, so trekking poles are recommended. Visiting the waterfall can be combined with hiking in the Marmaros massif. If you’re interested in other attractions, the official centre of Europe is marked in the village of Delove with a funny metal “navel” on the ground.
Prut Waterfall
Located in Vorokhta on the way up to Hoverla. It consists of six cascades with a maximum height of 12 metres. This waterfall is easy to find — the trail to it is marked from the tourist base near Hoverla and is only 2.5 km long. It’s worth combining the hike to the waterfall with climbing Ukraine’s highest mountain — Hoverla at 2061 metres.
Gadzynski Waterfalls
A cascade of 6 waterfalls slightly south of Vorokhta, near the village of Bystrets. The tallest waterfall is about 6 metres high. The path to Gadzynski waterfalls is difficult and it’s easy to get lost. We actually descended there by compass and don’t recommend that option 🙂 At an altitude of 1500 metres you will find cool air and the beauty of the wild forest and rushing river. Around rise the most beautiful two-thousand-metre peaks of the Carpathians: Pop Ivan, Petros and Brebeneskul — the region is attractive for hiking. The route is from Vorokhta to the village of Ilnytsia, then to Bystrets.
Dzhuryn Waterfall
Dzhuryn is a lowland waterfall with a height of 16 metres in the Ternopil region near the village of Nyrkiv. It’s easy to find so it can get crowded here. It’s convenient to swim and pitch tents by the waterfall, and there are ruins of an old castle nearby. There are several versions of the waterfall’s origin; according to one legend, the Turks created it: during the siege of Chervonograd castle, they changed the riverbed to deprive the defenders of water.
Bukovinian Waterfalls
North of the Ivano-Frankivsk region there are the Kudrynets and Bukhtivetsky waterfalls, and we move about 40 kilometres east (70 km by road) to the Chernivtsi region. On the Smuhar river, a tributary of the Cheremosh, there are 7 waterfalls called the Smuharsky waterfalls. The tallest is Bolshoi Huk at 19 metres. The Bukovinian waterfalls have nearly made it into the list of the 7 natural wonders of Ukraine — they took 9th place.
Cascades Tract
Near the village of Zlynka in Kirovohrad region lies the picturesque canyon of the Buku river, formed by granite tectonic plates coming to the surface. The canyon contains many small waterfalls and unique plants on an area of about 2 hectares.
Rusyliv Waterfalls
A cascade of waterfalls in Buchach district of Ternopil region, with a total height of 150 metres, individual waterfalls range from 1 to 12 metres in height. The Rusyliv river hides in a cosy forest grove where you can find beautiful plants and many colourful butterflies and dragonflies. The place is wild; it’s easier to get there by car. The descent to the waterfalls is not equipped — take sturdy footwear.
Leave behind the stuffy and dusty city — let’s go on a journey filled with the ringing freshness of sparkling drops across the amazing waterfalls of Ukraine.
The text is also published on the ExpertTur website.