Ukrainian Carpathians are a good choice for winter hiking. The highest point is Hoverla Mount, 2 061 m (6 761 ft). Despite this fact, one-day hiking to Hoverla is one of the best routes in the area in terms of difficulty-landscapes ratio. You can stay in an authentic mountain village and climb snowy Hoverla with only a small backpack.

For a one-day hike, you need to stay in the nearby village a day before in order to start hiking very early in the morning.

Winter hike in the Carpathians is suitable for people with normal physical training. All you need is the right clothes and shoes, a balanced diet with a thermos of hot tea, and a guide that will show safe paths. We are ready to take responsibility for these!

You can have a different attitude towards winter in the city, but it’s hard not to love winter in the Carpathians. We will be in the real winter mountains with deep snow, frosty fresh air, black sky, and an incredible buzz of silence. But there will be no difficulties of the cold season of the year: no freezing in the tent at nights, no crossing snowdrifts with a heavy backpack behind your shoulders.

And another nice bonus: you can warm up in a sauna in the evenings. Needless to say, that sauna bathing after a workout is very beneficial to a human’s mind and body.

We’ll live in the village of Lazeshchyna in Transcarpathia region. Our wooden house has a toilet, a bathroom, a kitchen equipped with a gas cooker, electricity. Its location is perfect for a radial ascent to Hoverla mount. That’s why we will be hiking only with small backpacks.

The evening program includes sauna bathing, joint dinners, endless talks and mountain stories, games and guitar playing.

1 DAY

  5 km  + 200  m

After meeting in Ivano-Frankivsk or Lazeshchyna village we’ll settle down in the house near the Kozmeshchik tourist base.

After having lunch we’ll go to have a kind of acclimatization – hiking to the nearest hill. During this walk, everybody can check the comfort of clothing and footwear for the ascent to Hoverla the next day.

2 DAY

  15 km  + 1150 m

DAY HIKING TO HOVERLA

Every morning we wake up at 5 o’clock, not wasting a short winter light day. After breakfast and warming up our muscles we start hiking to the highest peak of the Ukrainian Carpathians. We take with us only small backpacks with sandwiches and thermoses with tea.

You don’t need mountaineering skills for climbing Hoverla; the difficulty will be similar to an ordinary summer trip with a big backpack. The trail leading to the top has a length of about 7 km (4 hours).

In the afternoon the goal will be reached! We’ll be at the highest point in Ukraine. From Hoverla you can see far: all the Chornohora ridge is in front of us. Our way down will take less time – about 3 hours.

We meet in Ivano-Frankivsk city at 10.00, or in Lazeshchyna village at 13.00.

We finish in Ivano-Frankivsk around 17.00.

COST

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• house rent;
• English-speaking hiking guide;
• all meals from lunch on the first day through lunch on the last day;
• National park permits;
• first-aid kit.

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:

• transfer from Ivano-Frankivsk to the village Lazeshchyna and back;
• personal equipment, clothes, and footwear;
• sauna at the end of the day.

WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU

1. A small backpack. 
2. Hiking gaiters. 
3. Sunglasses or ski glasses.
4. Thermos for 1-2 liters.
5. Sleeping bag (only in case of staying in a bunkhouse accommodation, we will inform additionally)
6. Crampons (we will inform you about their necessity additionally). 
7. Trekking poles (not necessary, but it’s more comfortable with them). 

Everything from the list above is available for hire.

CLOTHES:

1. Warm pants. Ski trousers are best suited.
2. Thermal underwear.
3. Two pairs of shoes. One pair is durable hiking boots, the second one may be lighter. You need a spare pair of boots when the other one is wet.
4. Storm jacket. For walks and replacement, you can take also a down jacket.
5. Fleece warm sweatshirt. Woolen or flax sweaters are not recommended.
6. Warm gloves.
7. Warm hat and scarf (balaclava, buff).

Other items:

1. Spoon, bowl, mug (only in case of staying in a bunkhouse accommodation,we will inform additionally)
2. Hygiene items.
3. Individual prescription medical kit. 
4. Swimsuit, flip-flops for the sauna.