Fascinating water-based trips

Kayaking, a river tram, a floating hotel — water tourism in Belarus offers a lot of exciting activities to attract visitors

Belarus boasts a range of amazingly interwoven waterways that can be used to get to ancient cities and enticing forests. What are the best places to sail a yacht under the starry sky? Where can you take a river cruise? What are the kayaking preparation tips? Let us lift the veil on these and other questions. 

Ivan Yarivanovich

Sail through the Sea of Herodotus

You can plunge into the pristine Belarusian nature and admire the unusual landscapes by going kayaking. The most suitable river for beginners is the Isloch — a narrow but fast and winding river that carries its waters through the picturesque Nalibokskaya Pushcha [forest reserve]. A detailed safety briefing will be held at the starting point: Be sure to put on a life jacket, do not stand up while kayaking or rock the kayak. You will encounter wild river beaches and steep banks on the way. An unforgettable experience is guaranteed! Simple water routes are suitable for everyone, including children. Requests for kayaking tours are accepted two weeks in advance. The price depends on the complexity and duration of the route. Thus, the price for a three-hour kayaking trip starts from Br50, a day water trip is twice as expensive, and a three-day one costs about Br270. Kayaking along the Sea of Herodotus on the Pripyat River floodplain is popular in spring. The eight-kilometre route takes about three hours.  

Kilometres of impressions

Valery Malashko, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Health, Physical Culture, Family and Youth Policy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, is confident that the tourism industry stimulates the service sector development and can become a driving force of regional development, “There are about 20,000 rivers in Belarus, their total length is more than 90,000 kilometres. Kayaking, rafting, sailing and yachting are becoming more in-demand. It is important that all these activities take place in compliance with all safety measures and environmental requirements. Those who are engaged in water related business must undergo training and have relevant experience in organising and conducting water-based trips.” 
Valery Malashko has noted that kayaking along the picturesque waterways of Belarus — the Neman, the Vilia, the Sozh, the Svisloch and other rivers — contributes to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, acquaintance with nature, and the study of the history of a particular region.
According to Filipp Guly, Chairman of the Board of the Republican Union of Tourism Industry (RUTI), when putting a spotlight on holidays within the country, it is important to raise infrastructure to a certain level. This includes an opportunity to book an online parking lot in a convenient place with prepared platforms for camping or glamping tents, to order firewood or food for an additional fee, to follow direction signs to find eco- and bike trails, to buy souvenirs and to rent the necessary gear. Banks and leasing companies should be provided with conditions for preferential loan programmes to allow purchasing equipment for active pastime. The issue of personnel training and professional development requires special attention. All these prerequisites will help local entrepreneurs and farmsteads create jobs and attract revenue to district budgets, while local authorities will be able to claim the resort tax collection.
“In order to arrange all of this, it is necessary to develop a clear concept — a master plan where all participants see their role and the general concept, and the investor understands what product and investment conditions they are offered. This can be formalised in a special development strategy for active recreation on waterways and related cluster systems. Tourism is an interdisciplinary phenomenon and, therefore, encompasses areas of responsibility of various ministries, departments, and organisations. In this regard, it is vital to bring the solutions down to a common denominator. This matter requires a large-scale, responsible and serious approach with balanced decisions, powers and competencies. I think, taking into account the April meeting between the prime ministers of Belarus and Russia, we will adopt effective practices of tourism development from our neighbours,” Filipp Guly specified. The RUTI Chairman of the Board remarked that Russia has shipbuilders capable of producing shallow-draft ships for Belarusian technical requirements, “Since last year, a Russian cruise operator has been successfully organising tours for us along the Pripyat River. Four–five cruise ships can be simultaneously located on the section connecting Pinsk and Mozyr. There are prospects for development. Another thing is that cruises on our rivers are more oriented toward visitors to Belarus. At the same time, modern vessels are warm and comfortable, and tours are held until ice forms on the rivers. This can be a good alternative to regional hotels in the off-season — from December to March, and for corporate events in November and April.”  

A catamaran ride, Grodno Region         Aleksey Bibikov

TO THE POINT

The unique water route Charm of Polesie enjoys great popularity. Passengers are offered an 8-day all-inclusive cruise vacation, with visits to the Brest Fortress, the Pripyatsky National Park, Zamkovaya Mountain, as well as the ancient cities of Turov and Pinsk en route. All seats are booked for the summer, and the nearest available dates are only in autumn. The price starts from Br1,900. Renting a snow-white sailing yacht Dolce Vita on the Minsk Sea [aka the Zaslavskoye reservoir, an artificially created body of water] for one hour for a company of up to 10 people will cost Br250. You can also take a yacht trip under the starry sky on the Naroch River. An hourly rent — from Br120. A one-day SUP board trip on Braslav Lakes will cost half as much. The price for hour-long relaxation on a catamaran along the Svisloch River starts from Br15.

Selyava Lake, Krupki District, Minsk Region     Aleksandr Kulevsky

DIRECT SPEECH

Dmitry Chumakevich, Director of State Water Transport Administration,
“The motor ship Belaya Rus has become the most popular, the first and so far the only river cruise ship of its kind in our country. It cruises along three fascinating routes from Brest to Mozyr and in the opposite direction, including 15 cities and 24 sites to visit. Another unique place for water tourism is the floating hotel Polesie located on the Pripyat River in Turov. Every year, holidaymakers get an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature and relax during pleasure rides to various cities of the country from Brest to Vitebsk. Thus, the Augustovsky Canal in Grodno Region was visited by 130,000 people last year. Water-based recreational activities include water trips on the motor ships Olga Solomova and Neman, motor boat rides with sluicing or without at option, catamaran and boat rental, kayaking. Farmsteads have appeared along the coast. It is planned to open new recreation areas and tourist routes this year. There will be more catering outlets, and quad biking as one of the novelties. 
Trips on the motor ship Svisloch along Komsomolskoye Lake are available in the capital city. The motor boats Friends and Filibuster, which are also called river trams, plying the Drozdy reservoir became the novelty of the last year. One of the promising routes along the Svisloch River is provided within the borders of Minsk and Minsk Region with the possibility of arranging through traffic of water transport 18 kilometres long, with the prospect of reaching the Zaslavskoye reservoir. It is assumed that an environmentally friendly mode of transport — electric riverboats — will run along the river, which will enable to transport people with maximum comfort.
Houseboats equipped with steam baths, where recreation is organised both for owners and tourists, have been particularly popular in recent years. If there is a wish to implement a water related business idea, it is imperative to comply with the legislation norms regulating navigation on the country’s inland waterways.” 

A quad bike ride, Golubye ozera (Blue Lakes) farmstead, Myadel District, Minsk Region Artur Prupas

By Kristina Khilko