AQUA-adventures: Dnipro Bakota, Zmiiny Island and Eagle's Nest

Thousands of tourists travel to Kamianets-Podilskyi to see Bakota, an incredibly beautiful place where the Dniester waters flooded the village of Bakota during the construction of a hydroelectric power plant. Thousands of stories about how much you have lost by not seeing this beauty.

But do Dnipro residents know that they have their own Bakota? The Dnipro rapids flooded during the construction of the Zaporizhzhia hydroelectric power plant did not destroy all the beauty of the rapids under water. We open for you and everyone else incredibly beautiful places from the Surya rapids and the mouth of the Surya and Dnipro rivers to the Lokhanskyi rapids and Zmiinyi Island. This tour combines the history and legends of modern and flooded villages, preserved old huts and household items and tasting local delicacies, hiking along particularly beautiful scenic trails and rocks, relaxing and taking a photo session on an eagle's nest.

Tour start date: October 16, 22, November 12, 19

Program.

9.30 - departure of the group from the railway station by a comfortable bus. One hour of driving and we are already admiring the majesty of the Dnipro waters and cliffs along the way, where the Dnipro waters are only three meters from the wheels of our bus.

Our first stop and a 5-minute walk to a place called Skela. It was in this place that the Lokhanskii Threshold was located. It was believed to be one of the most terrible, fatal rapids. According to Yavornytskyi, on the left side of the rapids was Butsiv's Stone (named in memory of the pilot Buts, who crashed on this stone), and on the right side was a stone cliff. Between them was the main passage, which was narrower compared to other rapids. Getting into this passage without getting caught on a rock or a boulder is the pilot's skill. The boulder was not visible from the top of the rapids. It was only when we passed the threshold that we could see the water rolling over the Butsiv stone, falling like into an abyss, with swirls and storms, and forming a funnel.

The Butsiv stone is now underwater, and the Rock is well preserved, although not in the same form as it once was, because a quarry was created here in Soviet times. Moreover, according to legend, there was a Snake Cave in these very rocks, which is still down by the water, where Scythian children were born to Hercules and the snake woman. And Zaporizhzhia Cossacks used to hide their treasures in these rocks.

Afterwards, we move to Snake Island, stopping on the way at the observation deck where the Vorona River flows into the Dnipro, skirting the island of Velykyi Mahartet. Narrow, hard-to-travel roads will lead us to a place that can be compared in beauty to the pictures of glossy magazines describing exotic countries. Arrow Rock and Snake Island - we go down among the rocks to the observation deck, listen to the history of these places and have free time for a photo shoot and relaxation on the equipped places.

Our journey continues to remind us of Zakarpattia. The mountains covered with dense vegetation, the up-and-down road, the mighty ravine beams descending to the Dnipro - it's hard to believe that we are not far from a metropolitan city. The Voloska Hata museum-estate is waiting for us.

You may have already visited Ukrainian manor museums. But this one is distinguished by its extraordinary neatness and cleanliness, various towels and dresses, special embroidery patterns, and pottery. The house is located on the bank of a steep slope of the Dnipro River, and cranes, storks, and other river birds live below. The hostess, who is very fond of her land and studies local history, tells us about the Vlachs who used to live here, what they did and what their history is. After the tour, you will be treated to tea and plachinda (a pie made according to ancestral recipes). Free time, rest, you can have a snack with your own products and buy craft jam.

We move towards the Surya Rapids, and several viewpoints await us along the way. 500 meters before the place where the Sura River flows into the Dnipro, we get off the bus and then start walking along the path along the Dnipro. An extreme crossing along a narrow pier that cuts deeply through the river and ends with a small platform among the water surface 150 meters from the shore. There is water around, high cliffs, the mouth and the flooded Sursky Threshold nearby, and a guide's story about the historical events of this place. You will have unique photos from this site!

The last 300 meters... Here it is, the mouth - big water... We are on a path with the mouth on one side and a cliff on the other. We climb the cliff to get a bird's eye view of this beautiful place. And... we go to the villa, which we called "Eagle's Nest", because the villa is located on the high edge of the cliff, like the nest of this mighty bird. Here we will have a rest, a walk and a photo shoot in an exotic park overlooking the mouth of the Surya and Dnipro rivers, and enjoy delicious tea. And reflections on how beautiful our Ukraine is and how little we know about the places that are close to us.

Departure. Approximate arrival in Dnipro city - 17.30 hours.

*The tour is conducted in Ukrainian