Draw winter in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. To Belovezhskaya Pushcha in winter: what can you do during the weekend? In search of Belovezhskaya Pushcha
The Belovezhskaya Pushcha Reserve is the main natural attraction of Belarus, where rare bison animals live. What to see in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, how to get from Minsk, prices for excursions, food and hotels in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Holiday reviews with photos.
Now I am in my homeland, so on weekends I visit the sights of Belarus, which I will be happy to write about in my blog. I'll start with a story about Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Pesnyary also sang about her.
The National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is a biosphere reserve, part of which is located in the west of Belarus, the other part is in Poland.
It consists of 500 thousand square meters of forest, the average age of trees in which is 100 years. There are oaks on the territory of the Pushcha, living there for 500-600 years.
This is one of the oldest nature reserves in the world, founded over 600 years ago. Since 1992, the national park has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Fund. This is one of the main attractions of Belarus. Recreation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha is popular among animal lovers and ecotourism.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha occupies a vast territory. You can only move around the reserve on foot, by bike or by sightseeing bus. We leave our car in the parking lot.
In fact, Pushcha is a big forest with several lakes, a small zoo and some entertainment. The main objects that are usually seen in the forest are enclosures with animals (bison, horses, wild boars), the Estate of the Belarusian Father Frost (open all year round, not only in winter), the Museum of Natural History.
Cash desk opening hours: 9.00 – 18.00
Bicycle rental hours: 9.00 – 18.00
Opening hours of the Museum of Nature: 9.00 – 18.00
Working hours of the Residence of Santa Claus: 9.00 - 18.00
Departure time of buses from the entrance to the Pushcha to the Estate of Father Frost: 11:00; 13:30; 16:00
daily (if there is a group of at least 10 people)
Hotels in Belovezhskaya Pushcha
The renovated building of the Kamenyuki Hotel and the restaurant There is one in Belovezhskaya Pushcha hotel "Kamenyuki". One building is located on the territory of the reserve, the other is in the neighboring village of Kamenyuki, 900 meters from the main entrance to the forest.
Prices in the village are lower than in the forest itself. Link to Kamenyuki No. 2 in the village (numbers from 17$ )
The Kamenyuki Hotel is now on Booking.com. Now it has become much easier to book rooms in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (previously you had to call a landline phone on weekdays, but now you can rent a number on the Internet)
Houses in Belovezhskaya Pushcha
If you do not want to live in a hotel, then in the village of Kamenyuki you can rent a room in a house, a cottage or live in an agroestate.
If you come by car, it makes sense to live not near Pushcha, but to rent an apartment in Brest, Kobrin or any other city nearby - it will be many times cheaper than living in Belovezhskaya Pushcha or Kamenyuki.
Apartments and houses in Belarus can be rented at the links:
- Apartments for a day in Brest - from $19 per apartment
Farmsteads and houses in Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Belovezhskoe estate, from $25
Price - 25$ for a room with a shared bathroom, 45$ per room with private bathroom
You can rent a separate house of the 19th century entirely for 50-60$
Homestead in the village of Kamenyuki, decorated in a traditional style. There is free wifi and free parking, garden, barbecue area and terrace. It takes 20-25 minutes to walk to the forest.
House 10 km from Pushcha, from $75
Price for a one bedroom house - 75$
House with 4 bedrooms - from 100$
The price depends on the number of guests and the size of the cottage.
Cottage complex. There are 1 bedroom, 4 bedroom and 5 bedroom cabins. All houses have a fireplace, private bath, terrace, barbecue, free wifi and parking.
Suitable for those who have a car. The estate is located 10 km from the forest in the village of Makovishte
House in Kamenyuki, from $30
Price for two 30$ , for three 40$ , for 4 - $ 50, maximum 5 people.
House with 2 bedrooms in the village of Kamenyuki. There is a garden with a terrace and barbecue facilities, a kitchen with an oven, TV, free wifi. To the forest 1 km.
Excursions in Belovezhskaya Pushcha:
- On foot– you can visit the enclosures with animals, the Museum of Local Lore and lakes
- By bike— there are five routes on the territory of the Pushcha, the longest route, 27 km long, runs along centuries-old oaks, captures several lakes, partly runs along an asphalt road, and 70% along a dirt road.
- On the tour bus(2 excursions)
Prices for excursions in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
Tickets for excursions can be bought at the central ticket office at the main entrance. They accept only Belarusian rubles or bank cards.
Russian rubles, dollars and euros are not accepted. If you plan to go to the enclosures and the Museum of Nature, it is better to buy tickets right away.
All prices are in Belarusian rubles. To understand how much is dollars, share the price on 2.
To get a price in Russian rubles, multiply the price in "proteins" at 30.
Below are the prices for adult and child tickets. Visiting the estate of Santa Claus, enclosures with animals, a museum of nature - child ticket up to 14 years, sightseeing tour with a visit to the museum of folk life - child ticket up to 18 years.
Walking tour of Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Price: 1 white ruble(31 Russian rubles / 0.5$ ) lasts 2 hours
You pay money, you get a map with sights indicated on it. You can walk without a map, but since the border with Poland is very close, it’s better to get a map so that you don’t accidentally go where you don’t need to.
If you just want to walk around the forest without a map, then no need to pay.
Walking tour in Belovezhskaya Pushcha Bicycle tour of Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Bicycle rental works from 9.00 to 18.00.
Bicycle routes prices:
There are several cycling routes of different lengths, designed for one and a half, two, four hours. The price includes bike rental and a map with routes. The path runs along asphalt and dirt paths.
I've read mixed reviews about bikes. Many write that they got an old bike for rent and advise, if possible, to choose an aluminum one with speeds. It is recommended to take your bike from home. I didn’t rent a bike myself, so I don’t know how things are going with the equipment.
Bicycle tour of Belovezhskaya Pushcha Sightseeing tour of Belovezhskaya Pushcha by bus
Winter equipment rental
Excursion around the Estate of the Belarusian Grandfather Frost
Price: adults 8.5 byn ( 260 rub/ 4.4$), children 7 byn ( 215 rub / 3.6$)
The price includes a performance and gifts for about 3 bel. ruble.
Lasts about 2 hours. The bus leaves from the main entrance at 11.00, 13.30 and 16.00
The residence is located 12 km from the main entrance to the reserve, so it can be reached on foot or by bicycle, but it will take a long time.
Excursion to the Residence of Santa Claus
Sights of Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Regional Museum of Nature
Price: adults 3 byn (90 rubles / 1.5$ ), children — 2 byn (60 rubles / 1$ ).
You can take an audio guide for 3.5 byn(110 rubles) or book a group tour for 5 byn(150 rubles) for groups up to 10 people.
This is the best local history museum in Europe (although it will be cooler in Moscow). The exposition was collected for 70 years.
Only wild boars are specially shot in the forest, because there are a lot of them. All other animals died a natural death and were found by rangers or local residents.
Museum of Nature 
stuffed deer 
hunting scene Residence of Belarusian Father Frost
A fun show is put on at the Residence. We danced, ran around the Christmas tree, chatted with Santa Claus and Baba Yaga's sister Korgota, guessed riddles, after which we could write our wishes to Santa Claus. I liked the show. I think the kids will like it too.
At the end, they gave sets of very tasty Belarusian sweets for 30 thousand ( 1.5$ ), which is especially nice. Different groups get different gifts: chocolates, drawing sets for children, etc.
You can also make up to 100 wishes in the residence. Grandfather promised that all of them would come true within a year. We'll see.
Catching happiness with Korgota 
12 months. You can hug your own and whisper your cherished desire in his ear :) 
My month Kastrychnik 
Territory of the Residence of Father Frost 
Belarusian Santa Claus. Children from Russia did not immediately recognize him 
In the grandfather's house you can write down your wishes and receive a gift 
Round dances around the Christmas tree in Belovezhskaya Pushcha can be led even in summer Animals of Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Price: adults 2.5 byn ( 80 rub), children 1.5 byn ( 45 rub).
It is better to buy tickets to the enclosures in advance at the central ticket office.
Wild animals constantly live on the territory of the forest, but it is far from always possible to see them, so it is best to look at the famous Belarusian bison in enclosures. Bison, deer, raccoon dogs, foxes, elks, bears, wolves, horses, wild boars live in enclosures.
From 15.20 to 16.00 the animals slept in houses, large animals were far from the fence. When we were near the enclosures again around 6 pm, the animals woke up.
They approached the fences, allowed themselves to be stroked. It turned out that it is better to look at the animals in the morning or in the evening. During the day they are busy or sleeping.
!!! I ask you to pay attention to the fact that animals cannot be fed. There are signs on the fences of the enclosure asking them not to feed the animals, but for some reason people continue to throw loaves and whole loaves of bread into the enclosures. If you want a bison or a deer to come closer to the fence, it is better to show him a blade of grass.
In my presence, not very smart giggling people threw a stone at the boar. The boar ate a stone out of habit, but why do this?
The boar that swallowed the stone 
Bison in Belovezhskaya Pushcha 
Dappled deer 
High walls of enclosures 
People feed animals with bread 
Other attractions
Also on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha there are several artificial lakes, centuries-old oaks, about 300 species of rare birds and about 900 varieties of plants. All this can be seen while walking or cycling.
Food prices in Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Our one-day trip to Belovezhskaya Pushcha by car from Minsk cost 120 Bel. rubles (3700 Russian rubles) for two people.
We drove 760 km, so the main part of the expenses is gasoline (1.19 byr (42 rubles) per liter of the 95th). We ate at the cafe twice. Once in the forest itself, the second time on the highway. The rest of the expenses are entrance tickets to the enclosures, the museum and the tour.
Prices in the restaurant on the territory of Pushcha are the same as in Minsk establishments. Also to the right of the entrance to the territory of the reserve there is a cafe "Sosny", where you can cheaply eat pancakes with blueberries or honey, order barbecue with salad and drink tea.
Sosny cafe menu 
Herbal tea with pancakes
How to get to Belovezhskaya Pushcha from Minsk and Brest
1. By car- 360 km from Minsk along the M1 highway to Zhabinka, then through the city of Kamenets to the village of Kamenyuki - this administrative center Belovezhskaya Pushcha. We reach the end of the village of Kamenyuki and run into the parking lot and the entrance to the reserve.
The movement of vehicles without a special permit on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha is prohibited, so we put the car in the parking lot and go for a walk.
2. By public transport
By train to Brest. A ticket for the Minsk-Brest train can be bought in advance on the website www.rw.by
From the railway station in Brest, you need to get to the Central Bus Station. Walk 15 minutes.
At the bus station we buy a ticket to the village of Kamenyuki.
From Kamenyuki station we walk about 1 km to the main entrance to Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
Main entrance to Belovezhskaya Pushcha
My reviews about Belovezhskaya Pushcha
It so happened that we left Minsk late and arrived in Pushcha by 2.30 pm, so not everyone had time to see it.
What I especially liked:
- Museum of Nature. I don't like museums, but here everything is decorated at the highest level. Made with soul. For me, the main thing is that animals are not killed for the sake of the museum.
- Herbal tea- poured in the cafe "Sosny" and in a cafe in the residence of Father Frost. To my greatest sadness, the collection itself, on which tea is brewed, is not sold on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
- Excursion to the Residence of Father Frost. Delicious gifts were given there, and the performance itself was fun. Guys are great. They try!
- Bison and gray horse. The conditions for keeping animals in enclosures are quite good. Previously, I did not like zoos, but now I understand that they still have a meaning. Most zoos have old or sick animals that find it difficult to find food in the wild. In the zoo animals are fed - this is a big plus. The only thing that seemed strange to me was that in the enclosures where bison live, all the trees have been cut down. In summer, the animals will have nowhere to hide from the sun. I hope that closer to June the bison will move from their clearing to the forest, like other animals.
There are no trees at all in the enclosure where bison live 
What I did not like in Belovezhskaya Pushcha
- People who, despite the ban, feed animals with bread and stones.
- The condition of the bikes according to reviews leaves much to be desired.
- The bison are not combed out. In Chizhovsky Park in Minsk, the animals look more well-groomed.
Working on turning a toad into a prince Thus, while traveling to the sights of Belarus, I recommend that you visit Belovezhskaya Pushcha and spend at least one, two or three days there. Relax your soul, breathe in the fresh forest air, ride a bike or just take a walk.
Have a nice holiday in Belarus! Sincerely,
How to get there?
You can drive to the forest by car - focus on the agricultural town of Kamenyuki, adjacent to the forest. From Minsk, drive along the M1 highway to the turn to Zhabinka (P7), then to the city of Kamenets and the village of Kamenyuki along P83.
If you are going public transport, get to Brest, and from there a minibus leaves the bus station several times a day straight to the main entrance to Pushcha and the bus. You can buy tickets. The issue price is BYN 3.8 - 4.27, the travel time is an hour and a half. Right at the main entrance to the forest you can buy all the tickets you need and rent a bike.
Where to live?
If you want to arrange a real vacation and complete forest relaxation, get ready to hang out in the forest for a few days.
If you want a closer communion with nature, you can rent a place of rest on the shores of lakes Plyanta, Lava and Pererovskoye - it will cost BYN 16 per day. In the national park, you can rent tents, rugs and sleeping bags for an overnight stay for BYN 2-4. All the details .
Two more options if you want to stay in Kamenets and see Belaya Vezha at the same time.
What else can you see nearby?
Spend a couple of days in cozy Brest, explore well, arrange forays into interesting cities nearby - . In Kobrin, look at the churches, the estate and take a walk along the green embankment of the Mukhavets River, and in Kamenets pay tribute to the very Belaya Vezha, which gave the forest its name, although it is not actually white. Now in Vezha there is a museum of local lore, and you can also climb to its top and admire the surroundings.
The name "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is well known to all residents of the former USSR, if only thanks to the famous song, which became famous in the performance of "Pesnyary". This is such a well-known brand that came from the Soviet Union, like "Uchkuduk - three wells" or "a house with a carved palisade." Some say that there is nothing more than this - an ordinary forest, of which there are many in almost any region of Russia. But for me, Belovezhskaya Pushcha has become one of the strongest impressions of recent years. In the story below - about those corners of this magical place that I managed to see.
1. From to Belovezhskaya Pushcha 50 kilometers. Approximately halfway there is the ancient city of Kamenets. The next story will be about him. Immediately after Kamenets, the road is framed by two deer, indicating the approach to the reserve:
2. Entry, entrance and all related services are located in the village of Kamenyuki, overly neat and polished even by Belarusian standards. Immediately outside the gates of the reserve there is a complex of buildings - a visitor center, a hotel, a restaurant, a museum, a couple of small cafes. The hotel with a restaurant in the background is decorated in a style that is surprisingly recognizable for post-Soviet Belarus. Interestingly, she has a twin brother: the Museum of Nature at the Voronezh Reserve. The fact is that this is a typical project of the Soviet era, and here it was also built as a museum. Reprofiled and re-registered it in our time. In front of him is a monument dedicated to the Soviet soldiers who died in June 1941 in the Pushcha. Unfortunately, the protected status did not protect this place from wars.
3. The easiest and fastest way to get to know the forest is to join a sightseeing bus tour, which takes place twice a day. You just need to arrive at the main entrance to the reserve by the time the tour starts and buy a relatively inexpensive ticket. You will be driven around the territory in such a MAZ (in Belarus, in general, wherever you can, they try to use their products). The bus is not to say that it is old, but it rumbles pretty well. Against this background, the guide's suggestion to look more attentively out the windows in search of animals looks mockingly - animals, most likely, scatter several kilometers away from this roaring vehicle.
5. During the tour, visitors ride around the territory, stop near the most remarkable places, conduct a general educational program, and also tell funny facts from the life of the reserve. It cannot be said that individually some objects of the forest are very interesting, but the general atmosphere of a sleepy and cozy spring forest envelops you almost immediately. Tree branches miraculously close over the road, forming a kind of gallery:
6. One of the objects where the bus stops is bridges with a double-headed eagle, which have remained here since the time when the royal people of the Russian Empire liked to hunt in these places:
7. Many objects of the reserve are marked with information boards with a brief description of the sight in Russian and English. Specifically, on this one you can read about the "royal" bridges. Belovezhskaya Pushcha, by the way, is unexpectedly generously flavored with the symbols of the European Union:
8. Its age is clearly visible on the bridge. Obviously, the traffic here is very small, which allowed it to survive without any special reconstructions:
10. It is a restored (by appearance, from scratch) estate. This museum should give an idea of the life of the indigenous population of the Pushcha villages:
11. Inside - an exposition of pre-revolutionary Pushcha life:
12. The museum should be something like Kizhi or Vitoslavlitsy. But, of course, there is no comparison. After them, it’s frankly boring here: everything is new here, the walls and floors are finished with clapboard, as if in a bathhouse, elements of modern life are visible on the walls in the middle of old belongings and utensils. But people are trying to create a high-quality tourist zone here, for which they certainly have great respect.
14. We pass Lyadskoye Lake - the largest in the reserve. Looks very picturesque. And you can’t say that this is just a reservoir created in the 1960s:
15. Next stop - 600-year-old "Oak Patriarch". Although it is one of the largest and oldest in the reserve, there are, however, larger and older ones. It's just that this one is conveniently located near the road, so they put a sign near it and bring tourists here:
16. One of the interesting stories connected with Belovezhskaya Pushcha is about a pack of wolves that terrorized both the animals living in the reserve and people. They say it was one of the most ferocious wolf packs in the history of these places. They could not be caught for a very long time, and when they finally succeeded, it turned out that the leader of the pack was a service shepherd dog that had escaped from the border outpost. It turns out that this sometimes happens, and packs led by a feral dog are the most dangerous for people, because. in a dog, the fear of a person is blunted, in "pure" wolves, which is innate.
17. We drive past the bison feeder. This is not an aviary or paddock, it's just a barn with food in the middle of the forest. There are no fences between the filming location and the feeder, to the left of which a bison can be seen. This is the only place in the forest where we saw a free-roaming animal:
19. His visit is paid extra. At the exit from the bus near the enclosures, only those who paid extra for visiting it are released. At the same time, the territory of the zoo is not fenced in any way, and you can simply walk to it from the entrance. In this case, as I understand it, strict employees of the reserve may be asked to present a ticket and, in its absence, force them to leave the area near the enclosures:
20. Thanks to the spacious enclosures, the surroundings of the forest and the absence of crowds of visitors eager to feed the animals with chips, it is even better here than in other zoos:
22. A bus tour allows you to superficially evaluate all the most interesting things. For a more detailed study of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, hiking and cycling are provided. Walking here is too long distances, you can’t do without spending the night. But the bike is the best. By paying the amount corresponding to a particular route to the cashier, you get a map of this route and a bike for rent, for the time during which, according to the compilers, you will have time to go around this route.
23. We chose the ten-kilometer route "Tsarskaya Polyana". I will say right away: the time calculated by the management of the reserve for the route was more than enough. We drove slowly, stopped and took pictures at each oak and clearing, sometimes we just sat down to breathe in the purest pine air. As a result, we returned five minutes before the end of the allotted time.
24. Speaking of spending the night: there are guest houses and all kinds of "fisherman's houses" on the territory of the Pushcha, so spending several days here is more than realistic. With tents, it seems, it is impossible. Already being in the reserve, I realized that it would be great to stay here for a few days, but, unfortunately, the trip was already scheduled in advance.
25. Perhaps the only problem with cycling through the reserve is the huge tourist buses driving along these narrow paths. It was we who were taken in a miniature MAZ, but all the other buses on these roads were high intercity buses. Apparently, most of them travel on organized tours, and they ride around the forest on the same buses that are taken from the city. They drive through the forest, God forbid, so while riding a bicycle I constantly had to listen to see if the engine of this colossus was roaring somewhere around the corner.
26. As I said, when paying for a cycle route, a booklet is issued with a map and a description of noteworthy points along the way. On the ground, they are all marked with appropriate posters with descriptions:
27. This outgrowth on a tree trunk, for example, is romantically called the "bison's head":
28. In addition to the booklet, the routes are also more or less sent signs at the forks:
29. In principle, no one will control you in your movements. The main thing is to return in time and hand over the bike, but do not meddle at the border posts. But from a cognitive point of view, for the first time it is interesting to see the proposed sights.
30. A carved figure of a cat was inserted into the hollow of a thick-set hermit oak:
31. Intergrown pines:
32. One of the attractions of the route is this section of the road. The fact is that it was laid along the line of the narrow gauge railway that existed at the beginning of the 20th century. An extensive network of narrow gauge railways with a total length of more than 300 kilometers, the Germans organized here in 1915. During the First World War, they occupied a significant part of Belarus, including Belovezhskaya Pushcha, and at a sprint pace began to export resources from here, in particular timber. The railway network was built hastily, by the forces of Russian and French prisoners of war, as well as local residents. It was used for the export of timber. The Poles continued to operate the line, and Pushcha fell into their hands after the war. No one has been able to repeat the damage that the Germans and Poles inflicted on the reserve.
How old is Santa Claus?
— As much as White Light costs.
How long do you think he will live, forever?
As much as they believe in him!
On the days before the holidays, the Estate of Father Frost in Belovezhskaya Pushcha meets and sees off thousands of people from different parts of Belarus and neighboring states. Is it worth looking for a fairy tale in Kamenyuki during the winter holidays, or is it better to postpone a visit to the white-bearded Grandfather until better times? In order to solve this issue for ourselves once and for all, we “got on the tail” of a tourist group from Pinsk and set off along the most popular route. How Pushcha met us, we tell and show in the review.
To be honest, this is my first visit to Santa Claus. I didn’t count on miracles much, because. I understood that Grandfather would not be up to me, he was attacked by crowds of tourists. I expected the main thing from the trip: answers to the questions “When is the best time to visit Pushcha with the whole family? To go "savages" in your own car or use the services of a travel agency and an experienced guide?
Since we were going to a fairy tale, on the advice of the guide, it was decided to turn into adult children and try to plunge headlong into miracles. We listened to everything and tried to soak in the magic of the moment to the roots of the hair, to the last finger that was not frozen in the cold. There were kids in our company of 48 people, so adults kept looking at them, trying to “get infected” with spontaneity and naivety.
Everyone wanted to see Santa Claus, and quickly, but there was a long way to go. Long because of the queue of hundreds of people who want to do the same. There are no crowds, by the way, everything is organized in such a way that the expectation is as convenient as possible. There are free toilets on site, which is very important when you have children with you.
The territory adjacent to the Manor is quite large, there are food and drink outlets, souvenir shops, and Santa Claus train. You can warm yourself by the fire, sit in the gazebo, or refresh yourself with hot pancakes and barbecue until it's your turn to enter through the main gate to the cherished courtyard.
Information for reference…
The residence of Father Frost is open from 9:00 to 18:00 daily, without days off and a lunch break.
Even if you arrive at the Estate of Father Frost on your own (not on a tour bus), the same procedure awaits you: you will have to leave the car at the parking lot at the central gate of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, and get to the residence by bus as part of a spontaneously formed group, which will be accompanied exactly just like tourists arriving with a guide.
Let's pay tribute, the organization is at the level. Each group is approached by its own guide (one of the fairy tale characters or helpers of Grandfather Frost) and tries to brighten up the tedious minutes of waiting as much as possible.
We got a nice girl with a pleasant and well-trained voice, who sang songs, danced round dances with the children, played games, made riddles and did everything so that we would not freeze on the way to the dream - to get to Santa Claus.
With leaps and bounds, we were getting closer and closer to the treasured gates... The guard in the green caftan did not look intimidating at all.
The real guards were the knights Dub Dubovich and Vyaz Vyazovich, and the cute and slightly frozen young man simply regulated the influx of people, letting the next group through only when the previous one was already taken into his experienced organizational hands by the next assistant of Grandfather Frost.
By the way, one little trick helps to manage the crowd. Everyone is told a legend that in no case should you go out through these gates, otherwise you will carry all the troubles and all the negativity that other visitors leave in the Manor. Here! One-way traffic: everyone who has already visited the courtyard exits the other way.
Our lovely guide girl returned to the starting point, handing us over to another hero. Who do you think it is? Snow Maiden? But no! This is the youngest daughter of Santa Claus, the mother of the Snow Maiden. Yes, yes, it turns out that Grandfather has a wife - Zimushka Zima, three daughters - Blizzard, Cold and Metelitsa. The two older ones are not yet married, everyone is looking for one redhead, the other bald and fluffy. And the youngest - Metelitsa - without hesitation, married the Snowman and had a daughter - Snegurochka, the granddaughter of Santa Claus.
The snowstorm entertains guests at the entrance for some time, dedicates them to family secrets and, as adults understand, takes a little time so that the good Grandfather Frost has time to take a breath. In the meantime, before the children, Snow White and her seven dwarfs.
The carved tower of Santa Claus cannot be confused with any other house. Festive illumination at dusk gives it a special mystery, carved patterns arouse admiration. The house is two-story, grandfather lives here all year round, even in summer. On the first floor there is a throne room and an office, on the second floor there is a bedroom.
Here it is, the long-awaited meeting! Here he is, the Magician! Grandfather greets the guests, asks where they came from and, despite the hustle and bustle of visitors, finds a couple of kind words and jokes. Next - a group photo and ... And that's it, Grandfather Frost doesn’t have more time, the next group of people craving his attention is on the way.
In fairness, I note that our dear guide girl warned that Grandfather was very busy and instructed her to listen, collect and transmit all the poems, songs, letters and wishes that the children had prepared. Therefore, the little dreamers, on the way to the house of Santa Claus, did everything that was supposed to be on such an occasion. No offense. Move on.
Not far from the tower of Santa Claus is a carriage drawn by a pair of deer. Apparently, it is on it that Grandpa delivers gifts to the kids.
A faithful guardian and reliable assistant is the cat Vaska (or maybe not Vaska, he did not introduce himself).
Opposite the house of Santa Claus is an alley of wooden sculptures. Here is Baba Yaga, and Zyuzya Poozersky, and Bolotnik Unusual, and Kysh Babai, and Pakkaine. You can read about each on a special plate and tell the child.
In addition to the house of Santa Claus, there is the Workshop of Mother Winter. Santa Claus built it for his wife on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Estate. Master classes are held in these magical walls, magical things are created, you can celebrate a birthday.
There are many wonderful places in the Manor, and each has its own legend. If you touch the Magic Mill and remember all your bad deeds and deeds, the Mill will grind them, turn them into dust and sand.
After that, you can safely go to the Twelve Months Glade, look for your sculpture and make a wish.
The route is designed so that the movement of tourists occurs in a circle. Even with a large number of guests, you can take a selfie and see all the curiosities without interference.
Near the Mill is a small lake. Its banks are decorated with wooden sculptures. Grandfather Frost transferred the Frog Princess to his fairy tale. Perhaps he hoped that among the many guests of the estate there would be Ivan, who would kiss the Tsarevna, and she would turn into a beautiful hand-written. Ivan was not found in our group, so the frog is sitting and waiting for the next group ... Although, something tells me that there were attempts to kiss the Tsarevna, but, apparently, it was not the same Ivan, or maybe all this without love - that's why magic is not worked.
There is also a goldfish near that lake. So it waits for every passing person to make three cherished wishes. There is also a footbridge with exactly 97 logs. Each step is a new desire. In general, Dreams must come true, and the Manor has ALL the conditions for this. Chances increase a hundredfold!
Children will surely recognize the heroes of their favorite fairy tales, and adults will note the character of the characters made of wood. Each part of the territory is remarkable for something.
Unusual signs can be seen throughout the courtyard.
Serpents Gorynych entrance is strictly prohibited. And the workers really make sure that guests do not smoke on the territory of the complex.
Another sign that is unlikely to be found anywhere else. A carved bench invites you to sit down and tell a rhyme. Nicely…
Centuries-old trees are not uncommon on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The huge spruce has seen a lot in its life, now guests of the residence of the Belarusian Father Frost dance around it. Now she is elegant both in winter and in summer. The height of the spruce is about 40 meters! It is unlikely that anywhere else in Belarus you will meet the same giantess.
After singing a song about a Christmas tree and spinning in a round dance, visitors go further.
Here is the hero of the coming year - the Fire Rooster. There are several such zodiac sculptures.
You can sit on the gnome's bench or take a closer look at the Snake and the Horse.
The House of the Snow Maiden is of great interest to the female part of the group. The legend says that you need to go around it in a circle, look through the window, count the pillows on the bed and be sure to look in the mirror on the wall. It's magical. Women will become more beautiful, men will become wiser and stronger, children will become healthier and more obedient.
It will not be possible to go inside the Snow Maiden's house, it is too small. By the way, the Snow Maiden inherited from her father - the Snowman - the ability to melt, so she does not live in Pushcha all year round, like Santa Claus. Comes only in winter.
Skarbnitsa is another iconic place in the estate of Father Frost. Children's letters and crafts are stored here.
Here they give gifts to everyone who bought an entrance ticket (this is included in the price). Here you can buy souvenirs, fragrant Pushcha herbal tea.
Here is a journal in which you can write down your desire or say hello to Santa Claus. It is interesting to read what children and adults write. "Skarbnitsa" is the last point of the route. For some more time, you can wander around the Manor, taste hot herbal tea with pancakes and game shish kebab.
If you're lucky, you can see bison, deer and other residents of Pushcha: special feeders have been built for them.
CONCLUSION: To go or not to go to the Pushcha on the eve of the New Year and Christmas holidays, when there are crowds of people, is up to you. But Father Frost's Manor is WORTH visiting with children in any case! This is undeniable. I think it will be interesting to visit Pushcha with the whole family, even in different seasons, because not only Santa Claus attracts tourists to Kamenyuki. The most important asset of Belovezhskaya Pushcha is fresh air, centuries-old forest. For this, it is worth returning to the forest again!
Dear readers. Tell us, have you visited the Belarusian Father Frost in Belovezhskaya Pushcha? What impressed the children the most?
Photographer:Or how we met Santa Claus in the primeval forests of the Motherland
Chapter 1. Flora and fauna of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Terrible secrets of the primeval forest.
Bison is a large shaggy-hairy cow. This cow weighs about 600-800 kg. But this particular bull in the photo weighed 1200 kg. This is one of the first 5 bison, which were brought to Pushcha from Poland after the Great Patriotic War. He thrived there. And now we have 312 bison in Belarus. And if they continue to multiply, they will devour the Pushcha. Therefore, they are now being actively exported to other friendly countries .... 5 bison will soon leave for Moldova.
But there are no bears in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. In the past, when there were few bison and they were on the verge of extinction, vile bears drove them on the ice of the lake in winter and the bison, like big cows on ice, simply crashed. Much stronger than the bison, the bears killed them with one blow to the back. Therefore, bear hunting in Pushcha has always been allowed, and at present there are only two bears left there - Misha and Masha, who were sleeping peacefully in the enclosures while we examined them.
When do deer grow antlers?
No, it's wrong. Deer grow antlers in the second year of life. And they do not grow bone immediately, but fluffy. Such super-duper velor horns. And every year a horn grows on them. That is, a deer or an elk years = the number of processes of antlers + 1. However, the rule has exceptions. Starting from a certain period of aging (for each individual), the number of processes decreases in the opposite direction. So the old elk is a bald elk.
The females do not grow horns. They get a lot more. By the horns I was "placed" in this angle to be photographed with a deer.
Well, let's move on to the storks. It turns out that storks are not swans at all. T about eating a stork, a man does not care with whom to live. Returning from the south to his nest, a male stork may meet a completely different female stork there, and not his missus. Scandal is still unavoidable. The missus arrives later (well, she was delayed ..) and what she sees is treason and betrayal. The male stork leaves the nest and gives the ladies the opportunity to find out for themselves this piquant question - who will live with him ... Everything ends sadly - one of the storks is forced to leave the nest and her stork. Well, if there are no victims. And the stork takes it for granted.
Women storks are generally cruel birds ... White stork with black will not work, because the white lady simply does not understand what this black wants from her? That is, love, courtship and all that for the sake of God, but they do not know how to make children. Learn the materiel, as they say.
Beavers. Beavers are known to be kind. But in advertising, we are shown a seemingly terminally ill beaver at the end of its days. In life, beavers have yellow, even yellow-brown teeth, and the darker they are, the stronger and more valuable they are for a beaver. but when he has white spots on them - this is a disease of the teeth, which is extremely undesirable for a beaver naturally.
Wolves are not uncommon in the forest. A wolf differs from a dog in principle in that it always has its tail tucked up and never twists into a ring.
There are no less interesting birds in Belovezhskaya Pushcha - black grouse and capercaillie. I think a lot of people know why a capercaillie is called a capercaillie - he is completely deaf when he sings his marriage songs, and it is not in vain that he is deaf - he sings disgustingly. That is, he feels good, but everyone else ... And when he sings like that, you can take him off the tree with your bare hands, which hunters have always used. So about the customs of these birds. They can mate with each other, although the birds are completely different. And their offspring is called the unflattering word mezhnyak. And this mezhnyak is fruitless in pursuit of multi-colored storks.
Foxes are the most impudent and dirty animals, among the inhabitants of the forest. Literally. They never clean their burrows and, excuse me, they poop where they eat. Unlike badgers. The cleanest animals, and often they clean up after the foxes their own holes, which the foxes have occupied.
The raccoon dog is our Belarusian opossum. Just a little - she immediately pretends to be dead, and if you kick her, so to speak ... check this deadness of her ... jumps up and runs away with a wild squeal ...
Lynxes have wide paws to run in the snow and not fall through, and a small heart so as not to run after prey for a long time. Either immediately or never is their motto. If it was not possible to grab it right away, then catching up with her, the lynx can simply die, which of course she does not want, and the prey is released back home.
Of the nocturnal inhabitants, of course, bats of all kinds of different varieties are found there .... As you know, Bats navigate by ultrasound. It was established through animal abuse- they were blindfolded first ... and they all oriented themselves perfectly ... Then they tied their noses ... and at least they had something ... And then they got to their ears ... I can’t guarantee the purity of this experiment ... nevertheless I’m telling memory ... but nevertheless, as a result, we found out that they are guided by ultrasound ... Everyone also probably knows that our kazhans often get tangled in their hair .... And all because hair does not reflect ultrasound ... And then scientists found that white also does not reflect ultrasound. And somehow I felt creepy in this museum. It is better for blondes not to meddle in caves with mice. Blondes especially :)
All sorts of reptiles, insects and plants simply flood the Pushcha. You can’t tell about them all anyway ... but I must say it’s impressive ....
Chapter 2. Belarusian Santa Claus.
So, let's move on to the second part of our journey - meeting with Santa Claus.
This is the official residence of Santa Claus. In total, there are four of them officially registered on earth, so to speak - in Lapland we have Santa Claus; in Alaska, too; Russian Father Frost lives in Veliky Ustyug; and ours is in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Also Santa Claus. Well, it’s understandable that one grandfather can’t do it in any way. There are four of them ... however, it doesn’t matter :)
Electrical elements Residences
Here he is!!! Summer! Talked to us. Wishing you all the best and all your wishes come true. The children gave him their letters right into his hands! In general, it was, in fact, cool. Actually for real. And then we went for a walk around his possessions. The real world of fairy tales. Meeting with the REAL FATHER FROST was truly magic!
Vitalik was lucky - he found his frog princess. And the amazing tree is black alder. This is the only tree that drops its leaves green in autumn!
And also on the way
A mill that had to be touched and it would grind all the bad deeds done during the year, and then the gnomes would take them far into the forest. And if you then behave well, then this evil will never return to you. Towers, Gnomes and Snow White and other heroes of fairy tales - there were a lot of them! The pond where the frog princess lives. Magic well. And then we came across a clearing of twelve months. You had to touch your month and make a wish - it will definitely come true.
Brotherhood with gnomes. High five!
Emelina pike
Ilya made a wish by the snow. It will definitely come true
The Little Humpbacked Horse
These gnomes love mushrooms...
Small saxophonist
Magic Pond where Princess Frog lives
Around the Christmas tree ... gnomes are also no stranger to progress
Pinocchio of course on Tortilla
New fairy tales. Ilya and the wolf. Rage wooden and in the flesh
New fairy tales. Masha, Sasha and the Bear
Cockerel-golden comb
Just a gnome
Good old fairy tales - Anfisa
February is the second brother-month. You had to touch your month and make a wish
Princess Frog in person. Men kiss her to find their soul mate
There she is! Beauty mega tree of the country! Only in summer. Round dances are danced around it in winter and they sing the most famous song about New Year and a Christmas tree for hundreds of children. Song - "a Christmas tree was born in the forest!" By the way, in 2006 it turned 101 years old. And the words were written to her by an unknown school librarian from some village .. I don’t remember anymore. And the music was composed much later.
She is very tall, and most importantly .... real .... and beautiful .... her neck could be twisted to see the top. 40 meters. Attention - THE HIGHEST LIVING EUROPEAN TREE. She is 120 years old!!! Around the Christmas tree was also something to see.
There is also "Skarbnitsa" - a repository of gifts, as well as letters, drawings, photographs and crafts sent by children to Santa Claus. And this is us sitting in the chair of Santa Claus, while grandfather is away. In this office there is also a museum of Santa Claus, which contains antiquities.
Very beautiful flower bed near Skarbnitsa
There is a museum of antiquities in Grandfather's office. Stupa to your attention!
In Grandfather's chair. And around - all the gifts of children to Santa Claus
There was also the house of the Snow Maiden. Only the Snow Maiden does not live there. And she wasn't there. She only comes in winter. But we found out who her father is))))).... Snowman is her father. Mother unknown
Chapter 3. Live wild animals.
And then we went to the enclosures - to look at the same wild animals that we were told about in the museum. It turned out that they are not wild at all. True, the bison were far away, the bears were dormant, some people there also did not come out of the hole. But many did not refuse to eat.
Warned - wild animals! We go to the enclosures.
In the Pushcha, the animals breed beautifully. young growth
Bison are the kings of the forest. Awaiting shipment to Moldova
A four-year-old deer pulled a carrot out of my hands.
Nobody refused to eat. Elk ate bread
We had a great trip and had a great time. There is amazing nature. There is the cleanest air. I saw the real Santa Claus. I made wishes And I already want to go there in the winter - for the New Year.
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