In winter, dropping temperatures and snowy landscapes mean you'll need to prepare differently for a national park visit, but the pay off is well worth the time. Quiet winter wonderlands showcase nature's calm beauty. 

Active ecological recreation is now in trend. If you have just returned from a ski resort and dream of traveling again, we suggest you spend a winter weekend in one of the national parks of Ukraine. We've prepared a selection of locations where you can not only breathe fresh air and admire the fantastic winter landscapes but also find traces of wild animals in the snow and even watch birds. If you're looking for a chance to break free from cabin fever, consider visiting one of our wonderful national parks in winter.

Tuzla Estuaries National Nature Park, Odessa Region

This is a real Mecca for birdwatchers, located near the Black Sea. One of the most prominent migratory routes of birds passes through the park. In winter, many geese and ducks fly here, and there are such exotic species as the red-breasted goose, which can be seen in Ukraine only here. If you do not like to watch birds, admire nature. Gray steppe, red saline, frost sprinkled with reeds. And the smell of the sea, mixed with the scent of the forest, will add charm to your walks. Unforgettable impressions and photos are guaranteed.

Podilsky Tovtry National Nature Park, Khmelnytsky Region

Podolsky Tovtry is a place of strength and inspiration. Visually, Tovtry is a picturesque hill, from which the Ukrainian Carpathians begin. Here, one after another, picturesque hills covered with trees rise, and at their foot lies a quiet surface of ice-bound blue lakes of various shapes and sizes.

In total in park there are as many as 160 tovtrs. Different in height, overgrown with forest and "bald", they all have one thing in common: the western slope is steep, and the eastern is gentle. In Europe, there are no analogues to Podolsk Tovtra, geological structures of rocky ridges exist only in Britain and the United States. Travelers are attracted not only by the dizzying landscapes, but also the local springs with healing water. The most magnetic point of the park is the picturesque Bakota with crazy views and an ancient rock monastery. It is an ideal place for unity with nature, where there is peace and quiet. In winter, the park has hiking, horseback and ski trails.

Holy Mountains National Nature Park, Donetsk Region

The park is located in the Slavic and Krasnoliman districts. And here you can admire not only the frozen river Seversky Donets, but also the "alien" Cretaceous mountains. The total area of ​​this park is 40 hectares. The nature of this place and its surroundings still preserves the conditions for the existence of many rare birds, such as osprey, thrush, snake-eater and others. Of course, in winter you will not see them here, but there is a chance to meet on the riparian oak groves quite rare for Eastern Ukraine animal - ermine.

The white rocks still remember the ancient monks who founded a monastery in the caves. Now the domes of the shrines of the Svyatogorsk Holy Dormition Lavra rise here. This unique building recreates in stone the traditions of wooden folk architecture and is an original work of Ukrainian Baroque.

Synevyr National Nature Park, Zakarpattia Region

This is one of the most incredible winter locations in Ukraine. Loose snow and fresh frosty air. The landscapes near the highest mountain lake in Ukraine are as unique as in a fairy tale. The lake itself is covered with ice and snow, next to it is the White Beast waterfall. The water here flows from the rocks, between spruces and beeches, and in the cold it turns into bizarre ice figures. In addition to the "Sea Eye", as it is poetically called Lake Synevyr, you can visit the Bear Rehabilitation Center, where animals are treated after cruel treatment in private zoos and circuses. You can also visit the museum "Old Village" and a number of interesting locations in Kolochava. In the same village, tourists can visit the rehabilitation center for birds of prey "Peregrine", drink water from a mineral spring, admire the picturesque mountains, look at the grandeur of the Carpathian virgin forests.

Galician National Nature Park, Ivano-Frankivsk region

Another location with beautiful nature. You will be enchanted by the unique snow-covered beech forests with karst rocks and caves, the silence of tracts and frozen ponds. And the park is a shelter for rare animals, which are protected by the law of Ukraine. And, if you are interested in watching their lives, we advise you to do it with guides who know the local nature well, the animals that live here, and what is there to tell. In the most interesting corners of the national park there are tourist routes and ecological and educational trails. The Center for Rehabilitation of Wild Animals in Trouble operates on the territory. They are taken out and, if possible, released into the wild. And those who constantly need human help are left in the Center. Here you can see storks, foxes, deer and hares.