"Biloozerski Bory" is an ecological and educational trail in the Rivne Nature Reserve, located near the recreational zone of Lake Bile in the Varash hromada. It is a loop around 4.5 km long with seven thematic stops; with a guided tour, it takes about three hours. The trail passes through an old pine forest to the edge of the Koza mire array, crosses high sand dunes, and ends on the shore of Lake Bile.
Important: in the Rivne region, a ban on visiting forests has been in effect since 2022, so you can only walk the trail with a guide from the reserve's Biloozerske branch. Call the reserve before your trip to check the current restrictions.
What is on the trail
The start is near the information boards of the Biloozerske Nature Conservation Research Department. The first part of the route leads through old pine forests: dry lichen forests, where a silvery carpet of cladonia lies beneath the pines, and moist green-moss forests with blueberries. Further on, the trail reaches the edge of the Koza mire—part of the large sanctuary "Bile Lake and Koza-Berezyna Marsh".
After the mire, the route climbs high sand dunes left behind by winds after the retreat of the glacier. From the dunes, the trail descends to the western shore of Lake Bile, where it ends.
Lake Bile
Bile is a karst lake covering an area of 453 hectares with an average depth of around 4 m and a maximum depth of up to 26 m. It got its name from the whitish limestone visible at the bottom through the clear water. In winter, fishing on the lake is prohibited, while in summer a camp for young ecologists operates here.
Rivne Nature Reserve
The Rivne Nature Reserve was established on April 3, 1999. It spans over 42 thousand hectares and consists of four massifs—Somyne, Syra Pohonia, Perebrody, and Biloozerskyi; all four are wetlands of international importance. Over two thousand animal species and fifteen hundred plant species have been recorded here, including 103 animal species and 54 plant species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. The Biloozerskyi massif is the only one equipped with a trail for visitors; the other three lie in border hromadas where access is restricted.
How to get there
Lake Bile lies near the villages of Rudka and Ozertsi in the former Volodymyrets district, approximately 30 km from Varash. By car from Rivne, it is about 150 km. The track on the map is laid out according to the trail description along forest roads and is shorter than the official 4.5 km—the exact route will be shown by the guide.
