Eco-trails of the Mizhrichynskyi Park near Otrokhi

Route map

Map © OpenStreetMap.

About the route

Near the village of Otrokhy in Chernihiv District, the Mizhrichynskyi Regional Landscape Park has established several short ecological trails: "Zhuravlyna", "Poliska", "Bondarivske Boloto", and "Sokolynyi Luh". Each of them is up to two kilometers long. The trails are marked, feature information boards, thematic compositions, and resting places, so you can walk them even without a guide. Three trails near the visitor center are interconnected: visitors can walk them consecutively or turn off toward the park office or the road at any point. For a longer walk through these same forests, there is the "Mizhrichynskyi Park Loop" route.

Wooden gate "Uzlissia" at the beginning of the eco-trail — "Uzlissia" gate on the "Zhuravlyna" eco-trail. Photo: Viktor Yepishin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Four Trails

"Zhuravlyna" is the park's first trail, created under a project by the Ukrainian Environmental Club "Green Wave" and the MATRA program of the Embassy of the Netherlands. It leads through a pine-birch forest and tells about the plants, animals, and habits of forest inhabitants.
"Poliska" is about the gifts of the forest: mushrooms, berries, and plants, which ones are edible and which have medicinal properties.
"Bondarivske Boloto" introduces the ecosystem of the park's largest bog. One of its stops is a restored pagan sanctuary.
"Sokolynyi Luh" is the most difficult and least developed. It lies separately, closer to the Desna River, and passes through a floodplain with oxbow lakes, ravines, and deciduous forest.

Model of a beaver lodge near the trail in the forest — Model of a beaver lodge on the eco-trail. Photo: Viktor Yepishin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Bondarivske Boloto

The bog has the status of a hydrological reserve with an area of over 1,600 hectares. A boardwalk treated with a protective solution, complete with viewing platforms, has been laid across it; there is a campfire shelter and a cabin with a window overlooking the bog. Cranberries, bog rosemary, and the Red Data Book-listed intermediate sundew grow in the park's bogs. In winter, Bondarivske Boloto is a favorite gathering place for moose: in 2009, 76 animals were counted here, the most in the region.

Park Between the Dnieper and Desna

Mizhrichynskyi was established in 2002; it is Ukraine's largest regional landscape park, occupying the interfluve of the Dnieper and Desna rivers. Along the trails, you can encounter Jack pine, sphagnum moss, and reindeer lichen, roe deer and wild boar tracks are visible on the sand, and open areas offer views of the Desna. The "Mizhrichynska Pushcha" nature center of the park operates in Otrokhy.

Morning fog over Bondarivske Boloto — Morning at Bondarivske Boloto. Photo: DiRudenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tips

In spring, water may cover the boardwalk on the bog, so waterproof footwear will be needed. The track on the map is approximate: it is laid along forest paths between information stands near Otrokhy (about 3.2 km), while the Bondarivske Boloto boardwalk and "Sokolynyi Luh" are not marked on the map.

Note. During martial law, visiting forests in Chernihiv region is prohibited, so currently these trails can only be traversed with park staff and by prior arrangement. The route is described for the time when the restrictions are lifted.

Before you go

Polissia is flat: there are hardly any climbs, but there are swamps, sandy roads and long stretches of forest with no mobile signal and no water. Plan on 4 km per hour, 3 km on sand and rough ground.

Water. There are few springs, and water from rivers and swamps is not safe to drink. Take at least 1.5 litres per person per day; you can refill in villages — at a shop or ask at a well.
Swamps and floodplains. Do not leave the trail in wet places: peat bogs and floating mats can be deep. In spring after floods and in autumn after rain some roads may be under water.
Ticks and mosquitoes. From April to October wear covered clothing, use tick repellent and check yourself after the walk. In June–July there are many mosquitoes and horseflies near swamps.
Fire danger. In summer forests are often closed to visitors because of fire danger — check announcements of the forestry or community. Do not make fires outside designated places.
Explosive objects. Since 2022 mines and munitions may be found in the forests of northern Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Zhytomyr regions. Stay on well-used paths and roads and do not pick anything up. If you see a suspicious object, keep away, mark the place and call 101 or 102.
Signal and navigation. Mobile signal in the forests is weak. Download the GPX track and an offline map before you go, take a power bank and tell your family where you are going and when you will be back.
Chornobyl zone. The exclusion zone is closed to free visits — do not enter it without an official permit.

Emergency: 112 — free from any phone.