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Kiev, Chernobyl and Nature- and Village Adventure in Northern Ukraine.

Location: Ukraine, Kiev, Stolpiagy, Kovalyn, Chernobyl and Polissa.
Date: On request. Best time to travel April - October.
Group size: From two to twelve people.
Accommodation: Familyrun hotel, guesthouse and campsite.
Price: From 840 euro per person based on two sharing room.
Including: Accommodation including breakfast, return transfer to the airport, program as mentioned below.

Description: This short break will not only introduce you to the gems of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv (the local name of Kiev), but will take you beyond the typical tourist routes and show you some inspiring examples of sustainable living in Ukraine. You’ll get to enjoy UNESCO-listed St. Sophia Cathedral and St. Andrew’s Descent, and explore some off-the-beaten track attractions as Sculpture Alley.

Tour to Chernobyl and gain a unique insight into the world’s largest technological disaster. An unprecedented tragedy at Chernobyl Nuclear Plant is the world’s worst nuclear accident. Pripyat, the town closest to the reactor (3 kilometers distance), was home to 49,000 residents before the disaster, mostly the families of the plant workers; now no one lives there, a ghost town.

Finally, explore the green Ukraine andlearn more about the environment and pristine nature of Europe’s last marshlands in Polissya Nature Reserve. Polissya, loosely meaning "woodland", is the name of the marshland area shared by Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and Russia, and considered to be one of the largest in Europe. Take a walk in the pristine nature surrounding with Reserve’s nature specialist, and enjoy discovering the abundant wildlife in this true off-the-beaten track.

Learn more about rural communities in Ukraine by visiting family-owned bee hives farm and joining a host family in Ukrainian countryside.

Day 1: Welcome to Kiev.
Pick-up and Welcome. Meeting with your Active Ukraine guide. Hotel check-in.
Take a guided tour along city's major landmarks and attractions. Visit the UNESCO-listed St. Sophia Cathedral with its beautiful frescoes; take a walk at St. Andrew’s Descent – street of writers and artists; stroll along the main street Khreshchatyk, and sip delicious tea at the Orange Revolution famous Independence Square.

In the evening relax in the greenery of Kyiv Mariyinsky Park and enjoy the stunning views of majestic Dnieper River. Overnight at your familyrun hotel.

Day 2: A day in Kiev.
Join local Kiev artisan and learn the traditional craft of egg-painting, dating back to pagan times in Ukraine and very special for Ukrainians.

Taste delicious home-made borshch and other Ukrainian delicacies during lunch with a local Kiev family. Take a peek into the normal every-day life of Kiev locals, and try making your own dumplings!

Free time to explore Kiev. Overnight at your familyrun hotel.

Day 3: Chernobyl Tour.
Take our eco-tour to Chernobyl and gain a unique insight into the world’s largest technological disaster.

An unprecedented tragedy at Chernobyl Nuclear Plant is the world’s worst nuclear accident. Pripyat, the town closest to the reactor (3 kilometers distance), was home to 49,000 residents before the disaster, mostly the families of the plant workers; now no one lives there.

The city of Chernobyl is only 4 kilometers to the south of the reactor. High radiation levels forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from the region surrounding Chernobyl, but today about 700 residents have returned to live in the region (although not the town itself).

The trip to the ghost town of Prypyat leaves you with mixed feelings. WikiTravel calls Prypyat ‘a freeze-frame of 1980s Soviet life. Propaganda slogans still hang on walls; children's toys and other items remain as they were. But buildings are rotting, paint is peeling and looters have taken away anything that might have been of value’.

Transfer to the Polissya Nature Reserve. (First take a train, then you will travel by a private car). Overnight at a campsite.

Day 4: Exploring the wildlife of Polissya.
Enjoy a special wild life tour from the Director of Polissya Nature Reserve. Learn about rare animal and plant species in the Ukrainian North, follow the tracks of wolves and learn to distinguish the signs of other animals, typical to the Reserve. Visit the marshes and wetlands and discover more about their contribution to the fragile eco system. Take a chance to make your own contribution to the Reserve's efforts and volunteer in the area clean up. Enjoy your dinner cooked in the traditional oven or on the campfire.

You will stay overnight in a simple wooden log house, with the oven, common in the Northern Ukrainian villages. The accommodation is camping-style, with the bathroom facilities outside. Overnight at a campsite.

Day 5: Rural life in Polissya.
Today you will learn more about the traditional rural lifestyle of Polissya natives. Visit wooden mill, take photos of the wooden beehives, passed through generations in the family, and appreciate the hard and simple life of the villagers in the Ukrainian North. Travel to the Honey Guesthouse. Overnight in a rural guesthouse.

Day 6: A day with the bees.
Spend your day relaxing in the beautiful surroundings of Ukrainian village, at a very special Honey Guesthouse. The owners of the guesthouse are passionate about bees and you'll have a chance to check out their bee hives, taste delicious home-made honey and learn more about this wonderful natural 'medicine' and its by-products.

Depending on the time of the your trip to Ukraine, you might be able to participate in the unique process of extracting the honey from the beehives and help the guesthouse owners in this special event! In the afternoon you can go cycling, horse riding, boating or simply walking around the natural landscapes of the village. Overnight at a rural guesthouse.

Day 7: Last day in Kiev.
Transfer to Kiev. Spend your last day in Kiev, exploring the city's off the beaten tracks and green parks. Overnight at your familyrun hotel.

Day 8: Farewell and departure.
Breakfast at your hotel, and time at leisure until departure to the airport.

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