"No need to paddle, but no less emotion." What a walk through the Pripyat floodplains looks like
The flood season on the Pripyat River continues. And although this year's floods are not the most massive, tourists from all over the country travel to Polesie to see the "Belarusian Sea." They mostly move around by kayak, but there are other options — for example, walking through the flooded forests. Journalists from "Onliner" did just that. They shared their report on what it's like to walk through water above your knees, find badger tracks, and smell wild animals.
"The oaks growing here are over a hundred years old"
The place where the travelers headed is located in the "Pripyatsky" National Park. These are flooded floodplain oak forests. Going there in regular shoes is not an option, so they put on high fishing boots provided by Olga Kharitonovich, an ecological tourism specialist at the national park and a wildlife guide – she became their guide.
— Maybe we can manage it in an hour? — they cautiously asked her: by this day, the guests had already gone kayaking and felt that they had very little strength left for a hiking trip.
— Make sure you finish within two hours, — Olga laughs.
Despite it being evening, the long hike doesn't scare her: she loves to wander through Polesie. And she has been doing it (professionally, no less) for the last 15 years. You can read about how Olga traded Minsk for life in the forest in a separate article.
The guide's enthusiasm is infectious, and nature relieves fatigue. The silence is broken only by the sounds of birds; there is no background noise. Reminders that these are wild places are encountered almost at every step. Olga easily notices details hidden from the eyes of city dwellers.
"Oh, a jay's feather! And here a badger passed, further on, it seems, a wolf, if not an entire pack," — the guide calmly comments on her findings.
Badger track
A wolf? Without hiding a slight fright, the journalist exchanged glances with the photographer. Olga read their concern and smiled: "Wild animals hide from us themselves." With the understanding that it would be even more interesting ahead, journalistic excitement kicked in.
Wolf track
"We are currently walking through the floodplain oak forests of the 'Pripyatsky' National Park. The oaks growing here are over a hundred years old. This is the oldest and largest natural complex of its kind, not only in Belarus but throughout Europe, and it remains almost untouched by humans. Its area could be even larger if a huge number of trees hadn't been felled here in the 19th century."
A floodplain oak forest is a forest that grows in the floodplain (low-lying part) of a river valley. Such territories are regularly flooded by spring high waters, which requires trees to have special resilience and adaptability.
The Pripyat has many old riverbeds, including thousand-year-old ones. The river no longer flows through them, but other bodies of water appear in its place — oxbow lakes. There are 540 of them in the "Pripyatsky" National Park. Currently, however, it's not a lake being explored, but a flooded forest.
The Pripyat floods themselves are linked to its location: the river flows through a wide and flat area where water easily overflows its banks. In the national park area, its floodplain is especially wide — up to 20 kilometers or more, so the water spreads over large areas. However, floods don't happen every year: everything depends on the amount of rain and snow, air temperature, and so on. That's why every year arguments arise on social media about whether "Herodotus's Sea" will appear this time.
"Demand for such walks is growing"
And finally, the floodplain oak forests themselves appear before our eyes. The scene is striking: it looks like a forest, but it's entirely in water. Olga warns: despite the shallow water here, one should step very carefully, checking each step. The eroded soil can be slippery, and there are many snags. It's best, of course, to find a large stick and use it as a staff.
"Don't worry, we'll find something. How do you find walking in such terrain?" — the guide asks.
Walking in shallow water in summer is customary, but this is different. Moving in fishing boots through water is noticeably more difficult than barefoot. Nevertheless, the stroll brings more pleasure than discomfort, as fantastic landscapes are before your eyes. It seems as if the forest and the lake have merged into one.
"The Pripyatsky National Park is the first company in Belarus to start organizing walking tours through the Pripyat floods. We, of course, also conduct kayak trips, but now those are mainly handled by other specialists of the national park. However, walking on foot in fishing boots through the flooded floodplain oak forests is currently only possible with me. But in the future, we plan to train guides who will take over. Because the demand for such walks is growing. You don't need to paddle here, and you can get just as many emotions as sitting in a boat."
The cost of a guided walk through the floodplain oak forests in the "Pripyatsky" National Park depends on the number of people in the group. For example, for three participants, it's 250 rubles, and if there are more than nine, it's 45 rubles per person. Boot rental and national park entrance are paid separately, and you'll have to get to the location by your own transport. And most importantly — you cannot walk through the flooded areas on your own: it is prohibited for safety reasons.
"We don't take more than 20-23 people in a group to ensure everyone's comfort. By the way, we conduct walks through the floodplain oak forests not only during floods; there's something to see here at any time of year."
Who left marks on the tree
The deeper into the "watery" forest, the more magical its atmosphere becomes. Snags, stumps, and fallen trees resemble mythical creatures, and on one of the oak trunks, "secret signs" are visible… Imagination runs wild: who left them? Olga gave a prosaic answer: it was the work of a larva of a rare beetle — the great capricorn beetle.
"The great capricorn beetle is listed in the Red Book of Belarus and has the highest protection status. The main population of these insects lives in the 'Pripyatsky' National Park. Their larvae destroy dead wood and thus clean the forest."
The travelers continue to wade through the lake that has spread beneath their feet. The sun will set very soon, and they need to get back to dry land by then. If kayaking was a good arm workout, here the legs are "pumped." At the same time, the brain unloads from daily worries: all thoughts are about not falling. In general, if you can't meditate at home in silence, such a walk is an excellent alternative.
A "moose" floats by — more precisely, a fallen tree resembling an animal's head.
When they finally manage to get to "solid ground," it begins to be appreciated anew. How easy it is to walk on it! Olga shows them a "viewing platform" — they managed to admire the sunset and take beautiful photos.
During the return to the car, it's already getting dark, but there's not the slightest regret that the walk lasted so long.
— Olga, do you walk here in the evening?
— Of course!
— And aren't you scared? All those wolves, wild boars…
— Scared! But I really love being here at this time.
As they were about to leave, Olga suddenly says: "I smell animals!" They sniffed: and indeed there was some smell. "Most likely, a moose or a deer," the guide speculates. Well, what can I say, you can't fully explore the "Polesie Amazon" in one day. There's a reason to come back next year.
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Навуковых супрацоўнікаў былога запаведніка, пераробленага Бамбізамі ў Нацыянальны парк, каб ён мог весці камерцыйную гаспадарчую дзейнасць, звальнялі з працы за тое, што яны спрабавалі бараніць старажытны ўнікальны лес. Сама ж гэтая Вольга Харытановіч, удзельнічаючы ў грамадскай кампаніі за выратаванне прыпяцкіх поймавых дуброваў, была ворагам бамбізаўскага клану і зламала шмат дзідаў у абароне лесу. Бо Бамбізы не лічылі экалагічны турызм вартым напрамкам дзейнасці нацпарка, а рабілі стаўку выключна на дрэваперапрацоўку і паляванні.
Але час Бамбізаў адыйшоў і ў "Прыпяцкім" змянілася кіраўніцтва. Так на пасаду, звязаную з развіццём экатурызму трапіла спадарыня Вольга. Зразумела, што ні яна, ні Анлайнер не распавядуць пра тое, што нарабіў у прыпяцкіх дубровах Нацыянальны парк "Прыпяцкі". Але хочацца верыць, што з новым кіраўніцтвам той дамоклаў меч канчатковага знішчэння старажытнага і ўнікальнага лесу, які вісіць над поймавымі дубровамі, знікне і гэтыя масівы зноў стануць запаведнымі.