Zakarpattia Vacation — Forest Estate in the Heart of Transcarpathia

Why Zakarpattia is special

Zakarpattia ("beyond the mountains") is the only Ukrainian region lying south of the Carpathian ridge. It has a milder climate, more sunny days, vineyards in Berehovo, thermal pools in Kosino, castles in Mukachevo and Uzhhorod, and mineral springs every few kilometres. It is also the most multi-ethnic region of Ukraine — Ukrainians, Hungarians, Slovaks, Romanians, Hutsuls — each with their own cuisine, dialect and crafts.

Top 10 places to see in Zakarpattia

1. Lake Synevyr — the Carpathian gem, 989 m altitude
2. Shypit waterfall — 14 m cascade, one of Ukraine's 7 natural wonders
3. Pylypets ski resort — Mt. Hemba chairlift
4. Kolochava — open-air museum village with 10 museums
5. Palanok Castle in Mukachevo
6. Uzhhorod Castle and old town
7. Narcissus Valley in Khust — blooms in May
8. Kosino thermal baths — mineral water 30 °C year-round
9. Drahobrat — highest ski resort in Ukraine
10. Vuchkove geyser — hourly mineral-water eruption

From our estate in Soimy, items 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 are within a 1-hour drive. Items 5, 6, 7, 8 are doable as day trips.

Our estate as a Zakarpattia hub

• Location: Soimy, 5 km from Mizhhirya, in the geographic centre of western Zakarpattia
• Silence: 300 m from the road, in the forest — real recovery after a long day on the road
• Hot tub + kitchen: dinner from local products, herbal hot tub afterwards
• No curfew: come and go as you please, keys are with you

Zakarpattia cuisine — what to try

• Banush — cornmeal porridge with sheep cheese and bacon
• Carpathian trout — fresh from the mountain rivers
• Bohrach — spicy multi-meat goulash, Hungarian roots
• Potato pancakes with sour cream
• Cheese variety — budz, vurda, brynza, bought directly from shepherds
• Carpathian herbal tea — collected by local women in mountain villages