Itinerary:
Sept. 7, Day 1: Arrive KBP-Borispol airport in Kiev. (Sleep @ hotel in Brovary.)
Sept. 8, Day 2: See the sights of Kiev with an English-speaking guide: visit Maidan Nezalejnosti (site of the 2004 Orange Revolution); the ancient Golden Gate of Kiev and Byzantine cathedrals of St. Sophia, St. Michael & St. Andrew; stroll down Andriyivsky Uzviz to Podil. Eat at an authentic Ukrainian buffet restaurant. (Drive to Chernigiv & sleep at a hotel overlooking the Desna River.)
Sept. 9, Day 3: Visit the 1,000-year old churches of Chernigiv, the old fortress “Val” with 12 cannons to protect the city & Taras Shevchenko statue; then explore St. Anthony’s caves after pizza lunch. (Drive to the medieval town of Medjibizh & stay in a 4-star hotel.)
Sept. 10, Day 4: Explore the medieval fortress of Medjibizh overlooking Pivdenny Boog River. Optional visit to Jewish cemetery to see the grave of Hassidic founder Ba’al Shem Tov. Eat lunch at the hotel restaurant. (Drive to the Gala Hotel in Kamyanets-Podillski.)
Sept. 11, Day 5: Explore Ukraine’s most scenic city overlooking the river gorge in Kamyanets-Podillski. Visit the castle/fortress in K-P where the Cossacks, Ottoman Turks, Poles and Lithuanians all fought for strategic control over the centuries, and then go on to Hotyn after lunch. Hotyn is the picturesque castle/fortress where Stephan the Great of the 15th century kingdom of Moldavia once ruled. (Drive to Vitaly’s B&B in Kolomiya.)
Sept. 12, Day 6: Explore the Carpathian towns of Kosiv (meet local artists) & eat lunch at a Hutsul-style restaurant by the Prut River in Yaremche. Visit the nearby handicraft & souvenir market over the river. (Return to Vitaly’s B&B in Kolomiya.)
Sept. 13, Day 7: Go hiking for the day in the majestic Carpathian Mountains and enjoy breathtaking views every step of the way. Don’t forget your camera! Enjoy dinner at a lovely restaurant in Sheshori by the waterfalls. (Return to Vitaly’s B&B in Kolomiya.)
Sept. 14, Day 8: After breakfast, see Kolomiya’s unique Pisanki museum of Ukrainian hand-painted eggs and nearby Hutsul folk arts museum. (Drive to Hotel George in Lviv.)
Sept. 15, Day 9: See the sights of Lviv (aka Lemburg) including Old Town, the Opera House, adjacent crafts market & Polish cemetery — and many churches. Enjoy great cafés & European-style restaurants in the Paris of Ukraine. (Another night in the Hotel George.)
Sept. 16, Day 10: Drive to the monastery city of Pochayiv. Explore this exquisite church complex sacred to the Orthodox faith with its holy icons and the footprint of the Virgin Mary. (Sleep at a hotel in nearby Kremenets.)
Sept. 17, Day 11: Hike to the top of Boda Hill in Kremenets to see the old, ruined fortress & breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. (Drive to Kiev & stay in airport hotel.)
Sept. 18, Day 12: Fly home from Kiev or on to your next destination.
Optional trip to Romania: For those wishing to make an extended visit to Romania, Virginia Lee can arrange tours through a local guide in Suchaeva, the border town near Chernivtsi, UA. The cost is not included outside Ukraine, but she can accompany you in exchange for expenses. This extra trip would depart from Lviv (Day 10) for a week.
NOTE: This itinerary may be adjusted slightly to take advantage of special events that may occur. No one is obliged to attend any tours, meetings or seminars. However, no refunds will be made for any missed activities. If you leave the tour at any time, for any reason, you are own your own.
| Trip Price Included: |
- round-trip flight from SFO San Francisco, CA to KBP Kiev, Ukraine.
- transportation in a private van to destinations in Ukraine.
- accommodations in all locations mentioned.
- meals not included (except where breakfast is provided by hotel or B&B). However, Ukrainian restaurants are very reasonable by western standards, usually $10/meal (or less).
- tours with English-speaking guides in Kiev, Chernigov, Medjibizh, Kamyanets-Podillski, the Carpathians & Lviv.
- a Carpathian Mountain hiking excursion & visit to Hutsul artists’ homes.
- entrance fees to all museums, castles and historical sites mentioned in itinerary.
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Not Included:
Laundry, additional excursions, meals, tips. The tsrip to Romania is optional & not included in the basic tour price. However, your guide can accompany you across the Romanian border & quality excursions in Romania can be arranged with an English-speaking tour guide based out of Suchaeva.
Trip costs and fees: The tour cost of $3300 is based on two persons sharing a twin-bedded room with shower, some breakfasts, excursions listed in the itinerary, seminars, services of Ukrainian translators and US guides, and transportation in private vehicle in Ukraine. Those arranging their own air travel can deduct $1000. Ground-only does not include final airport transfer.
Passport and Visa: A passport valid six months from date of entry to Ukraine. A 90-day tourist visa is not required for USA citizens. No health requirements.
Roommates: Single people may sign up for accommodations desired on a shared basis and will be assigned a roommate as circumstances permit. If a roommate is unavailable, the participant will be notified of the adjusted price for a single supplement.
Deposit: A $350 deposit, a check made out to Danu Enterprises, is required to make a booking. Deposit is fully refundable, minus a $75 cancellation fee until August 1, when a $100 penalty fee will become attached to all cancellations received in writing. Final payments are due by August 15, 2010. Changes in the exchange rate or rise of gasoline may affect the tour price. The trip is limited to 12 people.
Accommodations: Generally rooms have two single beds with flush toilets, sinks, showers, and hot water. Since tourism is developing slowly in the FSU (former Soviet Union), standards are not as high as in First World western countries. The concept of customer service is evolving, so please be aware of this if you choose to travel in Ukraine. The hotels we have chosen have cultural charm and are reasonably priced to keep the cost of the trip affordable. We have done our best to choose hotels with some English-speaking staff. (NOTE: The exception is Vitaly’s B&B in Kolomiya, a comfortable first-world accommodation with home-cooked meals, cable TV & high-speed internet. We wish all accommodations in Ukraine were like this.)
Food: Most Ukrainian restaurants serve traditional dishes like borscht (vegetable soup), holubtsi (stuffed cabbage rolls), milintsi (stuffed crepes/pancakes and shashlik (BBQ marinated meat on skewers). Most salads have mayonnaise and not much in the way of salad greens, but a good Greek salad has delicious tomatoes, cucumbers, olives & feta cheese. The beer is delicious, cheap & abundant. And the chocolate is to die for. Local markets & bazaars are abundant in spring & summer with fresh, homegrown fruits, vegetables & wild mushrooms. Ukraine is renowned as the breadbasket of Eastern Europe & food is relatively inexpensive. Some good ethnic restaurants & cafes can be found in the cities: Italian, Georgian, Crimean, Middle Eastern & European. You can even find sushi in some places & good seafood is available due to the proximity of the Black Sea.
Weather: September is a beautiful month to visit Ukraine. The weather is very pleasant. It may rain but can also be warm & sunny, so come prepared. We visit after the busy summer tourist season, so sites are not as crowded. Arts and crafts are still available in local markets & bazaars, especially in western Ukraine.
Tour organizer/leader: Your guide is Virginia Lee, who served with Peace Corps in Ukraine from 2007-09 and is eager to share her both her appreciation of Ukrainian culture, as well as her network of Ukrainian allies, guides and translators (affiliated with the Ukrainian Heritage Foundation: http://ukrainianheritagefound.com) who will make sure your experience is beyond what you could do by yourself. Don’t miss this unique opportunity, especially if you are of Ukrainian ancestry.
For further information and a detailed itinerary, contact Danu Enterprises:
1-888-476-0543 or danu@earthlink.net
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