Braslav Lakes are poetically called the blue necklace of Belarus. This picturesque group of natural freshwater reservoirs is located in the north-west of the country, in Braslav district of Vitebsk region. The name of the lake region was given to the town of Braslav, built in ancient times on the hills between the lakes Novyaty and Drivyaty. This region attracts travelers by the amazing beauty of its landscapes, diversity of flora and richness of the underwater world. Braslav lakes are equipped with health resorts, recreation centers, for fans of “green tourism” developed interesting hiking, biking, water routes.
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Video: Braslav
Highlights
Tourism in Braslav Lakes began to develop back in the 30s of the last century, when these areas were part of Poland. Here guests were welcomed by summer recreation centers, children’s camps, yacht clubs, and sailing regattas were held in Braslav. However, during World War II, the recreation infrastructure was completely destroyed. It was restored in the 50s – at that time the region was already a part of the BSSR. During the Soviet era, first the Braslav Lakes base worked here, then a recreation zone was organized, and in 1995 the vast territory with 74 water bodies became a part of the Braslav Lakes National Park. The town of Braslav received the status of its cultural and administrative center.
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Braslav is located in the center of the reserve park, here is its administration and bus station, where buses from Minsk arrive, from here all tourist routes in the vicinity start. There are several hotels and mini-hotels in the city, but the bulk of travelers do not linger here, going to the campgrounds, guest houses and campsites built in the lake region.
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To get acquainted with the rules of stay on the territory of the National Park “Braslav Lakes” you can visit the administration of the reserve in Braslav, at the campgrounds and hotels. During the summer period there is an information post of the National Park at the crossroads of the Braslav – Miori and Braslav – Sharkovshchina roads. Here you will be provided with maps of how to get around the reserve and recommendations on where to stay. Here you can also buy fishing licenses, find out the addresses of farms where hunting is organized.
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Geography and climate
The Braslav Lakes Group is located in the northwest of Belarus, near the border with Lithuania and Latvia, about 250 km from Minsk. The national park, the main decoration of which are dozens of water bodies of the Braslav Ridge, occupies an area of almost 70,000 hectares. On the picturesque hilly territory of the reserve park there are various ecosystems – bogs and lakes, peat bogs, river floodplains with clear springs, forests and meadows rich in medicinal plants, mushrooms and berries. Many of Braslav lakes are connected by small rivers and short channels. This landscape with ridges of moraines was formed by an ancient glacier. There are 216 species of birds (including cranes, storks, swans, gulls, grouse) and 45 species of mammals. Among these animals are bears and lynxes, deer and elk, roe deer, wild boars, badgers.
The protected area includes 74 lakes with a total area of 12,590 hectares and about a hundred islands covered with centuries-old trees and inhabited by rich fauna. Some of them were inhabited by people in ancient times, as evidenced by the findings of archaeologists and the remains of medieval fortifications.
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Among the islands there are very unusual formations. For example, Chayachy Island, which lies in the middle of Lake Strusto, has its own internal lake. This island is one of the largest in the region, its area exceeds one and a half square kilometers.
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In the reserve, the first place in terms of depth belongs to the South Volos Lake, in some places of its water area from the surface to the bottom is more than 40 meters. The depth of lakes Uklya and Strusto reaches 25 meters. The local water bodies are inhabited by burbot and tench, bream and pikeperch, pike and catfish, capelin, roach, crucian carp, yaz, and ruffed grouse. Rare species of underwater fauna included in the Red Book are specially protected: eel, lamprey, sterlet, salmon, trout, grayling. Ichthyologists count about 20 species of fish here.
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From the largest lake in the region, Lake Drivyaty (area 36.1 square kilometers, coastline length – 37.6 km, depth reaches 12 m) flows the river Druika, carrying its waters into the Western Dvina. The Usvitsa River and many streams flowing from numerous neighboring reservoirs into the Drivyaty.
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The Braslav Lakes region is located in the zone of temperate continental climate. The neighborhood with the Baltics affects the weather. Winters here are mild, thermometer columns usually do not fall below – 6-8 ° C, but there are also sharp cold spells in these parts. Record frosts, fixed by meteorologists, reached – 24,4 °С. Summer here is short, the bathing season lasts from the first decade of July to the end of August. During this period the water temperature in the lakes of the reserve reaches relatively comfortable values of + 18-19 °С, and the air warms up to + 22-24 °С (the maximum was + 32.4 °С). Summer cyclones from the Baltic Sea bring cool, humid air masses, and the region often experiences rainy weather.
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Braslav lakes freeze at the end of November/beginning of December, the ice goes down at the end of March, but in the forest reservoirs shaded by trees, the ice cover disappears only by May.
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Beaches
In the National Park “Braslav Lakes” there are many convenient accesses to the water, but even the minimum comfortable conditions are not provided in the “wild” corners. Well-maintained beaches are available in tourist centers, coastal guest houses. The city beach in Braslav is well equipped. There are pavilions and “mushrooms”, toilets, beachgoers are given umbrellas and deck chairs. There is a cafe on the coast, in summer there is a small water park with slides and trampolines. From 11:00 to 20:00 you can rent sports equipment, bicycles, boats, kayaks or catamarans, life jackets and inflatable circles. In addition, the rental center offers all kinds of equipment for tourists – tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, kettles, etc.
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Active recreation
Fishing and hunting, bicycle tours and hiking, bird and animal watching are the most attractive activities on the Braslav lakes.
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On many reservoirs of the protected region fishing is paid. You can buy a permit (license) to fish from the manager in the National Park administration, located in Braslav, on Dachnaya Street, 1. For the convenience of travelers there are several other points of sale of licenses. They operate at the forestry in the villages of Dubrovka, Iody, Bogino, Druysk, Zamoshie, at the recreation centers “Drivyaty”, “Leoshki”, “Zolovo”, in the guest house “Three Bears”, which is in the village of Ustye Braslav district.
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In Minsk, licenses are sold in the store “Rybolov” on Partizanski Avenue, 41. The cost of a one-day license – 4 Belarusian rubles, a permit for three days costs 6 rubles, for a decade – 10 rubles. Fishing fans who regularly come to Braslav Lakes, it is convenient to buy a three-month license for 22 rubles or an all-season annual permit for 43 rubles.
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The water areas of lakes Strusto, Buzha and Dolgoe are allocated for underwater hunting, up to 5 kg of fish are allowed. A ticket for one day of daylight will cost 25 Belarusian rubles. Hunting underwater is prohibited in the dark.
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The National Park has identified bodies of water, where you can fish for free. Among them are Lake Plutenok (near the village of Mikheevtsy), Lake Ostrovito (near the village of Krasnogorka), Lake Milashki and Lake Janka (near the village of Milashki. These reservoirs are located respectively 5, 16 and 20 km from Braslav. You can catch fish free of charge in the rivers Okunevka and Raka, in some parts of the rivers Drujka and Drisvyatka. It is not prohibited to cast a rod without worries in the channels between lakes Savonar and Buzha, between lakes Strusto and Voiso.
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For a guaranteed catch tourists should go to the fish farm “Mekyany”, which is 17 km west of Braslav. There are shallow ponds stocked with carp, crucian carp and white amur. The license for fishing from 05:00 to 21:00 will cost 20 Belarusian rubles. It is allowed to use fishing rods and spinning rods, but you can cast fishing tackle only from the shore, where there are bridges. According to the conditions of the permit, you can catch up to 5 kg of fish. Fish inspectors keep an eye on the weight of the catch. For each kilogram over the norm of catch it is necessary to pay 3 rubles. There are also arranged places for campfires, where fishermen cook soup.
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Hunting grounds of Braslav Lakes are located on a vast territory of 220,000 hectares. In certain seasons you can hunt moose and roe deer, foxes, beaver, hare, get waterfowl – geese and ducks.
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Entertainment
For fans of midnight entertainment in Braslav there is a nightclub Red. There is a good restaurant, there is a cocktail bar. On the dance floor installed modern light and music equipment, on Fridays and Saturdays are organized discos. The club invites you to have fun from 22:00 to 03:00.
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In Braslav is worth visiting the interesting Museum of Traditional Culture (8 Gagarina Street). The exposition is located in the mill building – an architectural monument of the beginning of the last century. There are collections of handicraft products of masters of Braslav Lakes region, archaeological finds, works of modern artists, decorative art objects. The museum has a pottery workshop and a souvenir shop.
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Walk a few blocks east and see the interiors of the ancient Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 70 Leninskaya Street. There are several valuable icons from the 18th and 19th centuries. You can listen to organ music during the service in the Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which rises on Sovetskaya Street, 1, at the foot of Zamkova Hill. The church houses a miraculous image of the Mother of God, the Lady of the Lakes. A bright church festival is dedicated to this revered icon every year. The festivities are held at the end of August.
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There is a road leading from the church to the Castle Hill. On the top there is a viewing platform, from where you can take wonderful photos of Lake Drivyaty.
At the end of May/beginning of June the ethno-festival “Sword of Brachyslav” with theatrical battles of warriors dressed in medieval armor is held near the Castle Hill in Braslav. These days the city hosts colorful fireworks, rock musicians, fairs and attractions. In June, the city hosts the Braslav Zarnitsy festival.
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In summer Braslav hosts a grandiose music festival Viva Braslav Open Air. International fishing tournaments Braslav Spinning and Pike’s Luck are organized in the city and on the shores of nearby lakes.
In late August/early September a spectacular sailing regatta takes place in the waters of Lake Drivyaty.
7 km from Braslav, in the village of Lapyany, there is an equestrian club “Dobrynya”. Here tourists are taught the basics of horseback riding, organized horseback riding and pony rides. The club is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00. In the village of Jakubyantsi, which is on the shore of Lake Snudy, operates a horse farm, where travelers also have the opportunity to ride.
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During the summer navigation period, a catamaran runs along Lake Drivyaty, which has 6 picturesque islands. The cost of the trip is 8.40 Belarusian rubles/hour per passenger. The boats depart from the pier in Braslav on Rybkhoznaya Street, 15-A.
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A full range of tourist services is offered to guests of large recreation centers “Drivyaty”, “Slobodka”, “Leoshki”, “Zolovo”. The bases are equipped with entertainment centers for adults and children with amusement rides, tennis courts, soccer and volleyball courts, billiard halls, baths. There are organized walking and bicycle safari tours, guided hunting and fishing, motorboat trips on the lake, individual excursions around the National Park in an off-road vehicle with a driver, and ski tracks in winter.
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Shopping
For shopping and souvenirs you should go to Braslav. During the tourist season there are periodically held fairs “Kalyadnya uzory”, where you can find handmade decorative items, linen clothes, patterned tablecloths, fish and meat products, homemade pickles, sets of medicinal plants, healing herbal teas and much more. If your visit does not coincide with the fair days, stop by the souvenir stand of the Museum of Traditional Culture. It sells cute handicrafts, reed stem weavings, decorative items made of wood and pottery.
Where to eat
There are not too many places where you can have a snack or a hearty lunch in Braslav Lakes National Park. They are mainly concentrated in Braslav. In cafes and restaurants of the city the approximate cost of first courses and vegetable salads is about 3 Belarusian rubles, prices for main courses vary from 6 to 13 rubles, for desserts – 3-5 rubles. A pizza will cost about 8 Belarusian rubles.
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In beer bars you can crunch salted Borodino breadcrumbs with garlic for 4 rubles/portion, and if you want to order hearty beer sets for a whole company. For example, a generous set of grilled sausages with baked rustic potatoes, peppered Korean carrots, sauerkraut, pickles and spicy sauces will be brought to you for 25 Belarusian rubles.
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On the city beach in Braslav there is a cafe Plage. The menu includes several kinds of pizza, salads, burgers, steaks, potato pancakes with meat, desserts. Draft beer and elite alcoholic drinks are offered. In the evenings there is live music, and on weekends there are discos and movies. Opening hours are 11:00-01:00, on Friday and Saturday the place is open until 03:00.
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The doors of the stylish restaurant “Mlyn” in the village of Kopylovka are open round the clock, and in the village of Krasnoseltsy you can have a cheap snack in the restaurant “Kavyarnya”, located on the shore of Lake Drivyaty.
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Where to stay
On the territory of the Braslav Lakes National Park there are 48 campsites and tourist stands for car travelers and cyclists, equipped with everything you need – parking lots, places for tents and campfires, belvederes, toilets, convenient access to the water. In the villages you can find comfortable homesteads for daily rent. On the shores of the lakes four recreation centers have been erected.
In the buildings of the tourist complex “Drivyaty” are rooms of different price categories, from budget standard to two-level “suites”, there is a restaurant and bar, there is a health center with a swimming pool, Russian steam bath, Finnish sauna, jacuzzi and gym. There are barbecue areas with gazebos on the territory. The cost of accommodation – from 75 Belarusian rubles per day/room.
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At the recreation center “Leoshki” erected 18 cottages. You can stay in a two-bed cottage with a bedroom, bathroom and veranda for 55 Belarusian rubles per day. There are also two-level luxury cottages with several bedrooms, equipped kitchen, living rooms with fireplaces and upholstered furniture. Rent such comfortable houses can be for 120-320 rubles per day. There are pleasant bonuses for guests: free rental of boats, catamarans, barbecues. Daily three meals a day at the base restaurant will cost 35 Belarusian rubles, you can limit yourself to breakfast (7.35 rubles), lunch (15.05 rubles) or dinner (12.60 rubles).
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On the territory of the National Park “Braslav Lakes” you can find much cheaper accommodation, for example, in the “Fisherman’s House”, recently built in the village of Bogino, 30 km south of Braslav. The local lake of 13.2 square kilometers is famous for excellent fishing of predatory fish – pikeperch, pike and perch. The guest house has four rooms for 11 people, a kitchen, a shower room and a bathroom. The daily cost of accommodation – 12 Belarusian rubles per guest.
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Hotel “Terem” is built on the shore of the lake 15 km from Braslav. At the service of travelers – a restaurant with a veranda overlooking the garden, billiards, sports fields, equipped beach, free parking. In addition to the hotel building, there are also separate family cottages on the territory. On the beach you can rent a catamaran or boat, fishing gear, sports equipment. The cost of a daily stay in a budget double room starts from 59 Belarusian rubles. A spacious family room for four people with a separate entrance through the terrace will cost 118 rubles per day. Breakfast is paid separately – 9 rubles.
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Stay with comfort is offered and in Braslav itself, where there are small hotels and guest houses. In the city center for 50 Belarusian rubles per day you can rent a “House at the Museum” with two bedrooms, a spacious bathroom and kitchen. There are cafes and stores a few steps away from the house. About a kilometer from the center is a log cottage “Izbushka” with a spacious veranda, two bedrooms, living room with TV and kitchen. In the garden is equipped with a children’s playground. There are enough sleeping places here to accommodate 6 people. For the rent of the house the owner asks 25 Belarusian rubles per day.
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On Leninskaya Street, 53, there is a hotel “Braslavskie Lakes”. The building is located on the shore of Lake Novyaty, the hotel has a private beach. There is a restaurant and a bar for guests, but those who wish have an opportunity to cook their own lunch on the charcoal grill: boil soup in a cauldron, fry caught fish or hunting trophies. The cost of accommodation – 70-236 Belarusian rubles/day.
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Four kilometers from the center of Braslav, tourists will find a cozy agro-house “Goldfish”. The building is built in a pine forest, to the beach on the lake – 800 meters. For fishermen, the host will have fishing rods, tackle and a boat. An equipped kitchen is provided for cooking, and there are places for barbecues in gazebos with garden furniture. The nearest store and restaurant are within a 10-minute walk. For accommodation here ask from 40 Belarusian rubles per day.
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Several guest houses are located within a radius of 2-4 km from the center of Braslav. Among them are “Murazhye” (Kolkhoznaya St., 1-A), “Falvark” (Leninskaya St., 35), “Malta” (Letnaya St., 16), and the country house “On the forest edge”. In the suburban village of Panteleiki there is a guest house “Pine Forest” with four bedrooms and a common living room. It can accommodate a company of 10-11 people. The house is rented for 243 Belarusian rubles per day.
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How to get there
Minsk is connected with Braslav by regular bus service. From the Central bus station to Braslav there are several daily flights. Tickets cost 14-16 Belarusian rubles, travel time – 4 h. 25 min. Buses of regional routes run from Braslav to the villages located on the territory of the National Park.
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