The Ukrainian Carpathians

The Carpathian Mountains, sweeping across western Ukraine, are the country's beloved highland heart, a land of rolling green ridges, deep forests and clear rivers rather than jagged peaks. Their ancient primeval beech forests are part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing, and their valleys shelter a rich living culture, the colourful Hutsul highlanders with their crafts, music, embroidery and famous wooden churches. Dotted with mountain villages, meadows grazed by sheep and modest ski resorts, the Carpathians are a favourite escape for hiking in summer and skiing in winter, and a stronghold of Ukrainian folk tradition.

What you actually see

• The beech forests - the ancient UNESCO-listed primeval woodlands.
• The Hutsul villages - the highland culture, crafts and embroidery.
• The wooden churches - the traditional carved mountain churches.
• The ridges and meadows - the green hiking and skiing highlands.

When to go

June to September is ideal for hiking the green ridges, forests and meadows in mild weather, when highland villages are at their most colourful, while winter brings snow for skiing at the mountain resorts. Autumn sets the beech forests ablaze with gold and copper.

Honest expectations

The Carpathians are gentle, rounded mountains rather than dramatic alpine peaks, so their appeal lies in forests, folk culture and tranquillity more than soaring scenery, and mountain roads and villages can be rustic. As a green land of ancient forests, vivid Hutsul tradition and wooden churches, beloved for hiking and skiing, though, they are a genuine highlight of western Ukraine.

Nearby

Ivano-Frankivsk, the spa town of Yaremche and the ski resort of Bukovel are nearby.