Lake Svitiaz

Svitiaz covers about twenty-seven square kilometres in the far northwest of Ukraine and reaches around fifty-eight metres, which makes it the deepest natural lake in the country. It is the largest of some thirty lakes in the Shatsk group, formed in karst hollows in the sandy Polissia plain, and the water is unusually clear as a result. Pine forest runs down to sandy shores, and the whole group sits inside a national park and a transboundary biosphere reserve.

What you actually see

• The clear water - karst-fed water clearer than most Ukrainian lakes.
• The sandy shores - beaches backed by pine forest around much of the lake.
• The Shatsk group - some thirty lakes in the surrounding sandy plain.
• The birdlife - wetland species across the lakes and marshes of the park.

When to go

June to September is the swimming season and the water is warmest in July and August. Summer weekends are crowded. Spring and autumn are good for birds and quiet.

Honest expectations

Summer crowding on the main beaches is heavy and facilities strain. Accommodation is a mix of Soviet-era holiday bases and guesthouses of variable standard. Water levels across the Shatsk lakes have been falling.

Nearby

The Shatsk lakes surround it, and Lutsk is southeast.