Transcarpathian canyons: routes for lovers of beauty and extreme (PHOTOS)

Grand Canyon near Mukachevo

Transcarpathia is famous for its picturesque landscapes and is very popular with tourists. How can you not admire the grandeur of the mountains, the freshness of the air and the purity of the rivers, lakes and quarries? But there are wonderful places created as a result of human activity. One of them is an abandoned quarry on the outskirts of the village of Kolchino.

It is worth to learn some history before any trip, so let’s make a small excursion to the distant past. Not far from the quarry, there once was an ancient fortress of one of the North-Thracian tribes on the Mount Tupcha. It began to develop about 3300 years ago and stayed there for 300 years. At the western slope of the mountain, there was the village of Shelestovo, which gave the name of the fortress. Subsequently, the village ceased to exist as a separate settlement, after merging with the village of Kolchino. There are several versions of its status. According to one version, Shelestovo was a place of residence of a large group of people or the center of an entire tribal group.

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According to another one, the fortified territory of the settlement was occasionally used by the inhabitants of the nearest plain settlements due to the threat of some danger.

Well, now when we know something about history, we can study all the possible maps and go to admire the beauty with our own eyes. Maps need to be given special attention, since there are several routes. The first half of the road passes quickly, but the asphalted road eventually ends and off-road terrain begins. 

Here you can put the map aside and navigate by tracks from cars and tourists who are going in the opposite direction, apparently, returning from the quarry. It should be noted that it is better to travel by a car with a high clearance, because the road leaves much to be desired – the pits are really huge. It is also somewhat difficult to navigate when more and more track suddenly appear. However, the road "attractions" are worth it. At the end of the road you will immediately be captured by the beauty of the large quarry with two terraces and clean water and an incredible landscape with the mountains busking in sunlight in the distance.

All local young people have fun at a nearby lake several hundred meters from the quarry. But if you want solitude and silence, you can stop the car here and wait for the sunset.