The cable car to the Borzhava meadows

Curved like a dragon’s tail, the Borzhava mountain ridge rises above the rest of the mountains like an island above the sea. Its peaks - among them Hemba, Velykyi Verkh and Mahura - command a breathtaking view that quite takes your breath away. The highest mountain meadow in the Ukrainian Carpathians draws lovers of hiking and mountain biking in summer, and extreme skiers and snowboarders in winter. How can you take in all this beauty? The answer is simple: the cable car to the Borzhava meadows

 The Borzhava meadows are also known as the Ukrainian Alps. It is not the highest but the longest mountain ridge in Ukraine. Its gentle slopes are carpeted with grass and shrubs, forming an endless alpine meadow more than 50 kilometres long. In the warm season the meadows are cloaked in emerald velvet. Under the scorching sun they turn “golden” fairly quickly and reward their guests with tasty and very healthy berries - bilberries, or, as they are called in Transcarpathia, “yafyny”. When the frost bites and snow falls, Borzhava wraps its boundless slopes in a shimmering white blanket.

One of the most convenient starting points for the Borzhava meadows is Pylypets (a resort village in Khust district), set right at the foot of Borzhava. Pylypets has become one of the centres of mountain tourism in Transcarpathia, and it is Borzhava itself that is the main factor driving this trend. Plenty of hotels, guesthouses and private cottages have “sprung up” here, yet the village’s greatest asset is the cable car to the Borzhava meadows, which stretches 1,650 m. The chairlift operates all year round, covers the lower part of the Borzhava slope and carries you almost to the summit of Mount Hemba (1,498 m).

Pylypets has the right infrastructure for hiking, cycling and skiing, and for both active and relaxed holidays in the Carpathians. The lift is less than a kilometre from the picturesque 14-metre Shypit waterfall. Nearby lies the Synevyr National Park, where you can enjoy the beauty of the mountain Lake Synevyr and visit the Rehabilitation Centre for Brown Bears.

The cable car to the Borzhava meadows can be seen with your own eyes

The relatively “modest height” of the Borzhava meadows makes them appealing for hiking and calls for no special training or trekking equipment. The tourist trails here are waymarked, and although the weather can be capricious (Borzhava is very windy), it is not stingy with wonderful panoramas and views. So be sure to bring a jacket or a jumper, even if it is baking hot outside!

The lift is considered one of the longest, if not the longest, in Transcarpathia. In roughly 15-20 minutes the cable car will carry you in comfort almost all the way up Mount Hemba. Admittedly, you still need to walk about 300 metres to the very summit (around half an hour on foot). At the top of the lift stands the “Chaiovnia” (Tea House) mountain lodge. Here you will be offered tasty pastries and a huge choice of tea - masala, ginger, and Carpathian herbal blends. “Chaiovnia” is a wonderfully atmospheric spot, and its greatest highlight is the fairy-tale scenery beyond the window.

Pylypets is 120-135 km from Uzhhorod; the nearest railway station is Volovets, 14-16 km away by minibus or taxi. The chairlift has had spells out of service and only runs in favourable weather, so check with the resort before you set off whether it is running. On foot, the top station is 1.7 km away with 430 m of ascent. Coming back down that slope is tougher on the knees than going up, so trekking poles are worth packing. Skip the taxi hunt in Volovets and come with us instead: you can pick the Borzhava meadows on our Carpathians excursion with a photographer.

The cable car to the Borzhava meadows is not only an indispensable means of transport but also a splendid sightseeing attraction, especially in the warm season. What could be finer than “gliding” above the crowns of century-old beeches and spruces and admiring the astonishing, boundless mountain landscapes? Only the mountains. A ride up the cable car easily becomes part of a corporate trip to the Carpathians for a team that is not ready for a long hike.