Rafting on the Irsha River

We meet in Kyiv at the Darnytsia metro station in the late afternoon/early evening (5–6 PM). We quickly get to know the instructor and each other, load our gear into the bus, and head to the starting point of our water trip – the village of Chopovychi. We'll arrive in about two hours. We know you're already itching to get into the kayak and set off down the river, going with the flow and enjoying the scenery. But bear with us for one night – all that will happen, but tomorrow. We promise. For now, let's pitch our tents on the riverbank and spend a wonderful evening by the campfire with interesting stories from our adventurous lives. You'll have to fall asleep to the gentle babbling of the water, the rustling of leaves, the mesmerizing song of birds, and the tireless crickets. We don't even know how you'll survive that).

Finally, morning has arrived. While those on duty prepare us a delicious and hearty breakfast, we assemble the kayaks. After a while, from mysterious tubes and a large piece of fabric, we manage to put together quite a decent vessel, ready to set off. But first, we're drawn to the table by tasty porridge and trail tea. After breakfast, without wasting a minute, we begin our rafting trip.

So, all the gear is packed and loaded, the kayaks are on the water. But what's this? There's barely any water in the river – you won't get far! Don't worry too much though – this is only at the start. With the skilled guidance of an experienced instructor (rest assured, that's exactly who you'll get), you'll easily navigate these shallow stretches and reach deeper water. Even though the river isn't very deep and is quite narrow, this won't stop you from enjoying the rafting. Throughout the day, you'll navigate small rapids, shallows, weirs, and riffles. And what you won't see all day is a single populated area! Can you imagine how beautiful that is? Just you and nature. You can sing songs, have fun, and swim in the warm water to your heart's content. By evening, tired but very happy, we'll set up camp and after a filling dinner, collapse into sleep to gather strength for the next day.

Did you sleep well? Ready for new adventures? Then let's quickly have breakfast, sweeten our lives with the irreplaceable trail condensed milk, and head down to the water. Today the river will become much deeper and wider (up to 15 meters), and in places, you'll even come across public recreation beaches. Just imagine: there you are in a kayak, strong and brave, out on the river, paddling away, while people on the beaches watch and envy you... And if we have any avid fishermen among us, we'll definitely stop at one of the equipped spots to try their luck and catch a local Irsha River "resident." So, before we know it, in an hour or two, we'll find ourselves at the Malyn Reservoir, which reaches up to 4 km in width. The water here is calm, peaceful, and very clean, as evidenced by the abundance of water lilies and lotuses that cover the entire surface of the reservoir. On this beautiful note, we'll conclude our water journey. We'll come ashore, wash the kayaks, and while they dry, we'll refuel before hitting the road. Then – we load everything into the bus and head towards Kyiv, to bring joy to friends and share our impressions with them.