Our mushroom tour into the Carpathians includes your constant escort by a personal English-speaking guide, transfer to the Carpathians, accommodation, meals and excursions. Online payment is possible.
The procedure is as follows: a client confirms the application and tour date, we make offer on the flight and confirm the budget, and the client pays the tour. Our guide meets you in a certain Ukrainian airport and takes you to the Carpathians by car; you enjoy mushrooming with an experienced guide, at the end of the tour you return home escorted by the guide. You can also book a flight by yourself and we simply meet in the mountains.
Carpathian mushrooms
Ukrainian Carpathian forests are rich in ecologically clean mushrooms and berries. There are many mushrooms in the mountains in autumn, especially after warm rains. In the Carpathians, there are many porcini mushrooms, not to mention aspen-mushrooms, chanterelles, etc. In general, more than 200 kinds of mushrooms grow in the Carpathians. You can find more than 300 mushrooms a day in the Carpathian forest.
People take pleasure in picking mushrooms. This pleasure is always proportional to the number of the mushrooms picked. In addition, when picking the mushrooms you can admire Carpathian nature and beautiful sceneries.
Our guide will take you to a glade, where you can enjoy wonderful views; also, he will show how to distinguish the edible and poisonous mushrooms. You will also learn how to can and dry the harvested mushrooms.
A fascinating journey along forest paths will give you great pleasure and open many interesting things of Ukrainian nature.
A mushroom season in the Carpathians begins in late July. At this time depending on rainfalls, various mushrooms grow with intervals from several days to several weeks. Of course, you are welcome to come earlier to pick up morels and porcini. The mushrooms stop growing with the beginning of the first frost, which, unfortunately, comes in the Carpathians earlier than on the plains. Usually, we close the mushroom hunting season in October.
The Carpathian region is a real paradise for mushroom pickers. The experienced mushroom pickers advise to go to Verkhovyna in Ivano-Frankivsk region. 57 kinds of mushrooms grow among beech and coniferous forests in the Carpathian National Nature Park. The right places for mushroom hunting are around Verkhovyna, villages Zelene and Dzembronya.
Mushroom tour in the Carpathians. Program options
Day 1
Meeting a guest (a group of guests) at the airport or railway station. Transfer to Verkhovyna by car
Hotel check in
A free day for getting acquaintance with Verkhovyna and the Carpathian region:
- Local museum (“Hutsulschyna”, “Khata-Grazhda“, “Museum of Musical Instruments“)
- Horse riding
- A walk to the observation tower
- Saunas (wet or Finnish)
- Valylo (local Hutsul Jacuzzi)
- ATV
- Bicycles
- A local market
- Souvenir shops
- Kolybas
- Restaurants
Day 2
Early wake up (5:00 am).
You will have an opportunity to enrich yourself with the energy of the dawn sun, walk barefoot on the dewy grass and set your mind to positive. After the morning rituals, we start for mushroom hunting in the Carpathians. We will teach you to not only look for the mushrooms, and get contact with them, identify mushroom places and find whole families of the mushrooms, and even fraternities.
On this day we propose to pick the mushrooms within the frame of Kryvopilskyi pass (18 km from the hotel). When picking the mushrooms you will have an opportunity to pick thyme from the mountain valley, taste authentic Hutsul dishes in nature: kulesha, banosh with the mushrooms, brynza, cheese, vurda.
Tasting alcoholic liqueurs of wild Carpathian herbs and berries is an inalienable tradition. After a square meal, we return to the hotel. You will be given a master class on gilling and pickling the mushrooms (for all comers), and for those who keep their forces the locals will cook the mushrooms with pleasure. Then you will have a free time for a rest.
Day 3
You will make a journey up to the mountain valley located at an altitude of 1,000 m. above sea level and having a wonderful view on Hoverla (2061 m). Here you will uncover secrets of cheese preparation, get acquaintance with a lifestyle of shepherds, taste sheep cheese, brynza, and vurda. You will see a technology of making cheese, and if you wish, take part in the process. Then you will enjoy lunch on the mountain valley (banosh, mushrooms, leaf lard with garlic, herbal tea/moonshine).
On the back way to the hotel, you will have an opportunity to pick the mushrooms, wild herbs, turn to the source with hydrogen sulfide water.
Day 4
This day provides an excursus into historical times of the Carpathians, we will show you a real bunker hidden in the wood (it is located in the village Zelene – 25 km from the village Verkhovyna, the mountain valley Staiky).
You can enjoy the real beauty of the untouched Carpathian Mountains. Having overcome a difficult road you will stop, halt near the bunker, and listen to stories about the war years. Then you will taste tinctures and healing tea prepared by the local people.
Lunch cooked on an open fire.
Return to the hotel.
Gilling, salting, drying mushrooms. Master class on cooking Carpathian dishes with the mushrooms.
Day 5
On this day, you will have an opportunity to express your impressions, proposals, say some pleasant words in good memory to the Carpathians and finally exclaim in a loud voice: “I am happy!”
Breakfast
Checking-out, transfer to the airport
The tour takes place in Shybene village. It is a little more deeper in the mountains than Verkhovyna, but even more beautiful and calm.
Benefits: new experience of staying in a local family (super hospital and friendly), super tasty and fresh meals + moonshine, trout fishing (no problem if you have no experience), untouchable nature.
Day 1
Pick up at the Ivano-Frankivsk airport (can be Lviv or other place)
Ivano-Frankivsk city tour (2-3 hours)
Stop in Souvenir market in Yaremche (on our way to Shybene)
We drive to Shybene village
Stay in a local family. Super hospital
Dinner
Day 2
mushroom hunting
taste authentic Hutsul dishes in nature
Tasting alcoholic liqueurs of wild Carpathian herbs
master class on gilling and pickling the mushrooms
Day 3
We’ll take a jeep and combine visit of shepherds with excursus into historical times (military bunkers and trenches of the First World War)
Visiting shepherds. Here you will uncover secrets of cheese preparation, get acquaintance with a lifestyle of shepherds, taste sheep cheese, brynza, and vurda. You will see a technology of making cheese, and if you wish, take part in the process.
On the back way to the hotel, you will have an opportunity to pick the mushrooms, wild herbs, turn to the source with hydrogen sulfide water.
Day 4
Trout fishing (half or entire day. As you wish)
Lunch cooked on an open fire
Gilling, salting, drying mushrooms. Master class on cooking Carpathian dishes with the mushrooms.
Day 5
Breakfast
Checking-out, transfer to the airport (Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv or other place)
Tour price
980 USD for a single traveler, 1430 USD for two travelers. For bigger group please make a request
The price includes:
- A constant escort by a personal guide
- All transfers through Ukraine
- Staying in a 4* hotel in Verkhovyna or rural house in a remote Carpathian village (you can choose)
- Meals
- Excursions
The price does not include
A flight to Ukraine. We are glad to offer you the best choice of flights for any travel dates chosen by you. After confirmation, the price per flight will be added to the cost of the tour. There’s no problem if you decide to book a flight by yourself.
How you can order a mushroom tour in the Carpathians
Please contact us, give the necessary information about the tour date and your location. Our specialists will make a personal offer for you in a shortest time.
Tour payment
After agreeing all the nuances of the tour program, we will make out an invoice for you to pay online by credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Maestro). There are no extra fees or hidden charges. You can also pay in cash, there’s no problem about that.
Other
A mushroom tour in the Carpathian Mountains is always a private tour for you or your group. This means that the tour program is completely flexible. At the planning stage you can change the program adding various entertainments, extend the duration etc. Anything on your taste.
In addition, we offer selling/export of pocrini mushrooms from Ukrainian Carpathians (dry, fresh, marinade etc).
Read/listen about mushroom hunting with Green Ukraine at The World public radio program.
See you at mushroom hunting in the Carpathian Mountains!