Braslav lakes. Everything is top-of-the-line.

Braslav lakes are not just a national park. It is a place of power, a "holiday mecca" of Belarus. It is a real treasure of the Republic and one of its most important tourist brands. After all, they are the whole Universe. And not only in terms of beauty and immensity but also because of their absolutely cosmic scenery: they possess plenty of exotic features, mysteries, a great deal of expression and at the same time the universal peace.  Especially if you fly high above and look through the eyes of birds.

A blue necklace of Belarus

Braslav lakes are also a blue necklace of Belarus, with almost 300 pearls, equally beautiful, though different in size, shape, depth, composition and transparency. It is the largest lake region in the blue-eyed country. And it has a lot of its own most beautiful pearls. For example, the largest lake called Drivaty: 10 kilometres long and almost 4 kilometres wide! In the warm months of the year, you can take a boat ride on it - almost like on the sea.

If there is the largest lake, then there is also the smallest one. It is called the Eye of God, because it looks like an eye and it is no larger than a hundred metres in shape. Of course, apart from its size, the lake has depth. And in this sense, the most outstanding lake in Braslav region is Lake Voloso Yuzhnoye . In some places, the depth of the lake reaches 40 metres from the surface to the bottom! But not only the depth of the Voloso is glorious, but also the purity: the transparency of its water is 8 metres! And in winter it is even more. However, the main uniqueness is that here, for the first time in the world, the life cycle of a relict mizida, a small, very ancient centimetre-like crayfish that looks like a shrimp, was described.

There is also a miracle on Braslav lakes - a unique Lake Strusto, which has the island of Chaichin, inside which there is a lake, albeit small. Chaichin is home to a large colony of seagulls. In general, the Braslav Lakes National Park is home to 200 species of birds! All of them are of every stripe and colour. And in general, there is so much fauna that it deserves a separate chapter in a big book. For example, you can catch a metre-long pike on Lake Strusto for as much as 10 kg! 

Well, perhaps we can't help but mention the lakes, which are the most difficult to access here. The nearest village, Milashki, ran 3 kilometres away from it. Getting to the lake is a great adventure: the marshy terrain and dense forest made it almost uninhabitable. So the journey to the lake turns into a real offline quest.

Trail of the glacier

But not only by water and land, the Braslav Region is famous. For example, there is a boulder that weighs over 40 tonnes here! A lot of them are scattered around the millennia-old Braslav. It is because 15,000 years ago a glacier that went north left here not only scattered bays, bights and islands, but also generously sprinkled this blessed land with stones. So they lie here and there, competing in sizes and tons.

Mount Lighthouse

And in the Braslav Lakes National Park, there is the highest point, from which you can enjoy an incredible, really magical view! It is called Mount Lighthouse, although it is more of a group of hills a few square kilometres away. The panorama around it is simply stunning! Just go half a hundred metres above the level of those lakes, which go round this place in a dance, and you can see this really cosmic scenery that dazzles with the blueness and makes your heart beat faster.

Such pristine nature is a mighty thing, life-giving, makes a complete reboot and bringing man back to himself. Or you can do more than just admire. You can swim on water or under, paddle on a boat or a kayak, stand under a sail or catch fish. You can also have a fire, a kebab, and ukha (fish broth) as well as sit with a guitar here. So many important and pleasant things can be done on Braslav lakes! 

All you need is just to come

And there are places to accommodate: recreation centres, tourist car parks, locals which rent out their flats and rooms to tourists. Everything can be found here. You just have to come to this paradise on earth and immerse yourself in these divine surroundings.

P.S. Once, many years ago, I was lucky enough to go swimming in one of the Braslav lakes. It was not blue. It was orange! Absolutely brick-coloured, as if paints had been poured into the water: you put your hand down and you don't recognize your palms. Amazing feeling: you swim in water as if you weren't in water. It turned out that it was the trees - deciduous thickets - that overhang the lake in dense rows. Fallen leaves in autumn paint the water no worthe than ochre. This is what the locals told us, those few who continued to live only in 5 homesteads. Alas, I can't remember the names - neither of the lake nor of the tiny village. Perhaps we should go back. The houses of those may no longer exist. But there is still a lake.