The boating season on the Dnipro River is short. But many options are now available, from one-hour jaunts on the spectacular waterway to long excursions that end at the Black Sea.
The Dnipro River made it on the top 10 list of European river cruises by Reuters news agency. It’s hard to argue with the honor.
The ancient waterway has marvelous landscapes along its banks, with Pechersk Lavra and other churches rising majestically from the slopes. Seeing the historical birthplace of Kyivan Rus more than a millennium ago only enhances the splendor of these river excursions on hot summer days.
The opportunities for enjoying the river range from a one-hour trip along Kyiv to 12-day cruises ending in Odesa.
The easiest way to get to the pleasure boats is to go straight to the river station, which is near Poshtova Ploshcha metro station in Podil district. The station is easily distinguished by the cylindrical tower on its roof, with a mast at top, resembling a real ship’s mast.
Tickets are sold on the wharf nearby. If you have trouble finding it, just follow the directions of the gaggle of young men and women trying to point the way to their employers’ ships. “One hour cruise! Enjoy the panorama of Kyiv!” or “An unusual trip to the Kyiv Sea!” they shout, as they give out promotional fliers.
Some offer a free beverage to get you on board, but the prices don’t vary much among rival companies offering short trips. The real prices on the quay are a little bit cheaper than those listed on the website of River passenger excursion agency (www.rpea.com.ua), where a full timetable of trips can also be found, but only in the Russian language.
On clear evenings and holidays, the boats are overcrowded, prompting some to call them “floating marshrutkas” – after the common form of mini-bus public transportation on land.
“I feel like I’m in a marshrutka,” said Olena Pavlova who took a short excursion around Kyiv, after she finally found a seat in the corner of the upper deck of the ship.
She was trying to get as far as possible from the crowd and blaring loud music. Noisy children were going down to the bar for their free glass of juice and young men were loudly ordering pancakes. But the cool air and picturesque hills, seen from the middle of the river, is an unusual treat that keeps passengers coming back for more.
Many find a boat ride to be quite soothing after a long day at work. When the weather is great, one boatload of passengers disembarks as another queue waits impatiently for the next trip.
Panorama of Kyiv is a one-hour trip starting daily, officially at 10 a.m. The ship, however, leaves when at least 40 customers hop aboard. In the same southerly direction are trips to Osokorky. English-speaking guides can be ordered by groups from the river agency by calling 425-1268 or 462-5019.
The trip to Osokorky starts at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day, with tickets selling for Hr 40 – 45. But the municipal authorities plan to launch a ferry later this summer that can get you between Podil and Osokorky for less, and more often. The ferry may run daily, starting at 7 a.m. at Osokorky. It is expected to take 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete a trip to Podil, with two five-minute stops on the way, at Bereznyaky and by the Metro Bridge. A single ferry can fit up to 500 passengers, and is expected to cost Hr 7 per trip.
If you would rather go north, you can sail to Obolon, where the Desna River joins the Dnipro and finally to the Kyiv Sea, which is an artificial water pool. Obolon bay can be seen every day, with a trip that lasts from 4 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. (Hr 35 – 40).
Trips to mouth of the Desna River only run on Fridays and weekends. A day-trip lasts two hours (12 – 2 p.m., Hr 40). In the evening, it is one hour longer and more expensive (5 – 8 p.m., Hr 60).
During the longest trip north, a four-hour trip to the Kyiv Sea, the ship goes though the concrete sluice which divides the river and the artificial pool, where the water level is much higher. The trip starts daily from 3 p.m. to 7p.m. (tickets
Hr 70 and 80), there is also a route that is half an hour shorter that runs on Friday and weekends (1 – 4.30 p.m., Hr 70).
The river station has 14 ships left from Soviet times running these tourism routes.
Seven years ago, there were also longer routes to Kaniv, where the tomb of the Ukrainian bard Taras Shevchenko is located. A faster boat called “raketa,” (meaning rocket) sailed to it, and a number of other destinations. But as these boats rusted away, trips to other cities were cancelled. Currently there are no plans to buy a new boat and create new routes.
But nothing is out of reach for a determined water traveler. If you want to create a private sailing route, you can easily rent a cruise boat, a house on water, a yacht or a motor boat.
Renting a cruiser from the river station for a birthday, corporate or wedding celebration costs Hr 600-2,000 per hour. Kyiv Tourist Inform Center’s website (www.info-kyiv.com.ua) in water transport section has a list of 20 cruisers, 16 yachts and 50 speedboats, complete with telephone numbers where they can be ordered.
For example, Dovzhenko cruiser can be rented for $200 per hour or for $2,400 for 12 hours. To spend a weekend on the “Diva” houseboat, which can accommodate up to 12 people, costs $150 per hour or $1,800 per day and night.
A special option to explore the river is, of course, a yacht. VIP motor yacht can be rented from $300 per hour at www.kievkater.com.ua. Sailing yachts are cheaper.
“We usually don’t dock at the river station because it is overcrowded, like Khreshchatyk Street. We sail off from the Berkovshchyna Bay,” said Andriy Koval, owner and devoted captain of the yacht with the romantic name “Kohana” (“Beloved”). “We usually go south to the wild beaches or a tour of rich houses of Koncha-Zaspa. Foreigners like that.”
Koval rents out his yacht for Hr 400 per hour or Hr 3,000 per day. “Time runs differently on board. One day on the yacht is like a week of vacation.” Thanks to the title “Kohana,” his yacht is often chosen by young couples. “This year one [marriage] proposition has already been made onboard,” Koval said with pride. “But usually young women order it for their boyfriends.” The information about “Kohana” in English can be found at the website http://kohana.kiev.uaor by phone 8 (050) 550-0786.
Going down the Dnipro is possible with Chervona Ruta cruise company, which owns three ships: the Dnipro Princess, General Vatutin and the Dnipro Star. They organize 10-12 day tours.
“We have the following routes: Kyiv – Zaporizhya – Kherson – Sevastopol – Odesa and return,” said Lesya Bohuslavska, sales director of the company. “If becomes a 12-day route then Kaniv and Kremenchuk are added.”
In every port, the ship stops for at least seven hours. Large cities like Sevastopol and Odesa have two-day stops. An average 600-800 euro tour includes three meals a day, excursions around cities and lectures on Ukrainian culture, history, language and dress. Passengers also learn to sing Ukrainian songs and to make the national dish varenyky.
“Eighty percent of the tourists are foreigners and they are interested in everything connected with Ukraine,” Bohuslavska explains. This year, however, they have fewer people from the United States and Canada.
“The English language is very rare on our cruisers now. Americans and English-language speakers suffered more from the crisis,” Bohuslavska said. The timetable of the tours and description of the boats can be found at http://ruta-cruise.com/enor 253-9247.
