Explore a landscape of birch forests and snow-edged lakes

Belarus does not have sea access. However, there are over 4000 lakes spread across the vast territory of the country. If you want to get away from people and reconnect with nature, Belarus has plenty of options. The north of the country, particularly the border areas with Latvia and Lithuania, has a rich natural environment: dense forests, rivers, lakes, clean air, a diverse flora and fauna... Bison, deer, wolves, and bears are unlikely to be seen in the wild anywhere in Europe. Tourists are advised to rent traditional houses in these regions with famous stoves and to visit frozen lakes during cold weather, where they can skate directly on the surface of the water.

Belarus' national parks are vast swaths of primeval wilderness teeming with European bison, wild boar, and elk, where ecological tourism is just getting started. One of these reserves, Narach National Park, is home to one of the country's largest (shoreline 41 km) and deepest (maximum 30 m) lakes of the same name. The park itself encompasses 94,000ha, of which 37,900 are forested, including the country's highest concentration of pine. Its 42 lakes cover an area of 18,300 ha. This is a lovely and romantic setting, steeped in mystery and legend. Nara, the daughter of a forester, is said to have created the lakes after witnessing her sweetheart's death in a magical mirror, which she then dropped in terror, the shards scattering all around. These fragments formed the lakes you see today!