The Carpathians are called the «green heart» of Europe, they are the main source of clean air and fresh water for this part of the world — that is why it is so important to carefully protect them by creating nature reserves and national nature parks, including in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The National Natural Park «Enchanted Land» is one of such places, carefully protected by the state and valued by many people not only as a natural area that gives clean air and water, but also as a fairy-tale corner of our planet.
National Natural Park «Enchanted Land» was formed in Irshava district of Transcarpathian region in 2009. Today its territory is 6 thousand and 101 hectares — and all these are boundless forests, endless mountains and the most beautiful landscapes that inspire everyone without exception. As part of the newly formed reserve, which is quite young compared to many other protected places of the Ukrainian Carpathians, there are several previously created protected areas. Among them are the zoological reserve of national importance «Richansky» with the area of 2400 hectares, ichthyological reserve «Rika» and geological reserve of national importance «Enchanted Valley» with the area of 150 hectares.
The purpose of establishing the first two nature protection zones — the «Richansky» and «Rika» sanctuaries — was to protect the rich and diverse fauna — the animals inhabiting these lands, among which there are also endangered and threatened species. Here live brown bear, wild boar, red deer, badger, wild cats — lynx and forest cat, and in the cleanest reservoirs there are such valuable fish species as grayling and trout. Trout tells a lot about the state of nature in the reserve — this fish is found only in ecologically clean places.
The reserve «Enchanted Valley» was established in 1978 to protect mainly the flora and natural monuments located north of the villages of Ilnitsa and Osii. The «Enchanted Valley» offers natural pictures of amazing beauty. The territory of the reserve is the southern slopes of a part of the volcanic ridge of the Big Dol near the peak called Bujora, which are decorated with fantastic creations of nature: due to weathering, the rocks belonging to secondary quartzites have acquired amazing shapes, and now here you can see stone giants from 20 to 100 meters high! Some of them resemble animals (Falcons, Camel-Velikan), others — ruined castles (Giant’s Mound), others — fragments of giant trees (Spruce Stone), however, what you will see here depends solely on what your imagination will draw, with what from the real world it will connect these fantastic pictures. The unique object of the reserve is a petrified waterfall, which is nothing but frozen lava. And all this — surrounded by an ancient beech forest!
Every corner, every path in the park «Enchanted Land» opens its beauty to the guests — wherever you go, you will certainly see pictures that will impress to the depths of your soul and make you remember this place forever. It is not for nothing that this territory was made a protected area: both typical and unique for the Eastern Carpathians natural complexes are represented here, but each corner is delightful and gives incomparable positive emotions, and all this should be preserved, protected and defended. Another goal of the park establishment is to use this territory for aesthetic, scientific, educational, recreational and health-improving purposes. The latter is of great importance for the guests of Transcarpathia — ecological and cognitive routes and trails have already been and continue to be laid here, including to numerous springs with healing mineral water, which are so numerous here.
Everyone who spends his holiday in Svaljava, Irshava or other nearby settlements, should definitely visit here. If you want to see the best sights of Svalyava, Irshava and other amazing corners of Transcarpathia, be sure to include a visit to the park «Enchanted Land» in your itinerary, many connoisseurs of the beauty of nature specially spend their holiday in Carpathians to see this stunning place!