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| Tatariv. Ivano-Frankivsk region. Polonyna Zalim |
When the crowd of tourists - in jeep tours, by car, and some, like me, on foot - approaches the mega-popular spot of the Zhenets Huk, they are sure to see on the bank of the river Zhenets a signpost reading "Polonyna Zalim." "There are plenty of polonynas in the Carpathians," the travellers muse, and they put off a visit to the newly created attraction until some spare time. But after visiting the Zhenets Huk that unplanned route is not always taken - and in vain. I do not fight my own curiosity, and I take the chance to learn about new places.
Those who wish to walk along previously unknown routes need to follow the bed of the Zhenets, cross the river by the wooden footbridge near the signpost and climb the mountain along the ecological trail.
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| Polonyna Zalim. Information stand |
Beyond the emerald coniferous curtain a fairy-tale picture opens to the gaze, one that takes your breath away and leaves unforgettable impressions. Alpine meadows, the blue expanse of a lake, the green palisade of spruces, the whistling of birds - all this you once saw in films and in photographs, and here before your eyes appears a living canvas of incredible beauty, with its landscape, the sounds of forest nature and the scent of meadow flowers.
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| Polonyna Zalim |
All this beauty and picturesqueness is called Polonyna Zalim. On the treeless expanse of the mountain slope people graze cattle and make hay.
The first people I met on the polonyna were of a very great age - Mr. Fedir, who had turned 91, and his 85-year-old wife, Mrs. Paraskeva. The hosts were coming out of the staia with a pail of freshly milked milk and greeted their guest warmly. Where from, how are you? An ordinary conversation about life and being, but how much hospitality, love of people and warmth could be felt in the simple questions of the elderly couple. It was a great pleasure for me to talk with these life-loving dwellers of Polonyna Zalim, taught by life's experience, who treated me to apples and plums from their garden. Thank you so much; I wish you health and that you stay just as energetic and active.
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| Polonyna Zalim. The house was built by Mr. Fedir's father. That is, it could date to the 1930s. |
The way to the waterfall was shown to me by Maria, the granddaughter of Fedir and Paraskeva. Zalim means a bend, a curve, a turn of a river. In the works of Ivan Franko one finds the word "zalim" defined as a place in the forest with windfallen timber. Most likely that is how it once was, but thanks to the efforts made by the children and grandchildren of Fedir and Paraskeva, the approach to the waterfall has become orderly and cultivated. For visitors the route has been marked, convenient steps have been made, bridges and railings have been set up on the dangerous slopes, there are benches to rest on and boxes for rubbish. The clutter of branches and fallen trees has been cleared away.
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| The approach to the Narinetskyi waterfall |
You can quench your thirst with the tasty water that runs along a wooden chute - convenient and hygienic. On the trails I did not find any bottles or wrappers left behind. Lovers of travel know that at some of the Carpathians' natural landmarks not a single step has been taken to order the route. On Polonyna Zalim and along the way to the waterfall everything has been done as naturally as possible.
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| A spring with drinking water |
The Narinetskyi waterfall lies in the Gorgany mountain massif between the villages of Tatariv and Mykulychyn. The name comes from that of the Noretskyi stream, a left tributary of the Zhenets, in the Danube basin. The stream's source lies on the southern slope of Mount Yavirnyk. The Noretskyi cuts its way through the monoliths of powerful sandstone strata, surrounded by primeval forest and mountain ridges. This single-cascade waterfall, about 10 metres high, can be called an adornment of the Carpathian forest. The crystal-clear water meets the surface of the ledge's rock, the flow slides down the stone monolith and falls in a curtain of tiny droplets. Sunbeams break through the crowns of the spruces and refract in the spray into numerous rainbows. This gift of nature cannot compete with its brethren in the power and volume of its water mass, but it adds colour and picturesqueness to the Carpathian spot.
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| The Narinetskyi waterfall |
Romantic feelings will grow stronger on the swing hung in the forest from a huge spruce branch.
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| Polonyna Zalim. The swing |
Like a stern guardian sunk in thought, a 300-year-old spruce towers over the polonyna. The branches of the ancient tree have formed a regular symmetrical cone, its powerful roots have interwoven into a wise tangle and come out to the surface, showing their might and venerable age. Beneath this mighty giantess a bench has been set up, to sit, to dream and to reflect.
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| Polonyna Zalim. The 300-year-old spruce |
Lovers of travel and of panoramas, at the viewing platform, can admire Mounts Syniak and Khomiak - with its sculpture of the Mother of God - and the other grun ridges.
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| Polonyna Zalim. The viewing platform |
The Narinetskyi waterfall, Polonyna Zalim, the 300-year-old spruce and the elegiac swing form an astonishing natural ensemble and a wonderful spot for a walk. Fishing enthusiasts can satisfy their passion at the picturesque body of water. Cottages are let for holidaymakers.
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| Polonyna Zalim |
My thanks to the initiators and creators of the ecological trail, and especially to Mrs. Halyna, to Mariika and to the whole family, for their great work, their hospitality and the incredible impressions.
Address: Polonyna Zalim, the Zhenets tract, village of Tatariv, Ivano-Frankivsk region
Telephones: +380 99 389 84 08, +380 97 895 83 75.
Coordinates of the waterfall: 48°23'3"N 24°31'17"E
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