Manyavsky waterfall

Maniava Waterfall is a real miracle worthy of every traveler's attention, one of the highest in the Carpathians and even in Ukraine (water falls in several cascades from a height of 16-20 meters), and along with the Probiy waterfalls in Yaremche and Shipit at the foot of the Borzhava valley, it is considered one of the wonders of the Ukrainian Carpathians and the Ivano-Frankivsk region in particular. To appreciate this beauty, you need to walk at least 2 km of dirt road. It will take a little less than an hour. The road to the waterfall is very picturesque, with granite canyon walls sometimes reaching 20 meters high. The water falls to the ground in cascades of three waterfalls. There is a small lake at the foot of the waterfall. Locals say that the water in the lake has the ability to rejuvenate those who bathe there.

Manyava waterfall is located in a mountain gorge of the Horhany massif, surrounded by a stone canyon with granite cliffs, which are 20 meters high. At the foot of the waterfall there is a small pond with clear mountain water, where everyone can swim. It is believed that it can rejuvenate anyone who dares to swim here. According to legend, there was a temple of pagan gods who were the patrons of youth. The canyon near the waterfall is quite cool, even on a hot summer day. In general, the Maniava River valley is surrounded by fabulous scenery and it is worth coming here to get an unforgettable experience and feel the true beauty of wildlife.

The archaic and magnificent nature stretches around the Manyava waterfall, mosses and ferns grow densely here, and centuries-old spruce trees grow on the edges of the gorge near the waterfall, which gives the air a special freshness. Spruce virgin forests only partially transmit light during the day, so this place is barely darkened and even more surprising with its unique beauty and aesthetic appeal. According to the legend, it is dangerous to stay here overnight, as you can succumb to the singing of a nymph and ruin your life. The path to this hydrological natural monument passes through a dense and ancient forest, and in summer and autumn you can pick strawberries and mushrooms in this place. Eventually, the road leads to the waterfall, which suddenly appears in all its glory.

Not far from the waterfall there is an ancient monastery, the Maniavskyi Skit, founded in the seventeenth century by monk Job Kniahynytskyi, whose territory is washed by mountain waters on three sides. Now the monastery belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. And in the village itself there is another wooden church of the Intercession of the Virgin.

You can get to the Manyavske waterfall on foot along the riverbed of the Manyavka (if there is not much water) or by the road through the village, which then deviates slightly into the forest. To be sure, you should be guided by the sound of the water. The waterfall is located about seven kilometers from the Manyavsky Skete. The mysterious area is full of secrets and legends. Locals believe that at night you can hear nymphs singing near the waterfalls, which beckon everyone who decides to stay here for the night.

Since 2013, the rafting center has been organizing regular tours of the canyon, as well as rappelling down the waterfall. Every tourist visiting the Maniava waterfall will be able to experience the miraculous power of mountain water, feel a surge of new vitality, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Carpathians. The Carpathians begin at Manyava, so this is a great place to start exploring the Ukrainian Carpathians.

The best way to get to the waterfall is from the district center of Bohorodchany (itis best to spend the night in local hotels), from which the village of Manyava is about 27 km away, then you need to walk another 40 minutes. The distance from the end of the development to the waterfall is about three kilometers, most of which is covered by a dirt road and only the last few hundred meters by a path. However, you should be careful and avoid steep ascents near the waterfall and the fern-covered mire. This natural wonder is visited not only by tourists from different parts of Ukraine, but also by foreign guests. Not far from this large waterfall, there are small waterfalls and gazebos where you can relax after a tiring journey.

For the sake of such beauty that you will see, it is worth traveling such a long way again and again. So, put on your comfortable shoes, take your sandwiches and start!

According to the MapaKosiv website, Taras Pasymok shared his memories of visiting the Manyava waterfall

"The first time we went to Maniava in winter, we also visited the Maniava Skit (monastery) and later, with the help of local residents, drove along the river to the canyon. To be honest, the Maniava Skete was a bit of a disappointment. We expected more historic buildings to be preserved there, not just the defensive walls and towers. Also, on the territory of the Skete itself, people clearly do not know what the art of architecture is. There are a lot of chapels and churches crammed into a small space, built of different materials and in different styles, with a very strong dissonance in color.

Nevertheless, the place itself is energetically strong, and you should visit it at least once to realize this. Another positive thing is that the monastery is a UOC-KP monastery, unlike other Orthodox shrines in Ukraine, which are now under the UOC-MP. When I visited Manyava for the second time, I didn't want to go to the monastery, because it was exhausted from the first time, unfortunately.

I would recommend tourists to take the route to the waterfall along the river, through the canyon. You can drive almost to the waterfall if the barrier is open, and if it is closed, it is even better - you can walk several kilometers through a unique stone canyon with a height of 20 meters, where the mountain river turns many times, forming a stone serpentine. I liked this road to the waterfall as much as the waterfall itself. It is also worth taking waterproof shoes, because the water level in the river can be different, and there are no bridges there and will not be - the road to the waterfall is also used by logging trucks.

I would also recommend tourists to go off-season (July, August), because the number of people near the waterfall is so large that it is even difficult to take a photo without other people. To avoid this "bazaar", you can also stay overnight at the waterfall - there are places to stay there.

It should be understood that in summer the waterfall is not as full as in winter or in the rainy season, but this applies to all water tourist sites.

The second time we took a different bypass road through the forest, which was recently opened for tourists, so that we could visit the waterfall from above. This bypass road through the forest begins to the right of the Manyava Skete, and if you go to the left, you can find a healing spring with delicious water near the rock where, according to legend, the first monks began to live in the Middle Ages, before they founded the monastery.

But this detour is much longer and not very picturesque, and because of its poor quality, it is quite tiring. And a tourist bus won't be able to get there, only a jeep or a car with a high ground clearance. However, on the positive side of this route, we can note the views from the meadows, which rarely appear in the thick of the forest, as well as another very steep waterfall that can be seen a little to the left of the road - Bukhtivets or Bukhtivetskyi waterfall (pictured). However, we did not find it). We'll have to try again next time, because there are no signs or markings to Bukhtivets, and the roads are badly damaged by logging trucks.

In general, both the lower - 5 km (downstream) and the upper - 15 km (through mountains and forests) roads converge at one point - at the Manyava waterfall. Near the waterfall there are many wooden gazebos and huts with benches for tourists to rest, where they can hide from the rain or sun. There are also information boards and maps of the Gorgan hiking trails that you can start in the area!

As for the mystical component, which you can read about on the Internet, in my subjective opinion, it is there. And although it is difficult to stay near the waterfall for a long time, because your head starts to hurt, as if this weight of water is overwhelming you, depressing you, but you still don't want to leave - this is the challenge of the hike). However, you can feel it when the flow of thousands of tourists to the waterfall stops. In the summer I managed to do it for about 20 minutes, but in the winter it was really unique - I stuck to the waterfall (to the falling water itself). It was so long and so deep that I forgot who I was and where I was, and it was good that my friends took me out of there in time. To be honest, I have only experienced such a mystical and magical experience (Castaneda would have cried) once in my life - when I spent the night at Sokolynyi Ochil with a friend, but more on that in the next article).