Mount Kobyla

Kobyla is a 1,177 m mountain in the Rakhiv district of Zakarpattia Oblast. At its foot lie the settlement of Kobyletska Poliana (to the north-west) and the village of Kosivska Poliana (to the south-east), and the Kobyletskyi Pass lies south of the summit. Rakhiv is about 9 km away as the crow flies.

The western, southern and eastern slopes are very steep and forested; only the northern slope descends gently to a saddle, from which a ridge runs north as far as the Svydovets massif. The summit itself is treeless: a mountain meadow (polonyna) with a good view of Kosivska Poliana.

How to get there

Our site has no marked route to Kobyla yet. The easiest starting points are Kobyletska Poliana and Kosivska Poliana, both 3–3.5 km from the summit as the crow flies. The gentlest approach is from the north along the saddle, as the other slopes are very steep. There are hotels and tourist bases around the mountain, and a 500 m T-bar lift runs on one of the slopes.

Water, shelter and safety

Our map shows a spring near Kobyletska Poliana about 1 km from the summit and a weather shelter at a similar distance; down in the valleys, 2–2.4 km away, there are several mineral springs, including “Narzan”. A small cabin for hikers and shepherds stands on the summit. Carry water for the climb and take care on the steep slopes after rain. In an emergency call 112 or 101 — contacts of the nearest units are on the mountain rescue page.

Interesting facts

• A local legend in Kobyletska Poliana says that after Hungarian soldiers defeated the opryshky (outlaws), a mare carrying four sacks of their gold climbed the mountain and vanished into a cave — giving its name to both the mountain and the village.
• The mountain is rarely crowded: by local estimates a few dozen hikers reach the summit each month, up to a hundred in the busiest ones.

Photos: MSha, CC BY-SA 3.0; Велика україна, CC BY-SA 3.0; АТОЖГОд, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.