Sheep's Cheese Masterclass on the Apetska Polonyna, Vodytsia

The Apetska polonyna is a broad high-mountain pasture on the southern slopes of the Svydovets range, below Mount Apetska (1,512 m). Every summer flocks of sheep are brought up here, and at the Apetska homestead, 11 km from the centre of Vodytsia, you can book a sheep's cheese-making masterclass on a Carpathian polonyna. It is a rare chance to see traditional Carpathian cheese-making not at a festival or in town, but where it has existed for centuries — among grass, wind and endless views.

What to expect

The homestead stands at about 1,350 m, right in the middle of the pasture where sheep graze each year. By prior arrangement the hosts organise a masterclass in making cheese from sheep's milk: you see how the milk is curdled, how the curd is shaped and drained and, of course, you taste fresh cheese. The exact format, duration and price of the masterclass are not published, so agree the details with the hosts in advance, ideally when booking your stay.

Beyond cheese, the polonyna is a great base for hikes across Svydovets and up Mount Apetska, for picking bilberries and mushrooms and, in winter, for walks across snowy slopes. The homestead also offers off-road, quad and snowmobile trips.

The polonyna cheese-making tradition

Summer grazing on mountain pastures is an age-old part of life in Transcarpathian highland villages. In spring the flocks are driven uphill, and until autumn the shepherds live in huts, milk the sheep daily and make cheese: fresh hrudka curd that later becomes bryndza, and vurda from the whey. Flavour depends on how the fire is kept, how long the whey is heated and how the cheese is drained in cloth, so every polonyna has its own secrets. A masterclass is the best way to experience this culture up close rather than just buying cheese at a market.

Practical information

• Cheese-making season: summer, when sheep graze the pasture (roughly June to September); confirm dates by phone.
• Booking: +38 063 824 84 41, +38 068 970 00 21 (Viber), +38 096 917 93 73.
• Accommodation: two-storey cottage for 8–12 guests and a separate room above the sauna; 2026 rates from 13,000 to 15,000 UAH per house per night, 50% prepayment required. Wood-fired sauna, hot tub, swimming pond, gazebos and barbecue.
• Connectivity: mobile coverage (Kyivstar, Vodafone, lifecell) and Wi-Fi.

Please confirm by phone before your trip.

How to get there

By car, take the Mukachevo–Rakhiv road to Velykyi Bychkiv, then follow signs to Verkhnie Vodiane, from where a gravel mountain road climbs to the pasture; you can arrange to meet the hosts in the village. Without a car, take a train or bus to Rakhiv and book a transfer through the homestead. The climb can be difficult in an ordinary car, especially after rain, so ask about road conditions beforehand.

Tip before you go

Weather above 1,300 m changes fast: even in summer bring warm layers, a rain jacket and sturdy shoes. Arrange the cheese masterclass when you book your stay so the hosts can fit it around the morning or evening milking.

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Photos: ecohotels.in.ua.