Detailed description of the Uzhansky National Nature Park
Uzhansky Nature Park stretches along the upper reaches of the Uzh River from Uzhok Pass 45 kilometres to the village of Zhabrod. The park covers an area of 39,159 hectares. This unique reserve is home to hundreds of species of medicinal plants, many of which are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. The park is home to dozens of rare species of animals, birds and fish.
In 2007, a significant part of the park’s virgin forests was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Eight caves have been explored in the Uzhansky National Nature Park. Most likely, there may be much more caves in these places and they are still waiting to be discovered. Five of the most famous caves are located on Mount Menchyl, namely:
- “Zigzag” (7.2 metres long and 4 metres deep);
- “Branched” (41 metres long and 3-4 metres deep);
- “Terrarium” (8 metres long and 2 metres deep);
- “Deep” (31.7 metres long and 8.5 metres deep);
- “Rolling Stones” (113 metres long and 21 metres deep).
The Metrova Yama and Malyanka caves are located near the villages of Nova Stuzhytsia and Zahorb. Tourists rarely visit these caves, and therefore the flora and fauna and environmental cleanliness have been preserved almost intact. Most of these caves are a place for bats to spend the day and spend the winter. Transcarpathians sometimes call these caves “Zhyvanski yamy”, i.e. robbers’ hiding places. During both (First and Second) World Wars, the caves were used as dugouts.
