Rafting for beginners on the Rata river, Ukraine

It was a wonderful day filled with beauty and activity. A day when it is not too hot and not too cold, when the universe is kind to you and you can accomplish everything you set your mind to.

Looking at these photos, I immerse myself in pleasant memories, although it happened only a few days ago. Scrolling through the list of communities to which I am subscribed, I felt that I would like to write here. This is my first post to a community with such a beautiful name as Weekend experience.
I like the word experience. After all, our whole life is a sequence of some experiences... We become older, stronger and smarter with experience.

But enough philosophy, let's go rafting!
So this was the dream of my friend Olya. I shared her dream, but lately I have been a little tired and sad. "I have to go there because I promised."
My car a little broke down both the car of one guy from our company, so we went to the rafting place by bus.
We arrived at the campsite, where there is a kayak rental office, as well as a cafe, a shower and a charging station for phones. There was still some time before the start and we were just resting...

The river seemed to me a bit dirty and covered with algae. But we swam in it, taking an example from the local children.
And so the preparation began!

Our instructors brought beautiful colorful kayaks to the shore and I already felt the taste of the trip.

I was supposed to swim with Arsen, and Olya with her friend Ira. It so happened that the instructor took the girls' kayak and used it to explain how to paddle. Therefore, the girls rafted at the beginning of our group, which consisted of more than ten kayakers.
And Arsen and I decided to catch up with our friends to stay together.

And so we found ourselves in the kingdom of... algae. There is a separate and beautiful world under the water. Although to be honest, it was not very pleasant when the stems of aquatic plants hung over the oars. And it's scary that we'll get stuck in them!

We quickly caught up with our friends and took a few selfies. However, taking pictures was difficult and dangerous. As soon as I got excited about looking for a good angle, we were nailed to the shore or dangerous logs! So, harmony and friendship, the ability to work together, are important here! (Oh, that's why I don't have that many photos, but does that matter?)

Our rafting lasted from about 16.00 to 20.00, we covered about 14 km. And we saw various bridges on the way, suspended pedestrian as well as vehicular bridges.

Twice we met flocks of wild geese. They are very beautiful! In the video, you can see them from afar, because I should be rowing:(

Rata is a small river. Its length is 76 km, it has begin on the border of Ukraine and Poland, then flows into the Western Bug (Visula basin). The depth of the river is 2.5 meters, but I think this means after heavy rains. Since the summer was rather dry, the river is shallow. Several times my friend got out of the boat and pushed him.
But this is a diverse river! After areas with algae, we swam through a wide and clean river, sometimes we saw a sand bottom, and sometimes even stone bottom! There were also waves and something like the thresholds.
However, this is a river not for extreme, but for meditation!

The instructor (in a red T-shirt) tells our friends how to correctly overcome the obstacle in the form of fallen trees).

We had two stops during the rafting. On the first one, we swam in the river. Later, we specifically decided to stay behind the group to be alone with nature.
So, as I understand it, we missed the second stop in time. This was is a very beautiful place with a high sandy shore. Birds made nests in it. How cozy it looked in the light of the evening sun!

The journey was coming to an end. We enjoyed every moment in the river, because every time we saw something new... A house on the river, a bridge, birds, majestic willows hanging whimsically over the water.
The following photos turned out to be interesting. At first glance, it seems that it is already autumn and the leaves on the trees are yellow. However, this is a joke of the sun that is going to set!

And so we saw a bridge, a man who stopped us with his hand and said that this was the finish line. (And we thought it was only the second stop). It was a bit sad to say goodbye to the river... A mini bus took people and kayaks to the campsite. There we made a fire and spent the night in a tent.

Thank you Universe for such a beautiful and peaceful Saturday!

Get to know this planet. Do good to plants, animals and people. Stop war and make love! 💛💙💛💙

Thanks for your visit and support!