The cliffs
White limestone.
Lev in love with sun — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zysko serhii — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Діана Юркова — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kolyan ilia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · S.Ostapenko — CC BY-SA 4.0
Bakota Bay is a wide bay on the Dniester River in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine, inside the Podilski Tovtry national park. Its water covers the site of the historic town of Bakota, and it is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. Bakota is mentioned in the chronicles in 1240, and in the 13th century it was the political and administrative centre of the lower Dniester lands. It has an old cave monastery with frescoes from the 12th to 14th centuries, said to have been founded by Saint Anthony of Kyiv. The town was flooded when a dam was built on the river, and a Palaeolithic site lies nearby. You see wide blue water surrounded by sloping green hills and white limestone cliffs, with headlands reaching into the water like islands. From the hilltops the river winds to the horizon, and at sunset the cliffs turn orange and the water goes still. It is about 30 km from Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle in a straight line. Walking the hills is free. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the Khmelnytskyi region, and opening can change at short notice, so read the current advice before any planning.
White limestone.
Like islands.
Orange cliffs.
Dniester River, Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine
The historic town of Bakota, flooded when a dam was built.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the Khmelnytskyi region.