The lakes
Calm and blue.
Tess Mattew — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tess Mattew — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tess Mattew — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tess Mattew — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Igor Tkachiov — CC BY-SA 4.0
Braslaw Lakes is a national park in north-western Belarus, near the borders of Lithuania and Latvia, and one of the four national parks in the country. It holds about 30 lakes among pine forests, over an area of nearly 700 square kilometres. The park was set up in 1995. The lakes formed after the last ice age, when the ice sheets that covered the area melted. The largest is Lake Dryvyaty, the fifth largest in Belarus, followed by Snudy and Strusta. The park stretches about 55 km from south-west to north-east. You see calm blue lakes reflecting white clouds, ringed by reeds, birches and pines. Old wooden boats are tied up on the shores, and in early summer purple lupins fill the meadows. From the hills of the area, lake after lake appears between the forests. It is about 197 km from Minsk in a straight line, starting at the town of Braslaw. Walking the shores is free. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Belarus, so read the current advice before any planning.
Calm and blue.
Old and wooden.
In early summer.
Braslaw Lakes National Park, north-western Belarus
Lake Dryvyaty, the fifth largest in Belarus.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Belarus.