The maze
Giant rocks.
Dmytro Petishkin — CC BY 4.0 · Dmytro Petishkin — CC BY 4.0 · Dmytro Petishkin — CC BY 4.0 · Dmytro Petishkin — CC BY 4.0 · Dmytro Petishkin — CC BY 4.0
The Dovbush Rocks are a group of huge sandstone rocks and caves in mountain forest near the village of Bubnyshche in the Ivano-Frankivsk region of western Ukraine. They are a natural and historic monument, about 668 metres up, within a regional park set up in 1996. The rocks formed more than 70 million years ago on the floor of an ancient sea, some rise to 80 metres, and their stone maze stretches for about a kilometre through beech and fir forest. Scholars believe people lived in the rocks and used them as a fortress from the 10th century, with an ancient sanctuary here. Legend says outlaw bands of the 17th and 18th centuries camped here, and the rocks are named after their famous leader, Oleksa Dovbush. You walk among giant rocks in strange shapes like creatures and faces, and squeeze through narrow dark clefts and passages between stone walls. You see caves cut with straight corners, and steps and a well carved into the rock. From the top of some rocks the green Carpathian hills come into view. The town of Bolekhiv is about 13 km away in a straight line. Wear shoes that grip on rock, as some paths are slippery after rain. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the Ivano-Frankivsk region, and opening can change at short notice, so read the current advice before you plan.
Giant rocks.
Cut into the rock.
Beech and fir.
Near Bubnyshche village, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine
A legendary 18th-century leader of Carpathian outlaws.
One to two hours among the rocks.