Mountainous peaks pillar the firmament as if they were the helmets of the fairy giants. Fast streams are tinkling like rushing silver against the stones and having broken away from notches overflow the plains with wide reaches. Straight Carpathian beauty-firs chide mysteriously in the wind, filling the air with their amber fragrance. Sweet smelling herbs cover the heavenly alps with a green carpet…
   Would you like to have a rest in the midst of this silence and majestic beauty? Do you want to socialize with the hospitable hosts of this land? If so, welcome to the Precarpathian Region.

The Oblast covers a territory of 13.9 thousand square kilometers. The Oblast is divided into three distinct relief types: plain, foothills, and mountains. The relief gets higher from northeast to southwest. The plain is situated in the southwest and adjoins the Dnister River. Here is situated the Oblast center – the city of Ivano-Frankivsk (255 m above the sea level). The central part consists of rolling hills (400-600 m high).    The mountain region is occupied by the Eastern Carpathians, which are divided into four ridges: Chornohora, Horhany, Hryniava, Chyvchyny. In the Chornohora ridge there is Mt. Hoverla (2061 m) – Ukraine’s highest peak.

   The climate of the Oblast is continental. Winters are mild with an average temperature in January of –5⁰C. Summers are warm with an average temperature in July of +18⁰C. In the Carpathians, the climate is more severe and it changes with the elevation. Average temperatures are lower by 3-5 degrees than in the pre-mountain zone. Such climatic conditions facilitate year-round rest and vacation, as well as treatment. Snow covers the slopes of the Carpathians up to five months of the year, which promotes the development of downhill skiing. Rivers in the greater part are mountain-fed and create cascades and waterfalls and can be used for water tourism. The biggest rivers are the Dnister River and the Prut River. The source of the Prut River is located in the Oblast close to Mt. Hoverla.
   The Ivano-Frankivsk Obaslt is one of the richest forest regions in Ukraine. 41% of the territory is covered in forests; the plain is covered with leaf-bearing forests and the foothills - with conifer forests. Among the conifer woods there is a lot of fir trees. There are sub-alpine pastures more than 1500 m high.
   The great variety of habitats provides considerable number of different animals, probably the richest in Ukraine. Hunting of certain kinds of animals and birds is allowed during the hunting season. You can hunt wild boars and roes but only if you have a license.
   A 503 square kilometer part of the mountainous territory is apportioned for the Carpathian natural national park. It encompasses the sources of the Prut River and Chornyi Cheremosh River and Mt. Hoverla. The main role of the Park is to assist in the preservation of the landscapes, vegetation and wildlife, thereby creating suitable conditions for rest and tourism while introducing tourists to the Region’s natural resources and monuments of history and culture.
   In the Oblast there are five resorts and two sanatoriums. For resort therapy they use climatic treatment and mineral baths. There are following resorts: lowland: Kosiv, Tatariv, Yaremche; midland: Vorokhta, and the balneological pre-mountain resort Cherche.
   Yaremche is also known as the tourist capital of the Carpathians, and Vorokhta - the winter sports capital. Both towns have well-developed infrastructures.
   The Oblast has a population of 1,460,000. Ethnographically speaking, the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast consists of Opillia, Pokuttia, Boikivshchyna and Hutsulshchyna. Inhabitants of these districts preserved some differences in language, clothing, culture and every-day life and this attracts the tourists’ attention.
   Different kinds of crafts have also been developed here. Artistic works created by the hands of carvers, potters, and tailors are distributed all around the world and can be seen in the museums of New York, Toronto, Kyiv and Moscow. The most famous center of Hutsul art is Kosiv. Both foreigners and Ukrainian tourists consider it a necessity to visit a well-known Kosiv bazaar and buy crafts there.
   The Ivano-Frankivsk Region is proud of its cultural and historic inheritance. 3,5 thousand monuments of history and culture within the region are protected by the state. Such monuments as St. Pantelimon Church near Halych (12 century), Holy Spirit Church with an artistic iconostasis in Rohatyn (14 century), Maniavskyi Skyt (17 century), plus wooden Hutsul and Boiko churches are well-known outside the country.
   With great relish, tourists become acquainted with monuments and museums in Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia and hike the trails of O. Dovbush – a Carpathian Robin Hood. Today work is being done on the battle routes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which fought with invaders on the territory of the region longer than anybody else.
   In the Oblast there are five cities, which had been mentioned in ancient Rus chronicles. Among them are Tysmenytsia (1143), Sniatyn (1158), Tlumach (1213), and Kolomyia (1240). But the oldest city is Halych. The first mention of it dates back to 898 AD. Later Halych became the capital of the powerful Halych principality and Halych and Volyn State. The national park "Ancient Halych" was established, based around the monuments of the Halych prince.
   Since then, all the lands, which shared a common fate, that is Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Ternopil Oblasts, have been called Halychyna. Its inhabitants are known for their great patriotic feelings, national consciousness and their desires to be independent. The independence of Ukraine in 1990-1991 was gained mostly owing to the mass movement and high level of organization of the people of Halychyna.
   Ivano-Frankivsk region is the fatherland of prince Yaroslav Osmomysl and princess Yaroslavna mentioned in "The Tale of Ihor’s Campaign", and of the girl-patriot from Rohatyn who is known in history as Roksolana, the wife of a sultan who played a very important role in the politics of Turkey in the 16^th century. Other people such as O.Dovbush – a leader of the outlaw movement, S.Vysochan – B.Khmelnytskyi’s companion-in-arms, writers I.Vahylevych, V.Stefanyk, M.Cheremshyna, L.Martovych, M.Pidhirianka, an art expert S.Hordynskyi, a composer A.Kos-Anatolskyi, painters Y.Pstrak and V.Kasiian, sculptors M.Brynskyi and H.Kruk, leaders of the national and liberation movement D.Vitovskyi and S.Bandera were born here.
   I.Franko, M.Hrushevskyi, D.Sichynskyi, O.Oles, B.Lepkyi, O.Novakivskyi, M.Kotsiubynskyi, M.Rylskyi used to come and work here. V.Vynnychenko, S.Petliura, Y.Konovalets came here at different times in 1919 when Stanislaviv was the capital of the West Ukrainian Peoples Republic.
   The Oblast has a large tourist and recreation base. More than 100 objects (hotels, sanatoriums, hostels and resorts) are able to accept 14 thousand vacationers at a time.
   29 tourist agencies provide tourist services. The most significant are "Ivano-Frankivsk Tourist", General Agency for Tourism in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, and the Regional Center of Pupils for Tourism and Country Study. The Joint venture "Auscoprut" accepts foreign tourists. Among private enterprises the biggest are "Ole-Tour" (Ivano-Frankivsk) and "Sport-Tour" (Kosiv).
   The tourist agencies "Prykarpattia" in Ivano-Frankivsk, "Hutsulshchyna" in Yaremche, "Karpatski Zori" (The Carpathian Stars) in Kosiv, "Verkhovyna" in Verkhovyna, hostel "Hirska" (Mountainous) in the village of Yablunytsia, summer camp "Sribliasti Vodospady" (Silver Waterfalls) in the village of Sheshory, Kosiv District – specialize in providing tourist services.
   The "Roksana" Hotel in Ivano-Frankivsk, the "Karpaty" resort in Yaremche, the "Yaremche" sanatorium in the village of Yamna and the "Huta" pension provide services at the level of the three star class. The "Syniohora" (Blue Hill) recreation centre in the village of Huta, the "Dzherelo Prykarpattia" (Springs of the Precarpathian Region) sanatorium in the village of N. Mizun are very close to this level.

Welcome to the Pre-Carpathians!