Group travel to Ukraine

Lviv
Cosmopolitan Lviv is the capital of western Ukraine. Until 1939 it had never been ruled from Moscow, and it was here that Ukrainian nationalism re-emerged in the late 1980s. Having escaped the urban devastation of WWII, Lviv is a living museum of Western architecture from the Gothic to the present. Almost half of the architectural monuments located in Ukraine are concentrated in Lviv.
Just east of the modern downtown is Old Town, centred on the broad Rynok square, once the hub of Lviv and still the best preserved urban square in Ukraine. At its heart is the 19th century town hall, and around the perimeter are beautiful 16th to 18th century buildings with ornate stone carvings.

The Carpathian Mountains
Yaremche is one of the most popular mountain resorts of Ukraine. In any season the tourists can engage in the whole range of activities matching most fastidious tastes – in spring and summertime the tourists can hike to alpine meadows where there are plenty of odorous berries. The Prut River prompts and invites to water tourism. The fabulous colors of the autumnal forest, rich for mushrooms, the unique beauty of mountainous landscapes, fresh and balmy air contribute to the perfect conditions for full-fledged, vivifying rest. Yaremche will charm you by its architectural sightseeing, but the most popular place of interest is waterfall “Huk”.
Kosiv is a picturesque town in Hutsulshchyna - the land of high mountains, torrents and fresh air. Here during more than 600 years people used to live under foreign rule. However they managed to conserve their language, traditions, and art. People, who rebelled against enemies were called Opryshky. Their leader was Oleksa Dovbush. Now almost everybody knows who he was. Oleksa Dovbush  is a Ukrainian version of the famous Robin Hood character.

Hotyn
The highlight of the Hotyn region is an ancient majestic city - the fortress of Hotyn.
National memory has kept many beautiful legends about a history of this land. One of them tells that during old times malicious conquerors surrounded a powerful fortress. Defenders repeatedly beat off attacks, but forces were unequal and enemies finally taken a fortress. They grasped the daughter of the commandant. However the girl did not want to obey aggressors and those after inhuman mockeries have immured her in a wall of a fortress. Till now on this place it is possible to see images of a Turkish jug for water and a wet stain from tears of the girl. And almost every spring night she leaves a wall and calls the father and the groom who were lost in fight, and waters with tears the native ground which gives generous crops, the rivers and lakes with water. This sad and lyrical legend became a basis for a plot of symbols of area.

Kamyanets-Podilsky
Kamyanets-Podilsky is about 25km north of the point where Moldova and Romania meet at the Ukrainian border. This old town has stood since at least the 11th century on a sheer-walled rock island carved out of the steppe by a sharp loop in the Smotrych River. History of Kamyanets-Podilsky.
The south-western bridge, for centuries the only link between the town and the mainland, is guarded by a nine-towered stone castle that dates from the 16th century. Most of the towers are open to visitors, and many offer great views of the town and the surrounding countryside.
These massive fortifications impressed not only travelers and merchants who came to visit the city. According to local legend, the Turkish Khan Osman allegedly asked "who built this mighty city?" An underling is said to have replied "God Himself". Upon being unable to take the city by storm, the Khan was to have said upon leaving "Then let God Himself take the city". Throughout its long and violent history, the city twice surrendered to those who captured the castle, but the city itself was never taken by storm.

Travelling security in Ukraine

Ukraine is a reasonably save country but it's advised that you follow this basic guidance. It is not recommended to walk alone late at night especially in dark parts of a city. Tourists from abroad have to be alert to the possibility of street crime and petty theft and aware that foreigners offer lucrative targets. You should keep valuables and cash out of sight, especially in crowded areas and tourist spots, where pickpockets and bag snatchers operate. One has to take special care about valuable possessions while getting on or off crowded buses.
The political situation is calm. UK Home office travel advice

Accommodation

Hotels quality and standards in Ukraine vary widely through the country and differ from European system of standards, in which one knows for sure what to expect from a 2 or 4-star hotel. Good Ukrainian hotels are usually not cheap. Though prices are high, hotel service sometimes does not match Western standards. Prices and quality fluctuate even within the same star category. This strange situation is caused by numerous room types the majority of hotels have. You can see suites A, B, C, semi-suites with the same nominations, a couple of standard and economy rooms as well - all in the same small hotel. It may well happen that a cheap room in one hotel may be a much more comfortable choice than an expensive room in another one.
In general one can always come a decent room for about 20€ in most of the tourist spots. For this price you may expect to have 24 hours hot/cold water, a TV, and a comfy room set-up. Kiev is usually more expensive. One can pay as much as 40€ or 50€ for a reasonable room in the city centre.  
Accommodation throughout our tour is in comfortable mid-range, tourist-class hotels.

Travelling

Partially during this trip we travel in 2nd class sleeper carriages on Ukraine’s overnight. Every carriage has nine lockable cabins, with two berths, luggage storage and a small table in each. Each carriage also has two toilets with wash basins. Cabins are air-conditioned in summer; however this only functions while the train engine is working. One or two stewards serve every carriage. Bed linen is included and meals are usually available on board.
From Lviv to Carpathians and to Kamyanets-Podilsky we travel in a tourist-class air-conditioned bus. During this part of the trip we will be stooping for a break and sightseeing often.

Money and how to pay

The price of the tour (excluding the flight to Kiev) will be about 500€. In this price is included all the accommodation, transport, guides, and excursion fees. The exact group fee may vary depending on the size of the group. You have to pay for the food (which is generally cheap in Ukraine) and shopping.
You can get Ukrainian currency gryvnia from ATMs or currency exchange offices in all cities or larger towns.
The tour fee can be paid by credit card (PayPal) or cash on arrival (with 100€ booking deposit in advance). Alternatively other options of payment can be arranged with partner agencies from abroad.

Insurance and medical treatment

You either have to arrange travelling insurance in your home country or we can make for you one with a local insurance company. In case if emergency medical treatment is needed the ill person will be transported (with a guide) to the nearest decent hospital (to the nearest city) where the treatment will be provided at the cost of the insurance.