Ukrainian travelers Max Uzol and Olya Manko, together with veteran and public figure Oleksandr Teren, Yevhen Synelnykov with his family, Alina Ostrozka, and the "Tochky Tochky" project, traveled to Mykolaiv Oblast to explore the region's natural locations and show where one can go for a short "reboot." The trip was held as part of the national emotional-recovery-through-travel program "Journey to Yourself. Paths of Recovery," launched by the State Tourism Development Agency and the public organization Brand Ukraine. In the photo, provided by the "Uzol and Manko" team, the trip participants pose against the backdrop of a lagoon in Mykolaiv Oblast.
A Route of Emotional Recovery
According to Olya Manko, even a brief change of scenery helps restore strength after periods of anxiety, nights in shelters, and constant tension: "A simple trip to nature, a change of environment, can really repair your mental state and recharge you." That is why, at the end of summer, the team chose Mykolaiv Oblast, even though the region remains on the front line. "As surprising as it may sound, at the end of summer we went to the Mykolaiv region. Even though it is a frontline region," Manko added. Together with the other participants, Max and Olya tested the route of the "Journey to Yourself. Paths of Recovery" program in order to demonstrate it to a wider audience.
The Natural Treasures of the Mykolaiv Region
Max Uzol describes Mykolaiv Oblast as an underdeveloped, little-known tourist region that nonetheless holds genuine natural value. In his words, residents of Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Odesa oblasts are already actively visiting, and the team wanted to show these places to a broader audience. The travelers were most impressed by the Tyligulska Spit and lagoon, the pink salt lake Solonets, Rybalkovka, Mykolaiv, the Steppe Wine winery, the Buhsky Gard National Nature Park, Mihia, the radon lake, and the Aktovsky Canyon. "The places we visited hit us right in the heart!" Uzol admits.
Active Leisure and Modern Activities
A separate part of the route was outdoor activities: in particular, in Mihia the team tried rafting. Oleksandr Teren, who had long wanted to visit Mykolaiv Oblast, noted the variety of landscapes — "lakes, rivers, quarries, canyons, lagoons" — and how locals are developing active tourism. "There are a lot of great modern activities there: stand-up paddleboards, kites, river rafting. Tourists will have plenty to do and enjoy," he says. According to the participants, it was precisely the combination of diverse nature and active leisure that became one of the main discoveries of the route.
Trip Outcomes and Access to Materials
The participants emphasize that the Mykolaiv region can offer tourists a full program for a short trip: from natural locations and salt lakes to wine tastings and water activities. The full episode about the journey through Mykolaiv Oblast has been published on the "Uzol and Manko" YouTube channel, and the photos and illustrations for the material belong to their respective rights holders and were provided by the travelers' team.
