Rafting on the Dniester
Cast off from the ancient village of Rashkov and let the Dniester carry you through one of the most spectacular and least-touched stretches of river in all of Pridnestrovie — a six-day rafting adventure covering 52 km of living river, with walking tours in Rashkov, Stroentsy and Belochi, a rock-climbing master class on the Svinerest hill, natural springs, rock monasteries, ancient water mills and evenings gathered around a campfire on the riverbank under an open sky.
Suitable for children over 10 years old accompanied by adults, this trip is organized by the Excursion and Tourist Club “Putnik” with full safety equipment, tents for 2–3 people and three hot meals per day cooked in the field.
📞 To book: +373 777 16 859 🌐 Excursion and Tourist Club “Putnik” 🗺️ View the water route map
Accommodation: Tourist sleeping bags in tents on the banks of the Dniester Meals: 3 meals per day, cooked on an open fire or tourist gas burner
Days 1–2 — Rashkov: The Oldest Village on the Dniester
The adventure begins on the banks of Rashkov — one of the oldest rural settlements in Pridnestrovie, with a documented history stretching back to 1402 and a multicultural heritage that makes it one of the most historically fascinating villages on the entire river.
The first walking tour opens at the Church of the Holy Trinity (Rashkov village, Kamenka district) — one of the oldest churches in Pridnestrovie, home to the venerated icon of the Spas Nerukotvornyi to which believers have long attributed miraculous powers. A deeply moving starting point for a journey that will be as spiritual as it is physical.
Just 250 meters away, the St. Cajetan Catholic Church (Rashkov village, Kamenka district) stands as a rare and beautifully preserved testament to the multicultural history of Rashkov — a Catholic church in an Orthodox village, a reminder that different faiths once coexisted peacefully in these riverside communities.
After 420 meters, the haunting Ruins of the Synagogue (Bazarnaya Str., Rashkov village) add a third layer to Rashkov’s extraordinary religious landscape — a poignant reminder of the once-thriving Jewish community that shaped this village’s identity for centuries before the tragedies of the 20th century.
Just 31 meters away, Panska Krynitsa (Rashkov village) is a legendary natural spring steeped in local folklore — the kind of place where the water tastes different because of everything that has happened around it across the centuries. Drink deeply and continue.
The second day in Rashkov is dedicated to the Museum of Hero of the Soviet Union F.I. Zharchinsky (35 Fiodora Zharchinskogo Str., Rashkov village) — an intimate and deeply personal museum honoring one of the village’s most celebrated sons. His story of courage during the Great Patriotic War connects this ancient riverside village to the defining struggles of the 20th century in the most human way possible.
In the evening, the rafts are loaded, the tents are pitched on the riverbank and the first night on the Dniester begins — the sound of the river, the crackle of the campfire and the stars overhead providing everything that any accommodation could not.
Days 3–5 — Stroentsy: Water Mills, Grape Terraces, Rock Climbing and Natural Springs
After two days in Rashkov, the rafts push off and the river takes over — carrying the group 15 km downstream to the village of Stroentsy, a place of extraordinary natural and historical beauty whose landscape was famously shaped by Russian Field Marshal Peter Wittgenstein in the 19th century.
The first stop on arrival is the charming Water Mill (21a 1 Maya Str., Stroentsy village, Rybnitsa district) — a beautifully preserved piece of rural heritage that speaks of the self-sufficient agricultural economy once sustained by the Wittgenstein estate and the village communities along this stretch of the Dniester.
Just 1.4 km away, the sweeping Grape Terraces (Stroentsy village, Rybnitsa district) cascade down the hillsides above the river in one of the most visually dramatic landscapes on the entire six-day journey — row upon row of vines carved into the slope, a living legacy of the viticultural ambitions that shaped this corner of Pridnestrovie.
After 8.4 km, the adventure reaches its most physically exhilarating moment — Svinerest (Stroentsy village, Rybnitsa district) — a dramatic rocky outcrop rising above the river that serves as the venue for the trip’s practical rock-climbing master class. Under the guidance of experienced instructors with full safety equipment provided, participants get a genuine taste of vertical adventure with the Dniester valley spread out magnificently below. After the rock training, a well-earned tourist bath on the shore provides the perfect recovery before the evening camp.
Just 9.2 km further, the elegant Countess’s Gazebo (Rybnitsa district, Stroentsy village) offers a moment of aristocratic tranquility — a delicate remnant of the Wittgenstein estate’s social life, where the family once gathered to enjoy the extraordinary views that visitors still come to see today.
After 2.8 km, the “Teplitsa” Springs System (Rybnitsa district, Stroentsy village) delivers on the promise made at the start of the journey — the chance to drink water from a living spring. These natural springs, among the purest in the region, have drawn visitors to Stroentsy for generations and remain one of the village’s most treasured natural features.
Just 570 meters away, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel (Polevaya Str., Stroentsy village, Rybnitsa district) brings the Stroentsy section to a spiritual close — a parish church whose construction began in 1829 under the influence of the Wittgenstein estate and which has served the village’s faithful continuously ever since.
Day 6 — Belochi: The Final Mill and the Journey’s End
The final day on the river carries the group 6.9 km downstream to the closing destination — the Water Mill in Belochi village (Rybnitsa district). This beautifully preserved mill brings the six-day journey to a fittingly rustic and peaceful conclusion — a last encounter with the rural heritage of the Dniester valley before the rafts are pulled ashore and the adventure on the river comes to an end.
From Belochi, the route continues overland to the village of Popenki — and from there, back to the world that was left behind six days and 52 river kilometers ago, carrying memories of cliffs and campfires, springs and synagogue ruins, grape terraces and starlit riverbanks that no other route in Pridnestrovie can quite replicate.