If you want to enjoy rich fishing, relax in a hotel or live in a tent on the lake shore, take a boat ride on one of the largest lakes in Belarus, see the swamps characteristic of the landscapes of Polesie, watch rare bird species, walk along ecological trails, feel peace and tranquility from the surrounding landscapes, then you should definitely visit the forest hunting farm "Vygonovskoye". This corner of untouched nature is located in the Ivatsevichi district of the Brest region near the town of Telekhany. The area of the farm is 94.4 thousand hectares.
The Vygonoshchansky forest-swamp natural complex, located on the watershed territory of the Black Sea and Baltic basins, is one of the largest in Europe, preserved to this day in a natural state. It is a Key Ornithological Territory, and according to the Ramsar Convention it has the status of a wetland of European significance. The expanse of swamps and damp forests interspersed with lakes, dry ridges and islands stretches here for more than 70 km from west to east and 40 km from north to south.
The main part of the LOCH "Vygonovskoe" is occupied by sedge-tussock lowland and transitional peat bogs, overgrown with birch, black sand and pine forests. On the dry hills and ridges, broad – leaved oak forests, grabniaks, elm trees, maple trees, linden trees are occasionally found, and on the upper marshes-low-productive pine forests with almost dwarf trees. With a trunk height of only 10-15 m, their age can reach more than 300 years.
According to preliminary estimates, more than 700 species of higher vascular plants live on the territory of the Vygonovskoye LOCH. The faunal diversity is represented by 58 species of mammals, 255 species of birds, 7 species of reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, more than 30 species of fish. Of these, almost two dozen plant species and 45 species of fauna are included in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus.
Of the ungulates in the forests, elk, wild boar, deer, and roe deer are common. From predators-a wolf, a raccoon dog, a fox, and from hog game – a capercaillie and a black grouse. Beaver, otter, mink, muskrat are often found on reservoirs. The farm lands are an ideal place for wetland game (mallards, ducklings, snipe, etc.).
The decoration of the forest hunting farm is Vygonoshchanskoe and Bobrovichskoe lakes. They are a remnant of the so – called "Yaselda Sea" - a huge body of water with an area of about 800 thousand square kilometers, which arose during the melting of the glacier. As a result of the outflow of water after the breakthrough of the Pripyat riverbed to the Dnieper, the reservoir disappeared, and only isolated lakes remained of it.
Vygonoshchanskoe Lake, with an area of 26 square kilometers, is the third largest natural reservoir in Polesie. It is located on the watershed of the Shchara and Yaselda rivers (the Neman and Dnieper basins). With a sufficiently large size, the lake is shallow – the average depth is 1.2 m, the maximum is 2.3 m.