International festival of water tourism Neman Spring

The Augustow Canal, a unique hydraulic engineering structure of the 19th century, a famous waterway in Europe and one of the most attractive sights in Belarus and Poland, opens a tourist season once again. More than 7,600 tourists from more than 35 countries visited the Augustow Canal after the introduction of the visa free regime in October 2016. And this is not the limit! The European Union’s only river border checkpoint Lesnaya-Rudawka will be opened here in late April.

The international water tourism festival Neman Spring 2017 welcomed more than 300 sportsmen and outdoor activities fans from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland on the first weekend in April. The program of the 42nd festival included the traditional 12-km distance (the Nemnovo sluice - the Chertok dam) as well as an extreme marathon tested by professionals along the twisty Chernaya Gancha River (Grodno district), which is known for its abrupt rifts and rapid currents.

The spring festival on the Augustow Canal also featured a Belarus Cup competition, a regional championship, and a Grodno Oblast competition in water tourism technique, which gathered teams from Minsk and the oblast as well as teams from towns, districts, tourist clubs and organizations.

Exclusive footage from the opening of the tourism season 2017 on the Augustow Canal in the Belarus.by report.