Belarus – Dzyarzhynskaya Hara (345 m)
🕒 Summit at 16:22
📍 Coordinates: 53°50′55″N, 27°03′55″E
🗺️ Route: Road access from Dzyarzhynsk – Short walk to the summit monument
🚗 Transport to region: 1,093 km total
• 474 km bus Karpacz → Warsaw Zachodnia
• 567 km bus Warsaw Zachodnia → Minsk
• 52 km taxi Minsk → Dzyarzhynskaya Hara
💤 Accommodation: Overnight on the bus between Poland and Belarus
🌤️ Conditions: Warm, calm, and sunny afternoon
🚍 Endless border and rising fear
After the climb on Sněžka, I boarded a FlixBus from Karpacz to Warsaw, then continued that same night toward Minsk, Belarus, crossing the border at Terespol.
What should’ve been a straightforward overnight journey turned into one of the longest and most stressful moments of the entire expedition. The border control took nine hours, meticulous inspections, repeated questioning, and tense faces all around.
When my turn came, I was interrogated for nearly an hour, especially about my equipment. I was carrying a drone, which made me extremely nervous since Belarus has strict restrictions on aerial devices. Somehow, after the endless wait, luck was on my side, and the officers waved me through without opening my luggage, even though everyone else had to unpack everything.
By the time we were finally cleared, I was drained, physically and mentally.
🚕 Arrival in Minsk
I reached Minsk around 15:00, exhausted but relieved. The city felt tense, silent, and controlled, a stark contrast to the energy of central Europe. I ordered a Yandex Go taxi, and my driver, curious about my story, agreed to take me straight to Dzyarzhynskaya Hara, the country’s highest point.
Halfway through the drive, I nearly got into more trouble. I crossed a street on a red light, and a nearby officer shouted at me, threatening to fine or detain me. It was almost comical in hindsight, but in that moment, my heart was pounding again. Belarus truly runs by strict rules.
⛰️ Short walk, deep relief
We arrived at 16:22, and I walked up the small, grassy hill topped by a stone monument marking Belarus’s highest point. The sun was shining, the air was calm, and for the first time that day, I could breathe freely.
After hours of pressure and uncertainty, standing there, even on a modest 345-metre summit, felt like a small personal victory.
💭 Reflection
Dzyarzhynskaya Hara was not a mountain in the physical sense, but it was one of the hardest psychological climbs of the expedition. It tested patience, resilience, and composure under tension.
That evening, as I returned to Minsk and prepared for the next leg of the journey, I realized that sometimes the hardest summits aren’t the ones made of rock and snow, but the ones made of fear, control, and silence.
📅 Date: 29 August 2025
