Chalk quarries near Vaukavysk to become a tourist zone: plots to be offered to business in November

The chalk quarries near Vaukavysk, known as the "Belarusian Maldives", are planned to be turned into a tourist complex. According to non-state Belarusian outlets, the decision has already been made. Dzmitry Zakharchuk said the quarries near Vaukavysk are planned to become a tourist zone, and local authorities intend to offer land plots to entrepreneurs as early as November.

The plans were described in detail in a television broadcast, according to private Belarusian outlets operating in the country.

The quarries near the settlement of Krasnaselski in the Vaukavysk district were nicknamed the "Belarusian Maldives" because the landscape resembles the nature of the island nation. In the 2010s the place became popular with Belarusian tourists. Swimming there is not organised: diving is dangerous because of sharp changes in depth.

In spring the quarries received protected status. According to non-state and private Belarusian outlets, in May they were recognised as a geological natural monument of local significance. According to sources, this made it possible to begin economic activity there. The decision of the Vaukavysk district executive committee of 6 May, according to state media, declared the quarries a natural monument; it came into force on 12 May 2026 and set the territory's boundaries and rules for visiting.

About 350 hectares of quarries belonging to the Krasnaselskbudmaterialy enterprise were set aside for tourism development. The territory was divided into sectors.

Sites were designated there for a hotel, cafés, bathhouses, a tent camp and glamping. Separate zones are planned for fishing, extreme sports, a cable car, boat and stand-up paddleboard rental. Routes will be laid out for bicycles, quad bikes and motorcycles, and dangerous areas will be fenced off.

The fate of the quarries was considered at a session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly. Total reclamation was rejected: it would have cost tens of millions of rubles. It was decided to leave the most picturesque places to tourists.

Residents of the Vaukavysk district, it is reported, will take part in the first clean-up days to improve the area and later in the construction of tourist facilities.

According to Zakharchuk, public discussions have already taken place and the territory has been divided into land plots. He said: "We are waiting for business, and business has reacted lightning-fast. At this stage we already have several applications so that we can begin active work in this direction." Swimming in the quarries, he said, will be allowed in designated zones provided safety rules are observed, despite the great depths.

The paperwork is planned to be settled by the end of November, after which the plots will be offered to entrepreneurs. In the near future, clean-up days to put the territory in order will be held there.