The VI Regional Water Tourism Expedition will take place on August 11-13 along the Western Dvina River from Vitebsk to Beshenkovichi, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by the Vitebsk Regional Committee of the BRSM.

"For the sixth time, young people from enterprises and organizations of the region, members of the BRSM, will embark on a water journey, but for the first time, a delegation from the Smolensk region will join them. Importantly, the route changes every year; we try to explore different water systems. This time, it will run along the Western Dvina River, following the routes of two wars, from Vitebsk to the town of Beshenkovichi," explained Viktor Glushin, First Secretary of the Regional Committee of the BRSM.

The expedition will start with a ceremonial rally in Komsomolsky Park. On the first day, participants will raft to the village of Yakutino in the Vitebsk district, where they will compete in darts, volleyball, a "Brain Ring" game, and enjoy an evening campfire. The next day will be spent almost entirely on the water, with a lunch stop in the village of Bokishevo. In the evening, a tent camp will be set up, and competitions will be held under the programs "Obstacle Course on a River Section" and "Humorous Obstacle Course." There will also be entertainment at the "Neptune's Meeting," where young people will be initiated into "water tourists." On the final day of the expedition, at the estate in Zdravnevo, the results will be summarized, and participants and winners of the competitions will be awarded.

Interestingly, this expedition will be a continuation of research by historians and enthusiasts based on the book "The Western Dvina River" (1893) by the prominent Vitebsk local historian Alexey Sapunov, which provides a detailed description of the region's main waterway. "Since 2014, we have undertaken several rafting trips to ascertain the life of the ancient river, comparing its past, as captured by Sapunov, with the present," explained Denis Yurchak, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of History of Belarus at VSU named after P. Masherov. "It was particularly important in 2015 to explore