Poland - A dream venue for Outdoor Enthusiasts

By Andrew Holak

If you are looking for holiday ideas, North East Poland is a destination which every outdoor enthusiast should consider visiting at least once. The area is heavily forested but at the same time has numerous waterways and more importantly, is not heavily populated. Here you will find Poland’s largest national park, the Biebrza National Park, through which the famous Biebrza river flows. The Puszcza Augustowska, which is probably Poland’s largest forest complex, provides excellent habitat for the wolf and many other species of animal life. The world famous Białowieza reserve, is home to the European bison and also has the last remnants of deciduous primeval forest anywhere in the world. There is also Poland’s largest landscape park, which at 70, 000 hectares is even larger than the Biebrza national park. The Puszcza Knyszynska is a forest which has yet to be explored, however it is also home to a free living herd of bison. This whole area is unique in terms of natural environments and is an excellent place to pursue outdoor activities. There are no mountains or hills, however there are 100's of kilometres of forest tracks ideal for trekking or cycling and it is highly unlikely that you will bump into other people on your explorations. The area also has a history of momentous European battles and famous leaders, one of the most famous being Napoleon, who on the way to Moscow , marched with approximately half a million men through these forests. Alexander 1st of Imperial Russia also used these forests as his personal hunting grounds.

The town of Augustów is known as the centre of lowland canoeing in Poland. It is located at the confluence of two rivers which flow into the numerous lakes on whose shores the town is located .The Czarna hancza river which originates from the deepest lake (108 Metres depth) in Poland is considered to be one of the most popular canoeing routes. It flows through the Augustów forest and eventually joins the Augustów canal, which takes us through the heart of the town and finally we end up in the Biebrza National park. This is an ideal route for those who are new to canoeing, there are places on route to camp and eat. The Augustów canal is another fascinating waterway, which began its life in 1825, making it older than the Panama and Suez canals. It was commissioned by the Tsar at the time to avoid paying taxes to the Prussians, so the canal would join the river Nemunas which eventually flowed into the Baltic and avoided going through Prussian territory. Nowadays the canal is solely used for recreational purposes and in several cases you will still have to negotiate recently renovated locks based on the original 19th century designs. The canal is about 100kms long, of which 80Kms are in Poland and the remaining 20 kilometres in Belarus, in theory you can paddle all the way to the Baltic but this would require a great deal of determination and passport and visa control in Belarus. The famous Biebrza river, is slow and meandering as it flows through the meadows of the park. Once a year this river is prone to flooding, when it becomes spectacular for all to see with thousands of hectares being flooded for a few weeks and what was a river becomes a delta. This is one of the best times for paddling, when the sun shines and reflects off this mirror of water, it is something that you will always remember. This usually occurs in late April and of course at this time of year, as every year, thousands of migratory birds find their partners here to nest. One of the most magnificent is the Crane and of course the Stork, which you can see nesting throughout the region. Whether you paddle, trek, cycle or horse ride, this area has a wealth of sights and experiences to offer.





Copywrite: Andrew Holak.
The author is the founder of Frontier Poland, a company offerring activity holidays to North East Poland.