Biebrza National Park

Biebrza National Park - attractions. Birds, moose, trails, observation towers.

The Biebrza National Park is the refuge of a dignified elk and an Eldorado bird. There are few places in Europe where you can find such a density of birds in such different species. We highly recommend this area to every nature lover. And even in the summer, we managed to spot the moose!! With our own eyes, we saw a klempa or a female moose in the distance, and another day we also saw a male from a drone!

Did you know thatit is the largest of the Polish national parks? It was established in 1993 and has almost 60,000 ha. It is located in the north-eastern part of the country, in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. If you like nature, secluded asylum and slow travel, this will be a real paradise for you! There are wandering cervids, including the largest ones and a lot of birds in the backwaters, mainly in spring, near thaws.

Attractions of the Biebrza National Park

Numerous hiking, walking and cycling trails led through the Biebrza National Park, including the green velo trail and nature trails. Information boards were installed in many places. They make it easy to explore and get to know this charming, yet inaccessible corner of Poland. In addition, observation towers have been erected in many places to facilitate the observation of nature. It is very pleasant to walk on footbridges, which during spring thaws allow you to walk dry leg in the backwaters.

After two days of visiting this place, we will be happy to share our experiences and insights with you. Unfortunately, we did not get here in the spring, when bird life is flourishing, but we visited a lot of places where birds appear even in summer. See the best attractions of the Biebrza National Park!

Exhibition at the headquarters of the Management and IT point in Goniądz

The nature exhibition is available free of charge. It is small, but multimedia. It illustrates the richness of protected areas and introduces the topic beautifully. All the animals presented here died in car accidents. Here, for the first time, we stand face to face with the dream of the expedition - a moose. In addition, we get to know endangered birds battalions and learn curiosities that the darker the owls' eyes, the better they can see at night.
Address: Park headquarters, Osowiec-Twierdza 8, free parking on site

Footbridge TOE in Goniądz

The green marked path with a wooden footbridge in Goniądz is very interesting. A walk through it is best to start from the free parking lot by road 65. It is about 2 km long and runs through the swampy backwaters of Biebrza (it is usually dry here in summer). The footbridge leads to the observation tower, from which you can see the remains of the Osowiec Fortress, more precisely its Zarzeczny Fortress. Unfortunately, access to it is difficult. By the parking lot, you can also descend to a nice beach on the Rudzki Canal, connecting the Ełk River with the Biebrza River.
Address: Field Educational Center, Osowiec, free parking on site

Szuszalewo-New Leipzig footbridge with ferry crossing

We also visited the Szuszalewo - Nowy Lipsk path, near Jałów. It is a wooden footbridge with a length of about 2.5 km, on the route of which a ferry crossingover the Polish Amazon was created. It is very pleasant to overcome it with a floating platform, using the strength of your own muscles. From one bank to the other. This is the only crossing of this type on this river. Depending on the water level, the experience is available free of charge throughout the year. The ferry can cross the Biebrza River for 6 people at a time. The path leads through valuable areas of peat bogs of the upper course of the Biebrza River. In the middle of the footbridge there is a waiting room where animals can be observed. At this time of year, additionally at noon, there is little going on here.
Address: New Leipzig, free on-site parking

Strękowa Góra i Wzgórze 126

Hill 126 in Strękowa Góra is one of the most popular places in the Park. It is a beautiful vantage point. It is dry here in the summer, but in early spring there are plenty of backwaters where birds swarm. And this is an important historical point regarding World War II, because the Battle of Wizna took place in this area.

It is referred to as Polish Thermopylae. About 700 Polish soldiers defended themselves here against the might of Hitler's army, consisting of over 40,000 soldiers and 350 tanks. Only the lack of ammunition led to surrender, and the commander Władysław Raginis fulfilled his promise that he would not surrender his position alive and committed suicide with a grenade. This heroic defense delayed the invaders and allowed the formation of the Warsaw army. Once again, such a picturesque place witnessed a cruel history.
Address: Góra Strękowa, free on-site parking

Biebrza estuary to the Narew river

In the vicinity of Strękowa Mountain, you will find traces of the former castle and the extremely picturesque mouth of the Biebrza River to the Narew River. They are difficult to observe from the ground, but when you soar above the ground or go by kayak, the view is amazing!

Tsar's Road

It was built among swamps and dunes at the behest of Tsar Nicholas II himself. It was to connect the fortresses in Łomża, Osowiec and Grodno. Today, when we talk about the Tsar's Road, we mean the section from Strękowa Góra to Osowiec. It is just over 30 km long and is called a salmon path. This is because wild moose can often be found here, e.g. near the Długa Luka footbridge. Especially at dawn and dusk, drive here slowly and carefully, because a close encounter with this animal can be dangerous, and it would be a great pity to harm the king of these areas. The boards from time to time inform you here to drive "LOŚTROJNO".

Footbridge Long Gap and Swamp Bench

Probably the most popular by the Tsar's Road is a short footbridge called Długa Luka (Long Gap). It is about 400 meters long and leads deep into the Swamp of the Bench. These are huge areas of low valley peat bogs. What was our surprise, as soon as we reached the end of it, we noticed a moose from a platoform in the distance. At first, I wasn't sure if it was the bushes, but when the animal began to move in the tall grass, we no longer had any doubts. It was a klempa. Unfortunately, she quickly hid behind the trees. It was our first time in our lives when we saw with our own eyes this beautiful animal in the wild. We only had a grasshopper and the company of people who came to the viewing platform every now and then to admire the sunset.
Address: Carska Droga, free parking spaces by the road

Honczarowska causeway

It lies near Długa Luka, slightly further north. This is a 3-kilometer section leading through the forest to the currently closed wooden watchtower (2023), in the middle of the swamps, where you can meet the largest cervids in Poland. With permission, we let our Ziemowit prove himself. And the boy did his best. He found one of about 400 individuals that live in this Park. It was a male because he had antlers. It may take the form of characteristic, wide shovels or deer antler-like baileas. Badilers are said to be more common among Polish elks. The drone also spotted three cranes, if we identified them correctly.
Address: Carska Droga, free parking by the road

Red Swamp perches

In the vicinity of Grzędy, we meet a whole network of paths. They lead mainly through the forest. Here you will find the famous Red Swamp - one of the most secluded and inaccessible parts of Poland. There is a black Red Swamp path with a length of about 1 km. From the parking lot, you have to walk to it. It is worth taking a solid mosquito remedy for it. We wandered through it a few years ago.
Address: Grzędy, free parking, from which you have to go for a fairly long walk

Grzędy Solistowska Góra

This time, through Solistowska Góra, we came to the refuge of the Polish horse. The trail leads almost exclusively through the forests, which are certainly a treat for botanists. Unfortunately, the low and overgrown platform at the end of our route did not result in the possibility of observing the descendant of the tarpan. We came back a little unhappy. How great was our joy when we passed these wonderful animals on our way back in the car.
Address: Grzędy, free parking, from which you have to go for a fairly long walk

Osowiec Fortress

It is a former tsarist fortress. It consists of the Central Fort near the Park Directorate and Fort Zarzeczny. The first one can be visited during the week, access to the second one, visible from the TOE footbridge, is difficult.

Biebrza kayaking

It is a great way to get to know secluded corners, from the perspective of water, in the company of birds. The river is ideal for rafting, because its current is slow. Kayaks are waiting, for example, in Goniądz.

Swimming pool in Goniądz

In the village, which grew up on the main river of the region, there is an urban swimming pool. Very nicely organized, with a beach, beach volleyball court, toilets and a bar. Right next to it, there are numerous ducks, among them the white heron preyed on the best. She didn't care about the human neighborhood at all. She was probably looking for small amphibians on the shore, which jumped from under our feet. You had to be careful where we walked. After a long moment, the heron spread its powerful wings, which can reach up to 170 centimeters of span, and went to a slightly larger seclusion.
Address: ul. Rybacka, free parking

Skobla Góra chat room

For the short time we spent there, we observed a lot of birds flying over the river. All you had to do was lower your voice a little, and a woodpecker sat overhead. It's beautiful to see the bird kingdom blooming here. It is worth taking binoculars or a long lens and waiting patiently.
Address: near the Park headquarters, there is a path from the management

Experience map

Below we present a map with highlighted interesting places to visit in this region.

Biebrza National Park - nature

Extremely picturesque, secluded and captivating, the Biebrza National Park was created to protect vast and almost unchanged peat bogs with a unique diversity of flora and fauna in their natural ecosystems. It is a great place for nature lovers, dreaming of a peaceful holiday, away from cities and crowds. It is true that Podlasie is no longer as quiet as it was a few years ago, and tourists appear on the trails, but you can still easily find quite secluded fragments here, and even large swathes. Particularly peaceful are the paths on Górzy. In the spring, photographers come here, but they do not disturb rest.

Biebrza River

It is the largest right-bank tributary of the Narew River. It is 165 km long, of which as many as 155 km are located within the Park. Its current is very calm, which makes it ideal for lazy rafting. An interesting fact is that Biebrza from its sources to the village of Dębowo is preserved in its natural state, man has never interfered with the riverbed here. This beautiful and wild stretch of river is best suited for rafting and kayaking.

Biebrza Marshes

It is one of the largest and best-preserved wetlands in Europe in river valleys. And when did these wetlands come into being? About 10,000 years ago, when the last glaciation, called the Baltic or Vistula glaciation, ended. At that time, the Biebrza valley was a kind of channel for the waters of the ice sheet, and when its end came and began to melt, there was an unimaginable amount of water. This is how wetlands began to form. They are so valuable that they have been granted special protection, including international protection, because they have been included in the list of the Ramsar conventions. It is an international agreement on the protection of nature, especially birds in wetlands.

Biebrza Fauna PN

The originality of this area is that in the Biebrza valley you can meet specific animals associated with natural swamp and water ecosystems. The river with its backwaters is a very important place for nesting, feeding and resting of water and marsh birds. It is a paradise for birds, but also for ornithologists and photographers, and the best time to observe birds is spring, the period from March to May, when the thaws last.

About 300 species of birds were found here, including the two largest predatory species found in Poland - the golden eagle and the white-tailed eagle. However, waterbirds and mudbirds are the most characteristic here. There are a lot of ducks, there are also geese and swans. But swamps are most associated with cranes and herons, although you can also find a black stork.

Similar places in Poland ideal for bird watching are the nearby Narew National Park, the Warta Mouth National Park on the western border and the magical Barycz Valley lying north of Wrocław.

Do you know what the Polish Red Book is? It is a register of endangered animal species in our country. Interestingly, the valley is one of the last places in Europe where watercress occurs. A small bird from the reed family, included in the Polish Red Book.

In addition, in the Osowiec Fortress, the largest clusters of wintering bats were observed in this part of Poland. In the vicinity of the Tsar's Road, and on it itself and in the nearby swamps, you can meet moose.

Park symbol

The bird battalion became the symbol of the BPN. It is also listed in the Polish Red Book as a critically endangered species. It is a medium-sized migratory bird, from the becasidae family. You will meet battalions in Poland in the spring, from March to May, when they depart for the north of Europe. They spend the winter in Africa or Western Europe.

Its name comes from the spectacular mating skirmishes, during which they strive for females. They choose the most beautifully plumed ones, because males have definitely been endowed with more beautiful feathers than females. They create colorful orifices. Interestingly, the plumage of battalions is like human fingerprints. You won't find two identically plumaged males of this species anywhere in the world. Females are much smaller and have camouflage colors because they hatch eggs.

BPN flora

In the Biebrza National Park, you can also find many natural plant communities, such as sedimentary habitats, mossy and shuvary habitats, as well as forest communities - alders, birches and swamp forests. It is in vain to look for these communities in such large areas elsewhere in Poland. Among the floral gems, you can find a bloody cuckoo or around-leaved sundew.

Tickets to Biebrza National Park

Entrance to the BPN, as well as to every national park in Poland, is paid. You can buy single, weekend, weekly and multiple tickets. Tickets can be purchased at the headquarters of the Directorate near the Osowiec Fortress, in the Tourist Information in Goniądz or online.

The most beautiful national parks in Poland - see our ranking!

Walk through selected parks

Planning a visit to BPN will certainly be helped by the "Walker", which you can download here. Here you will find many interesting ideas for excursions. The stroller also deals with several other parks in Poland, such as Słowiński National Park, Wigierski National Park, Kampinoski or Świętokrzyski National Park.

The article was written in cooperation with PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, which supports Biebrzański PN. In 2022, with the help of the PGE Foundation, it was possible to build a nesting platform for the black stork.

Film about Biebrza National Park

We invite you to our film report from this beautiful corner of Poland!

Biebrza Park on our social media

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Accommodation

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Practical information

Every day from dawn to dusk (the whole day counted from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset)
Tickets: normal PLN 8, reduced PLN 4
With a Large Family Card free of charge
Exhibition in the Directorate: free of charge
Parking at the Directorate: free of charge

8 Biebrza National Park,
Goniądz
tel. 85/ 738-06-20
www.biebrza.org.pl

Rent a car

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What's worth seeing in the area?

If you are looking for more ideas for interesting places to visit, we have it for you some options in the area. There are several attractions within a radius of 100 kilometers, that are worth adding to your travel plan.

• Podlasie, distance: 4.6  km
• Tykocin Castle, distance: 30  km
• Tycocin, distance: 30.6  km
• Narew National Park, distance: 45.4  km
• Wigry National Park, distance: 72  km
• Suwałki, distance: 72.1  km
• Masuria, distance: 76  km
• Land of Open Shutters, distance: 79.7  km
• Mikołajki, distance: 80.1  km
• Gołdap, distance: 97.2  km