Narew National Park. Śliwno-Waniewo footbridge and other attractions over the Polish Amazon.

The Narew National Park is one of the gems of Podlasie. Small but magical. An extraordinary kingdom of nature in the heart of north-eastern Poland, on the Narew River - the only one in Poland. Here, the charm and beauty of nature appear in their full grandeur. Away from cities and everyday problems, you become a guest in an ever-changing natural spectacle. Along the Narew, immense swamps, mysterious forests and picturesque meadows open up, all wrapped in the sounds of bird singing and crossed by footbridges that will allow you to delve into this magical world for a moment and appreciate the extraordinary treasure of the biodiversity of our planet.

NPN is one of the youngest national parks in Poland. It stretches west of Białystok and south of Tykocin. Between the towns of Rzędziany in the north and Suraż in the south. It was created on July 1, 1996, to protect the naturally flooded Narew valley. Called the "Polish Amazon" due to the dense network of irregularly connected riverbeds that combine in one place to separate again in another. This creates an extremely picturesque and wild landscape, which is in vain to be found in other parts of Poland. Quite inaccessible and secret, best showing its beauty from above or from the surface of water. That's why observation towers and kayaks are the best ways to get to know the Narew Park.

Attractions of the Narew National Park

Although the Narew Park is small and, as I mentioned, wild and somewhat inaccessible, it offers some really interesting attractions. The most famous is the footbridge over the Narew River connecting Śliwno and Waniewo. In the latter, a kayak marina is also recommended. The Broken Bridge in Kruszewo is an exceptionally secluded place, and the tallest tower in Podlasie has been erected in Uhów! The nature exhibition in Młynarzówka is really worth recommending. We have already traveled this corner of Poland twice, discovering its secrets. Check below what to see and where to look for the best tourist attractions of Narew Park on the map!

Footbridge over the Waniewo-Śliwno Narew

Be sure to visit this place! A kilometre-long wooden platform between Waniewo and Śliwno allows you to admire the unique rushes and backwaters of the Narew River. Thanks to it, you will walk here with a dry foot during spring thaws. When walking here, you have to cross numerous riverbeds. Floating piers await you here - the coolest attraction of the Park. They are moved by the strength of their own muscles, which is a great attraction for small and large. Whenever you go to the pier, and here you do it 4 times, you still cross Narew. If the water level is very low, getting on the raft is a bit cumbersome due to the difference in height.

In the middle of the path, opposite the observation structure, there is a grove that hides the remains of a 16th-century castle. Only one document and legends spoke of its existence. However, this has been confirmed by recent field studies. Once there was a trade route with a crossing. Therefore, a wooden bridge and a castle guarding it were built. They are said to have lasted only 10 years. The local noble families of Hlebowicz from Waniewo (sources also mention Radziwiłł) and Gasztołdów from Tykocin, had a private war, sowing destruction. The bridge in Waniewo was later rebuilt many times, but each time it was destroyed, whether by ice floes or during hostilities, e.g. during World War I.

Observation tower in Waniewo

There are reports on the Internet that the tower is inaccessible due to poor condition. This is outdated news, because there is a new wooden structure here, allowing you to admire the picturesque surroundings. It is available free of charge and is located by the river itself, near a wooden path.

Nature Education Centre Młynarzówka

It is actually worth starting a tour of the Park from Młynarzówka, especially since there is also Tourist Information on site. The nature exhibition is worth praising, because it is one of the most interesting exhibitions on this topic that we have seen. A lot of multimedia here, well explaining the uniqueness of this area: how it was created, what treasures it hides and how a person can take care of it. A fragment of the film about birds singing made us realize how difficult it is to observe some species. Also on the created mock-up, on which a lot of creatures were hidden, only a few of them stood out, only after highlighting specific ones, we began to see them. In nature, this is even more difficult.
Address: Kurowo 12
https://npn.pl/edukacja/osrodek-edukacji-przyrodniczej-mlynarzowka/

Manor, tower and footbridge in Kurów

The manor with the surrounding park is the headquarters of the Park Directorate, but it is currently under renovation. However, it is worth taking a look at it on the way to the nearby campsite, where the observation tower was erected. Behind it stretches a footbridge of about a kilometer among the local swamps and scrubs. Unfortunately, a significant part of it is currently closed due to poor technical condition. Thus, less than 200 meters of a pleasant but too short walk remained.

Broken Bridge in Kruszewo

His sad fate is associated with wars. Attempts were made to move it twice, before the First and Second World Wars. Each time he stood for only 11 years. Today, no one has the courage to build another permanent crossing. I think you understand these concerns yourself. And good, because there are convenient vantage points on his broken shoulders. We got up at dawn to admire the birds awakening here, but apart from the atmospheric mists, we did not find any great specimens.

Kayaks in NPN

If you want to visit Narew National Park, it is worth deciding to go kayaking or boating in Narew. You can rent kayaks in several places, including Waniewo, Suraż and Kurów. We chose Topilec, where we spent 3 hours in a kayak. Without additional transport, we ended up in the same place where we started. This is possible because Narew has a gentle current that also allows it to flow against the current. Admittedly, going with the flow, it seemed to us that the river was actually standing still, but when we came back, we verified this opinion a bit, because it was harder to row. Rafting was a great experience. Admiring the magic of nature up close was wonderful. All the more so because the birds flew several times almost in front of our eyes. There were herons, a beautiful, colorful kingfisher and perhaps the very symbol of the Park - the marsh marsh. On the way, we encountered two observation structures.

Tower in Uhów - the highest in Podlasie

There are two towers in Uhów. One, wooden and low, rises near the river. The second is the record holder in terms of height. It is the highest observation structure in Podlasie. It is 44 meters high. It is really impressive, you can see it from a distance. It is just a pity that it is quite far from the Narew and you can't really see the river from here. On the other hand, you can see a lot of forests, which, by the way, are very few in the Narew Park. So it's actually a curiosity.

Tower in Kruszewo

It is a 17-meter-high metal structure that allows you to admire the Narew floodplains. It stands on the site of the former border between the Crown and Lithuania. It's a private initiative, so it's paid. Unless you want to spend the night here, which can also become an unusual experience. One of the rooms is located at the very top.
Address: Kruszewo 17

Tycocin

A beautiful town with a rebuilt medieval castle and unique monuments from the 18th century. You will find the Great Synagogue - the second largest in Poland, the only seminary preserved in the country or a fantastic church on the cobbled Market Square. The town is an excellent base for expeditions to the Narew backwaters.

Map of NPN attractions

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

Narew - anastomosing river

Did you know that Narew is an anastomosing river? This difficult word means that it flows through numerous channels, creating many backwaters. It is a real tangle and a kind of maze of legs. It used to be like that practically along its entire length. Now such a unique character has been preserved on a section of about 45 kilometers. It is the one covered by the Narew National Park. It is the only river of its kind in all of Europe! Another example is the Amazon, so we have good company. The Narew Valley is said to be one of the last natural, regularly flooded river valleys in Europe. So it is unique in the world!

Nature of the NPN

The valley of the Polish Amazon, formed by a dense network of troughs, is constantly flooded by water. This makes swampy areas predominant here, with reed, sedge and damp meadows. These are extremely valuable habitats for feeding and nesting birds, protected by the Natura 2000 network, as well as the international Ramsar Convention. It mainly concerns the unique habitats of water and marsh birds.

Park symbol

The symbol here is the articular marsh. A bird of prey that lifts its wings upwards during flight, forming a V-shape. The female is brown, with a bright head, the male is also brown, but has a gray tail and gray-black wings. An interesting fact is that the mudfly makes nests on the ground, among dense reeds.

Flora of the Narew Park

The vicinity of the Polish Amazon River is swampy and covered mainly with reeds and sedges. Only 2% of the area of the Park is forests. Approximately 500 species of vascular plants grow throughout the area. The most popular plants here are: common reed, batons, tartar and sedge, as well as Canadian urea. You can also find rarer plants here, such as yellow grouse, white mushroom, floating frog, stiff horn or water lilies.

Fauna of the Narew Park

Of the animals in the Narew National Park, birds form the most interesting group. It has been calculated that over 200 species of birds live in the Park, including beard, terns, rutts, flatfish and rhododendrons. In the Park, you can meet 28 endangered species on a global or European scale. Among them, I will mention farts, battalions, carpets, black terns, as well as small watercress, which practically do not have larger habitats outside Poland.

Among about 40 species of mammals in these areas, you can observe otters and beavers living in the river, as well as small rodents: shrews, martens and ermines. The largest animals in the Park are elk, deer and wild boars.

Walk through selected parks

Planning a visit to NPN will certainly be helped by the "Walker", which you can download here. Here you will find many interesting ideas for excursions. The stroller also talks about other parks in Poland, such as Biebrzański, Kampinoski, Słowiński, Wigierski or Świętokrzyski PN.

The article was created in cooperation with PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, which supports NPN.

Film about Narew PN

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Practical information

Current ticket prices and practical information can be found at: www.npn.pl

Narew National Park
Kurowo 10, Kobylin Borzymy
tel. 85/718-14-17

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What's worth seeing in the area?

If you have already visited this attraction, it is also worth visiting several other interesting ones places nearby. Within a radius of 100 kilometers you will find many interesting places places that can diversify your stay in this part of Poland.

• Tycocin, distance: 14.8  km
• Tykocin Castle, distance: 15.5  km
• Land of Open Shutters, distance: 43  km
• Biebrza National Park, distance: 45.4  km
• Podlasie, distance: 46.7  km
• National parks in Poland, distance: 47.5  km