Your complete resource
Białowieża Forest
Site Guide
Everything you need to plan a visit to Europe's last primeval forest — from getting there to finding the best-preserved old-growth. Written by a resident ecologist.
Getting Started
- A brief tourist overview
- How to get there
- Best time of year to visit
- Where to stay coming soon
- Where to eat
- Basic amenities
General Information
- Six reasons the forest is so precious
- Ten reasons to visit
- History of the forest coming soon
- The forest management system
- Best-preserved parts of the forest
- The future of Białowieża coming soon
Areas of the Forest
Plants & Animals
- How to spot a wild bison
- Wolves in Białowieża Forest
- Bears in Białowieża Forest
- Lynx in Białowieża Forest coming soon
- The story of the European bison
- Which animals live here? coming soon
- Which trees grow here? coming soon
- Which forest type am I looking at?
Go deeper
Explore the forest with an expert
Five days tracking wolves, finding bison and walking ancient old-growth — guided by a PhD ecologist who has spent years researching here.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Białowieża Forest was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, with the site later extended across the border into Belarus. It is recognised as Europe's last large tract of lowland primeval forest and one of the continent's most important biodiversity hotspots.
The forest is home to European bison, wolves, lynx, beaver, otter, white-tailed eagle, and hundreds of beetle species dependent on dead wood. It supports populations of large mammals that have disappeared from most of Europe, making it one of the continent's most significant wildlife areas.
Entry to the strict reserve — the old-growth core of Białowieża National Park — requires a licensed guide. The wider forest can be explored independently, but a guided visit is the only legal way to access the most pristine part.
Each season offers something different. Winter is best for tracking wolves and other mammals in snow. Spring brings migrating birds and bison calves. Autumn has spectacular fungi and rutting deer. For wildlife tracking specifically, November through March is the most productive period.