Area Guide
The North
The national park’s open zone, charming border villages and Siemianówka Lake.
Since the Narewkowska Road was renovated in 2019, the north of the national park has become fairly busy, at least on weekends and holidays. By contrast, the forest outside the park remains scantly visited. You don’t have to look far to find old-growth: both in and outside the national park, the forest in the north is a mosaic of natural and planted forest.
Those wanting a change of scene should explore the nearby villages and Siemianówka Lake, one of the premiere bird nesting spots in Poland, or kayak down the Narewka River.
Background
The active management zone of the national park is open to tourists without a guide. Till 1996, the state forest company logged this area commercially. The resultant mosaic of natural and planted forest was added to the national park in 1996. The southern part, around the yellow and green trails, escaped intensive clear-cut logging and retained some natural character.
The forest outside the national park is also a mosaic of old-growth and planted forest. The nearby villages, especially Masiewo and Babia Góra, are mysterious, charming places, with an edge-of-the-world feeling about them.
Visitors should notice the clear signs of a recently abandoned civilisation. Not long ago these were farming villages; note the barns behind every house. Nowadays the fields are abandoned, the farmers retired, and their children working in far-away cities. The meadows not yet overgrown form a savannah landscape, where if you wake up early enough you can meet a grazing bison.
Mode of Transport
Travel by car to Kosy Most, Stare Masiewo or Babia Góra, and then explore the forest by bike or foot. Alternatively, cycle from Białowieża to Kosy Most to make a long day-trip (consider renting an electric bike).
How to Get There
If staying in Białowieża, travel through Pogorzelce, and turn right when you see a signpost for Narewka. Continue up the Narewka road and park in Kosy Most, Stare Masiewo or Babia Góra.
Routes
Tsar’s Trail
| Time | Distance | Mode | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 h | 8 km | 🚶 Walk | Easy |
Park at Kosy Most. Unsuitable for bikes.
One of my favourite popular tourist trails. It traverses a 19th century hunting trail running beside the Narewka Valley. Head east from Kosy Most towards the Narewka River — you’ll find a bison feeding station and various educational signs. The trail takes you into a well-preserved section of the national park through wet riverine bog forests, typical oak-lime-hornbeam forest, and coniferous-mixed forest. The two viewpoints look out onto the beautiful river valley landscape.
Red Trail
| Time | Distance | Mode | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 8 km | 🚶 Walk | Easy |
Park at Masiewo.
A nice trail showcasing old-growth coniferous forest. It loops around a defunct nature reserve — the Capercaillie reserve, created in 1979 to protect pine-spruce bog forest and the last known capercaillie nesting areas (now locally extinct). The reserve was absorbed into the national park in 1996. Half way through you’ll find a narrow-gauge railway station.
🏡 Masiewo — A charming two-parted village (Nowe and Stare). Eight hundred people lived here before WW2. The Nazis burned it down to ward off partisans. Only a third of inhabitants returned after the war. The village is slowly becoming a holiday destination.
Babia Góra Trail
| Time | Distance | Mode | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 h | 12 km | 🚶🚲 Walk / Cycle | Easy |
Park in Babia Góra or Nowe Masiewo.
Masiewo and Babia Góra are charming border villages full of houses built in the local style. From Babia Góra, enter the forest due east into Siemianówka Nature Reserve — a well-preserved mixed coniferous-alder bog forest. Southwards, you’ll find areas destroyed in the 1920s by an English logging company. The forest has now regrown, mostly with birch and poplars.
Green Cycle Trail
| Time | Distance | Mode | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4–5 h | 25 km | 🚲 Cycle | Easy |
Park at Kosy Most or Masiewo.
From Kosy Most, cycle east into the national park. Follow the green trail — it’ll be signposted with green marks painted on trees. The forest becomes more natural as you go. On the southern stretches along the border of the strict reserve, you’ll find well-preserved old-growth with an educational trail over a wooden walkway through a bog.
Masiewo is the halfway point. In summer, refreshments should be available. The next stage enters managed forest — the first stretch passes through well-preserved deciduous forest and alder swamps, but the second part turns into pine monoculture.
Green Walking Trail
| Time | Distance | Mode | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to you | Up to you | 🚶 Walk | Easy |
Park at Kosy Most or Masiewo.
For those that want to explore the national park’s active management zone without a bike. There is no loop — just head into the forest and walk back the same way when you’ve had enough.
Other Attractions
🏞️ Siemianówka Reservoir
Not a spectacular lake, but if you want a change from the forest, you can come here to fish, swim and kayak. Built in the 1980s, it quickly became a prime nesting place for water birds. They say it’s the best place in Poland after Biebrza National Park to observe water and mud-dwelling birds.
🛶 Kayaking the Narewka River
From Kosy Most to Narewka Village. Kayaks can be rented from Bojarski Gościniec tavern in Narewka. For about 50 zł, they will drop you off at Kosy Most with the kayaks. You then kayak downstream, ending at the tavern.
🍽️ Lunch Spot
Bojarski Gościniec in Narewka.
The northern sections of Białowieża offer some of the best wolf territory in the whole forest. We walk through landscapes like this on our 5-day old-growth seminar, learning to read the signs large carnivores leave behind.
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