Biebrza is fashionable. And this fashion has not passed for several years. It is worth going here at any time of the year.
It is best when the vast spaces of meadows along the Biebrza River are covered with one surface of water. Above its surface, like islands, only hills covered with oak-hornbeam trees or sand dunes with a tall pine forest protrude.
When the water subsides, the river meanders among tall grasses and reeds, as if in a tunnel. The shores are swampy and completely inaccessible. There is no need to plan walks by the water. Anyway, we will not see much then.
The Biebrza Marshes became famous in Europe as a paradise for birds and their observers. One could even risk a statement that the interest in the area came to us from abroad. When it turned out that the wastelands by a small river delight strangers, we became interested in them. And we were also delighted. Well: you praise others …
we admire nature
The river springs near the Belarusian border, near the town of Nowy Dwór. It picturesquely meanders through vast peat bogs, getting lost in countless oxbow lakes. It is 164 km from the source to the mouth. and its width ranges from a few meters in the upper reaches to a dozen or so meters at the estuary to the Narew near Wizna. 262 species of birds live in the grasses and reeds, and 178 of them chose its shores as their breeding grounds. Their fate follows the swamps, and the beavers… they probably gave the river its name. There are a lot of people, especially on warm weekends, but there are no crowds. And the less of them, the further away from the road.
Dry leg
Since 1993, the Biebrza region has been protected in the national park. It is the largest park in Poland in terms of area. It also includes one of the country's oldest nature reserves - Red Marsh - established in 1924. The pedestrian tourist traffic in the park (admission: adults PLN 4, children 2) is quite sewable: once, because you can only walk on designated routes, two, because in wet seasons there is no other way than to walk on wooden platforms through wetlands. This is a great convenience for walkers. And their education is supported by numerous educational boards explaining natural phenomena in this extraordinary region, as well as observation towers that allow you to look at the meadows from above. Those who do not want to walk on the piers and experience a real swamp can cross the yellow trail from Kopytków to Grzędy. The shoes will be wet. And under favorable conditions, you can drown yourself up tofor the belt.
From water
Biebrza is best known from the water. There is no problem with renting kayaks. They are in all larger towns along the river, and the official park rental is located at the campsite in Osowiec Fortress. Who would like to sail the entire route should plan the trip for at least a week. But you can choose only a few-hour sections (PLN 5.50 per day of rafting, children - PLN 3.50. Note! There are water patrols that control tickets)
And there is something else that we can only find on Biebrza: rafting. They are rented by several agritourism farms. The raft with places to sleep for several people and sometimes also a place to set up a tent, flows slowly. The river carries it. We push it with a rod, but it is art for art's sake. That boring? Not at all. You just have to surrender to the flow of the river. But a two-day trip for a family of four costs about PLN 500.