Translated by Google Translate.
Welcome to the buffer zone of the Polesie National Park. Here you can breathe deeply, you can meet mud turtles, bathe in lakes, watch peat bogs from above, watch birds from specially prepared stations, cycle for kilometers and walk, walk, walk. And what's the coolest, there are no crowds, so you can relax slowly and quietly.
You will definitely find the website of Poleski NP useful when exploring the area:
http://www.poleskipn.pl/. In the meantime, we invite you to the guide to our microregion.
You will start your adventure with the Poleski National Park in our village, where the Teaching and Museum Center of the Polish National Park is located. In the park museum you will see exhibits of nature (for the sensitive: stuffed animals), archaeological, geological, ethnographic and historical exhibits. Outside, there is a museum shed with larger exhibits, a nature trail for the youngest "turtle" with a pond where you can watch mud turtles and the Animal Rehabilitation Center with an aviary for birds. In the museum you can also buy admission tickets to the nature trails of the Park.
From the same car park as the Center, you will go to the "Spławy" nature trail.
Route length: approx. 7.5 km, including almost 4.5 km of wooden footbridges.
What you will see on the route:
- Łukie Lake - the largest lake of the PNP,
- a floating observation deck from which we can observe birds,
- transition peat bog "Spławy",
- fragments of meadows and marshy forests.
Maybe you will be able to spot elk, cranes, beavers, white-tailed eagles, mute swans, mud turtles, marsh harriers, coots, ferruginous eagles, and white herons.
Another nature trail worth visiting is "Czahary". It starts in the town of Zastawie (next to the observation tower of the Polish National Park). Route length: approx. 6.5 km
What can you see?
- Bagno Bubnów - the largest peat bog of the PNP,
- pool in Zastawie - a place of concentration of cranes before departures,
- Molinia meadows,
- blooming orchids and royal rot,
- towers, viewing platforms and tourist canopies,
- the position of the Aquatic Warbler, an inconspicuous bird - the smallest migrating bird in Europe.
The "Durne Swamp" lookout tower has, as the name suggests, a view of the Durne Swamp. It is worth taking something for mosquitoes with you to be able to enjoy the views calmly. The location allows observation towards the west and south-west, so it is a great place to admire the sunsets. There are bicycle racks by the tower, so you can come here, because the tower is located on the Mietiułka bicycle path. From the cottages it is 14 km.
And speaking of bicycles. The "Mietiułka" path begins half a kilometer behind the Monument to the Border Protection Corps in Wytyczno-Łowiszów.
It is about 21 km long, and on the way you can see:
- Durne Bagno - a raised bog with wool grass, drunken blueberry (marsh blueberry) and pine moss,
- Łowiszów Forest - one of the oldest forests of the Polish National Park - wolves live here,
- a viewpoint in the village of Wielki Łan,
- backwaters in the meadows of Pociągi, Ochoża and Radwanie,
- the Mietiułka river.
The "Perehod" nature trail is the most interesting path in the Poleski National Park. Typically ornithological. Even though the access to the parking lot leads along a bumpy road, it is worth the effort. The lakes, the sounds of cranes, ducks and other aquatic bird species make it a perfect place for a walk. We recommend it especially for sunrises and sunsets. The path starts in Pieszowola.
Route length: approx. 5 km
What can you see?
- Pieszowolskie Ponds,
- moors,
- two observation towers and an ornithological shelter,
- oak-hornbeam forests, pine forests,
- grass snakes basking in the sun.
- many species of birds associated with the aquatic environment (white-tailed eagle, great crested grebe, mute swan (less often whooper swan), bittern, little eagle, ferruginous, reed warbler, cormorant, great egret, gray heron, kingfisher),
- pond turtle position.
On the "Perehod" path you will not find wooden footbridges, the path is accessible to families with prams (we do not recommend it after the rain). You can hike with your dog on a leash.
It is also worth visiting the Pond Turtle Protection Centre, where scientists have created the right conditions for incubating turtles. In incubators, turtle eggs taken from endangered nests go through the final incubation period. In the spring, when the water level in the reservoirs surrounding the breeding grounds is high enough and the water is warmed up, the little turtles are released to their natural habitats after a sleepless first winter.
There are also lakes, of course. Lots of lakes. Some are not intended for swimming and sunbathing, others are the most recreational.
- Lake Rotcze with a beach on the eastern shore,
- Łukie Lake, where you can't swim, but you can admire it standing on a wooden platform protruding over Lake Łukie. The shores of the reservoir are inaccessible and heavily forested. There is a shed in the area where you can sit and relax.
- Lake Uściwierz: there is no beach and sunbathing, but it is most suitable for fishing. In addition, you can rent a boat at an affordable price at the local PZW Uściwierz club.
- Lake Piaseczno is among the cleanest in Poland. It's a great place to relax. The Ludwin commune takes care of its beaches and the area around them, the cleaning team cleans them every morning, so it is a good place to relax for whole families. Another plus is the low density of sunbathers despite the small beach.
- Lake Sumin is a beautiful, small lake in the Polesie National Park. A grassy "beach" by the lake and a small playground for children. A nice jetty, a guarded bathing area with a gentle descent into the water, an observation tower, easy and free parking. Clean water. There are no shops in the area, so remember to take something to drink and eat on the beach.