Drawa National Park is a national park based in forested river valley of Drawa on border of Zachodniopomorskie, Wielkopolskie and Lubuskie voivodeships in Poland. It is popular kayaking and camping spot.
Drawa National Park is a national park based in forested river valley of Drawa on border of Zachodniopomorskie, Wielkopolskie and Lubuskie voivodeships in Poland. It is popular kayaking and camping spot.
The area occupied by the park was always far from major political centres on border of Brandenburg and Poland, and had no significant natural resources except for wood. It was not settled until in 16th century. The region never experienced significant economic activity, and had only brief periods of logging in 19th century and bunker building during Second World War. In 1970s work started on creating a national park in this relatively pristine area. The park was established in 1990.
The valley is quite steep at northern part, especially on western side of the river, and slowly becomes flatter to the south. Outside the valley area is hilly and there are 20 lakes.
Mostly beech forests, also a bit of spruce and mixed forests. The river is relatively rich in fish, and there are many birds in the park.
Being located in dense forest over river and near multiple lakes, the area is quite humid, exacerebating feeling of temperature. Waterproof clothes and sacks will be good choice for this area.
A car is the only sensible way to reach the park as there is no public transportation to it. Roads to the park are narrow and of poor quality.
You can reach Choszczno by PKP Intercity from major cities or Kalisz Pomorski by Polregio from smaller towns or Krzyż Wielkopolski by both. You will still need a taxi ride of at least 20 km to reach the park boundary.
Entry to the park is free, however many activities in the park are paid, including water sports on river (Jul-Aug 10 zł per day, Sep-Jun 8 zł per day) and fishing (8 zł per day on Drawa river, Ostrowieckie and Sitno lakes). The number of tickets is limited to prevent environmental damage, so book in advance. There are no check points; a park guard will come to your camping or fishing spot and demand you to show tickets.
A car is the only land transportation that makes sense in the park. Roads are narrow and few. Fill your gas tank before arriving as there are no gas stations in the park.
There are few bike trails inside the park which you can traverse. There is close to no traffic on the roads. However there is only one bike rental in Łasko outside the park.
There are several companies that offer canoes to rent complete with transport and retrieval. Book in advance, remember about park fee and camping tickets. It is possible to move upstream, but most movement happens downstream. There are many more tourists on weekends (F-Su).
1 Kamienna Hydroelectric Dam, Głusko. One of the oldest hydroelectric dams in the world still in operation, built in 19th century. No tours, only visible from outside, there is platform for sightseeing to the south however view is obscured by trees. (updated Aug 2024)
The park has many pristine lakes with abundance of fishes which can be hunted. There are many specific regulations regarding fishing in the park. Permit is required and there is limited number of these per day. You can hunt in river Jul-Mar upstream of Kamienna dam, and in Ostrowieckie and Sitno lakes Apr-Nov only from piers. You can take one fish with yourself a day, some species of fish cannot be hunted (salmon), while in some cases (rainbow trout) you are obliged to remove them from water. Specific regulations can be found here (in Polish only).
You can traverse Drawa river in the park on canoe, there are many kayak rentals in the area. Swimming requires permit and you will also need to arrange camping locations if you plan to swim longer than one day. River is open from July to mid-March, it is easier to swim in summer when water is lower. Common sense apply, do not drink alcohol, destroy plants, do not swim too fast as the river can suddenly get dangerous, but also not too slow to avoid getting stuck on logs. Also, swimming outside vessel is illegal in the park and in general you should avoid walking in water.
1 Park Education and Tourism Centre, Kolejowa 20, Drawno, ☏ +48 95 768 2395. Tu-Su 08:30-15:00. Place where you can buy all required tickets and permits. Also there are few souvenirs and little park museum. (updated Aug 2024)
Bring food supplies with you. There are only two shops close to the park.
1 'Nad Drawą' Grocery shop, Zatom 6 (there is marked trail from the river). M-Sa 08:00-20:00, Su 10:00-12:00 16:00-18:00. Well stocked shop on early part of the canoe trail. It has everything you need for your travel needs. (updated Aug 2024)
2 'Drawieńska' Restaurant, Głusko 4 (stop before the lake and go uphill, you will reach the town), ☏ +48 514 648 664. 09:00-19:00 daily. Only restaurant in the park, serves fish and deer. 50 zł. (updated Aug 2024)
Bring water supply with you. Camping spots do not have tap water.
There are few accommodations in Zatom and one in Sitnica.
There are five camping spots on the river. All of them are stocked with firewood free to use and useful for drying your belongings after swimming, some of them contain also wooden shelters good for eating and staying away from rain. Price is 24 zł/day in Jul-Aug and 12 zł/day in Sep-Jun. Car parking costs 12 zł/day, caravan/camper 20zł/day. Sites below are listed in sequence from highest to lowest part of the river in the park. They are located roughly every 9 km of river run.
1 Drawnik Camp Site (first camp site from Dubie lake). Not very useful camp site at start of canoe trail in the park. Probably the only camp site with reachable amenities (1.5 km to nearest large grocery shop). (updated Aug 2024)
2 Barnimie Camp Site (just after the hardest part of the trail). Well provided camp site with wooden shelters and fireplaces located on top of a hill, it will be hard to push kayak to the top, while illegal many people leave their kayak near the river. No mobile connection (updated Aug 2024)
3 Bogdanka Camp Site (on confluence of Drawa and Korytnica rivers). Located in quite scenic location with nice view of Drawa river. Wooden shelters for preparing foods. Close to the river so may be a bit cool. (updated Aug 2024)
4 Sitnica Camp Site (on calm part of the river, east side, field behind trees). Located close to the water in a valley, so a bit cool and swampy, not so far from previous camp site. Well stocked with wood, two wooden shelters. No mobile connection. There is a thief who steals money and supplies, beware and put night watch if you can. (updated Aug 2024)
5 Pstrąg Camp Site (on west side of river on a hill, in plain sight). similar to Barnimie located on a small hill so you will need to bring your kayaks uphill, as there is not much place close to the river. (updated Aug 2024)
6 Kamienna Camp Site (not far from the dam, also in plain sight). Last camp site before leaving the park. Camp sites outside park have no supplies or are more expensive so it may be worth a try. (updated Aug 2024)
Camping outside designated places is illegal.
Significant parts of the park have no mobile access. There are two small grocery shops (in Zatom and Głusko). Many parts of the river are whitewatery and can be dangerous. Buy all you need before arriving.
If you rent canoe or bike then exchange your travel plan with rental. They will help you arrange proper trail for your skills, keep in touch with you in case of problems and tell you where to call for pick-up.
There is also well known thief who robs people at Sitnica camping, peculiarly he steals only money, food and drink then throws those he did not like into forest close to camp site. Place night watch while sleeping there. Police and park guards are useless, closest police station is in Dobiegniew 20 km away (in straight line) and you are unlikely to have a ride at this place.
Closer destiantions:
Gorzów Wielkopolski
Piła
Wałcz
A bit further:
Poznań
Szczecin
National park in Poland Drawa National ParkDrawieński Park NarodowyIUCN category II (national park)Ostrowieckie Lake Park logo with European otterInteractive map of Drawa National ParkLocationNorth-west PolandCoordinates53°08′N 15°27′E / 53.13°N 15.45°E / 53.13; 15.45Area113.42 km2 (43.79 sq mi)Established1990Governing bodyMinistry of the EnvironmentWebsiteOfficial website Drawa National Park (Polish: Drawieński Park Narodowy) is located in north-western Poland, on the border of Greater Poland, Lubusz and West Pomeranian Voivodeships. The park is a part of the huge Drawsko Forest (Puszcza Drawska), which lies on the vast Drawsko Plain. It takes its name from the River Drawa. The national park was created in 1990 and initially covered 86.91 km2. Later, it was enlarged to 113.42 square kilometres (43.79 sq mi) of which forests account for 96.14 km2 (3.68 km2 is designated as a strictly protected area), and water bodies cover 9.37 km2.
[edit] Over 80 percent of its area is covered with forests – the great and monumental Drawa Forest stretching from the Drawa Lake District to the Noteć River. It is mostly made up of beech and pine trees. There are picturesque and deep valleys of the Drawa and Plociczna rivers as well as numerous water channels, lakes and peat-bogs. In some places the height can vary by 30 meters within 500 meters. The highest hill (106 m) is located near the Martew lake, in northern part of the park. The soil in the park is of poor quality and it mainly consists of sand.
[edit] Plocziczna River, ruins of old eel trap One of main reasons for the creation of the park was the need for to protect valuable areas along the Drawa and Plocziczna rivers. The Drawa creates interesting valleys and hollows and 40 km of the river is within the borders of the park. The river flows at a quite fast pace, which makes it similar to rivers located in mountains. The Drawa kayaking trail is one of the most picturesque in Poland. Lakes include the meromictic lake Czarne (3.7 km2). Flora and Funga[edit] There are several interesting species of flora in Drawski National Park, among them 210 species of mushrooms, and oak trees up to 400 years old. The oldest trees are strictly protected in the Radecin Preserve. Trees older than 81 years old cover 40% of the forested area of the park. Fauna[edit] Drawa National Park near Węgornia There are 129 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, 7 species of reptiles and 13 species of amphibians. The good quality of water in the lakes and rivers enables various species of fish to flourish. Roe deer, red deer and wild boar are very common in the national park. The park also hosts high populations of eurasian otter and beaver. Occasionally moose and gray wolf can be found in the park. The area in the past, when it was located on the border between Poland and Western Pomerania (later Prussia), was regarded as unsuitable for human settlement and only since the 17th century have its forests been cleared for settlement. The park is crossed by four attractive tourist trails, for both walking and kayaking. There are camping sites and within some distance hotels. The number of visiting tourists has been increasing year on year. The park has its headquarters in the town of Drawno, in Choszczno County.