Czarna Hańcza: the best-known kayak trail of the Suwalszczyzna

Czarna Hańcza: from Wigry through the river and the Kanał Augustowski

The Czarna Hańcza is regarded as one of the loveliest kayak trails in Poland and a must in the Suwalszczyzna. The whole river is 142 km long, of which 108 km lie in Poland, and it flows into the Niemen in Belarus. The kayak tourist trail, however, is a different thing: from Lake Wigry to Augustów it is about 90 km, of which almost half, nearly 48 km, is still water, where you paddle without the help of a current. The trip is usually split into seven stages and takes from four to seven days, running first down a wild river and then along the historic Kanał Augustowski.

Why the trail begins only on Wigry

The upper reach of the Czarna Hańcza, above Lake Wigry, between Sobolewo and its outflow into the lake, is closed to trips. That is why the classic route starts only on Wigry – most often at Stary Folwark, Bryzgiel or Gawrych Ruda – from where you cross the lake, and the river proper begins below it. This clears up a common misunderstanding: the paddler does not start at the source but on a large, picturesque lake, which is itself part of the adventure.

Wigierski Park Narodowy: entry permit, season and rules

The first 35 km of the trail run through the Wigierski Park Narodowy, and that means a few rules you need to know before you go. On the park's waters you may paddle only from the first of May to the thirty-first of October and only from sunrise to sunset. Everyone on the park's grounds, including anyone in a kayak, is required to hold an entry permit – you buy it in advance online, on the park's website. There is also a ban on entering reed beds and beds of floating-leaved plants. No rule, however, requires a guide.

The river below Wigry: wild, meandering, easy

Below the lake the Czarna Hańcza becomes what paddlers come for: a narrow, winding river threading through forests, meadows and boggy valleys. Along the whole stretch below Wigry there are essentially no obstacles – no weirs and no drops – and the water flows calmly, so the trail is easy and accessible even to the less experienced. The wildest, most forested part lies between Frącki and Rygol. Only at Rygol does the character of the trip change completely, because the river meets the canal.

Rygol: where the river joins the Kanał Augustowski

At the village of Rygol the Czarna Hańcza joins the Kanał Augustowski and the trail forks. To the left it leads to Augustów and on towards the Biebrza, to the right – towards the Niemen and the border with Belarus, which requires dealing with border formalities and crossing the border at a lock. The classic tourist trip turns towards Augustów. From here the wild river ends and a two-hundred-year-old historic waterway begins, with its greatest curiosity – the locks.

Locking through: how it differs from a portage

On the Kanał Augustowski you do not portage the kayak. The locks are passed by locking through: the kayak enters the chamber together with the other boats, the gates close, and the water level inside rises or falls until it matches the next stretch of the canal. Locking through upwards can be quite an experience, because the water pours into the chamber through the sluices in the gates right in front of the paddlers. It is a completely different adventure from carrying a boat around a weir and one of the reasons this trail is worth paddling.

Lock after lock to Augustów

From Rygol towards Augustów you lock through, one after another, at Sosnówek, Mikaszówka, Perkuć, Paniewo, Gorczyca, Swoboda and Przewięź. Each has its own character: Mikaszówka lies in a village with a wooden church, Perkuć stands in a forest beside a nature reserve, and Paniewo is the only two-chamber lock on the whole canal. Between Gorczyca and Swoboda is the high point of the route – up to Gorczyca you lock upwards, from Swoboda downwards. The last lock, Przewięź, brings you onto the Augustów lakes, along which you reach the town itself. This final stretch is largely still water, canal and lakes, where you paddle under your own steam.

How many days, when to paddle and where to rent a kayak

The whole trail from Wigry to Augustów splits comfortably into four to seven days, and the individual stages are easy to shorten or lengthen depending on your pace. The season is set by the park: from May to the end of October, and it is most pleasant in summer and early autumn. Equipment with delivery and a return transfer is offered by rentals on the Wigry lakes, at Głęboki Bród in the middle reach and in Augustów at the finish. Before you go it is worth checking the water level and the weather, and buying the park entry permit in advance.

See the trail on the interactive map Click to load the map with the route drawn in