Lake Białe: crystal-clear water near Włodawa

Lake Białe: clear water on the edge of Polesie

Lake Białe near Włodawa is one of the cleanest bodies of water in eastern Poland. The water here is clear, the bottom hard and sandy, and the beaches slope gently into the water. In summer the lake grows lively - neighbouring Okuninka is one of the most popular holiday spots in the region - but the water itself is still among the most crystal-clear on the Pojezierze Łęczyńsko-Włodawskie.

Where Lake Białe lies and how big it is

The lake lies about seven kilometres south of Włodawa, by the village of Okuninka, in the eastern part of the Lublin voivodeship. It is a karst lake covering about one hundred and six hectares - small compared with the great lakes of Masuria, but deep: averaging fourteen metres, and more than thirty at its deepest point. It has no inflow and no outflow, so its water is renewed only by rainfall and underground springs.

Why the water in Lake Białe is so clean

Białe stands out among the neighbouring lakes with its first-class water quality - the only such lake in the lakeland. The water can be clear several metres down, and through the surface you can see the pale, sandy bottom. Several things account for it: a hard bottom, a narrow shore zone and sparse aquatic vegetation, which keeps the lake from becoming overgrown or cloudy. Its cleanliness and oxygenation are also borne out by the fish caught here - alongside common roach and bream there is vendace, which needs cool, well-oxygenated water.

Can you paddle a kayak on Lake Białe?

You can paddle a kayak freely on Lake Białe. There is no current and no portages here as there are on a river; instead there is a large, open sheet of water on which you paddle from beach to beach and along the wooded shores. A kayak is easiest to launch from the sandy beaches with their gentle entry into the water. Whether a day on the water is calm, though, is decided above all by the weather.

Safety on large water: wind and depth

Put your buoyancy aid on and adjust it while you're still ashore. Białe is large and deep enough that a wave can build in the wind - there is a reason windsurfers have taken to it. On open water the wind rises faster than it seems from the shore, and a light kayak is then hard to hold on course. So keep close to the shore and check the forecast before you set out. In summer a second factor comes into play: at the peak of the season the water is crowded, with boats, pedalos and boards about, so it is safer and more pleasant to set off early in the morning or towards evening.

Can you paddle a kayak on Lake Białe near Włodawa? Yes. This is large, open and deep water of exceptional clarity, with a sandy bottom and gentle beaches. There is no current and no portages, but safety is decided by the wind - on the open sheet of water a wave builds quickly (the lake is prized by windsurfers). Paddle in a buoyancy aid, keep to the shore, check the forecast, and at the peak of the season set off early in the morning or towards evening, when there are fewer boats. Launch from the sandy beaches in Okuninka.

Route ideas along the shore

On a lake this size you plan a route along the shore, not across the open water. The most is happening by the main beaches in Okuninka - OSiR and Rusałka - which are handy to set off from and easy to return to. It is quieter away from them, along the wooded stretches of shore, where you can paddle in the shade of the trees and look into one bay after another. In the wind it is worth remembering which way it blows, so the return does not turn into a laborious paddle into the waves.

Okuninka: the base by the lake

The base for a trip is concentrated in Okuninka, on the southern shore. The village is almost entirely given over to tourism - there are dozens of holiday centres and campsites, and equipment, including kayaks, boards and pedalos, is hired by the water. In season several supervised bathing areas operate. The route runs through Włodawa, from where only a few kilometres remain to the lake.

Nature and the surroundings of the lake

The lake lies in Polesie, in a landscape of lakes, forests and peat bogs. To the east it adjoins the Lasy Sobiborskie, where the Sobiborski Park Krajobrazowy was created in 1983, part of the larger Poleski Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu. It is good country for a longer stay: from a base in Okuninka it is close both to the other Polesie lakes and to the valley of the Bug.

See the area on the interactive map Click to load the map - routes on the lake, shores and weather