Marózka: forest ravines of the Napiwodzko-Ramucka Forest

Marózka – a wild, clean river of Warmia and Masuria

The Marózka is one of the cleanest rivers in Warmia and Masuria. It is a left tributary of the Łyna, about 43 km long, and rises from Lake Gardejki. It runs across the Olsztyn Lakeland, among the deep forest ravines and pine woods of the Napiwodzko-Ramucka Forest, through the lakes of Lubień, Mielno, Maróz, Pawlik and Święte. At Kurki it flows into Lake Kiernoz Wielki, through which the Łyna passes. The kayak trail runs from Mielno to the area of Kurki and measures about 31 km.

The water here is very shallow and clear. On the bottom you can see stones coated in a red film of algae (Hildebrandia rivularis), a species that appears only in clean water.

The Marózka route: Mielno – Kurki

The Marózka is not uniformly easy, and you need to know that before setting off. On many sections the bed is stony, the current quickens into rapids, and fallen trees lie across the channel - some you pass beneath, others you have to go around or drag the kayak over. The full route from Mielno to Kurki calls for experience; it is sometimes described as demanding, and few finish it dry.

Families and beginners need not give up on it, though. The current varies, so you can adjust the pace, and above all you can pick a short, calm stretch: for a family, forest paddle the best stretch is from Lake Maróz to Lake Pawlik, some 10 km, shaded and gentle. The full trail, with its rapids and trees, is better left to experienced paddlers.

The banks often have the character of a forest ravine - steep, wooded, giving plenty of shade. There are man-made obstacles on the trail too: the power-plant weir at Waplewo with a portage of about 80 m, the fish farm's barrier at Swaderki, and the power-plant dam at Kurki, some two metres high. At Swaderki you cannot paddle through the farm's grounds - kayaks are carried or carted 600-900 m along national road 58; some rentals do this as part of the hire. Otherwise the obstacles are natural: rapids, stones and fallen trees. In a dry summer, with the water this shallow, some sections can be too shallow - so before you set off, check the current water level. You can rent kayaks in Mielno, Waplewo, Maróz, Marózko and Swaderki; there are car parks and places to stay there too.

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

Nature along the Marózka: the Napiwodzko-Ramucka Forest

The Marózka flows through the Napiwodzko-Ramucka Forest, one of the larger forests in the region, spread along the border of Warmia and Mazovia, between Olsztyn, Olsztynek, Nidzica, Szczytno and Pasym. It is a remnant of the old Galindian Forest, today a Natura 2000 site with eleven reserves, among them Bagno Nadrowskie.

The forest is home to red deer, roe deer, wild boar, elk and otters, wolves too, and there are reports of lynx. Where the water is this clean, birds come easily, and the river itself is home to species that tolerate only unpolluted water. For anyone with a camera it is one of the finest spots around.

Region and history: the Galindians and Tannenberg

The forest took its name from the Galindians, a Prussian tribe that lived in these woods in antiquity. Centuries later the same forests became the field of one of the greatest battles of the First World War: in 1914 the Battle of Tannenberg (Grunwald) was fought here, a clash between Russian and German armies. The quiet of the Marózka's forest ravines has little to do today with those events.

Towns and villages along the Marózka

The trip usually starts in Mielno, on the lake of the same name. An important hub is the area of Lake Maróz, with its holiday resorts - the local Waszeta is well known - and rentals; the easy stretch to Pawlik sets off from here. Further on Swaderki awaits, with its obligatory bypass of the fish farm, and the trail ends in Kurki, where the Marózka gives its waters to the Łyna. It is a good base for setting off along the Łyna itself the next day.