Narew: the Polish Amazon

Before the Narew reaches Mazovia, it has already put its longest and wildest part behind it. The whole river is 484 km long, of which 448 km lie in Poland, and it is a right-bank tributary of the Vistula. Its source rises on the Belarusian side, on the edge of the Białowieża Forest, and it enters Poland already as a sizeable river. The Podlasie stretch alone is – following the Upper Narew trail – nearly 188 km to the mouth of the Biebrza, and beyond that the river flows on towards Ostrołęka. And it is here that the Narew is most itself: now spreading into dozens of channels, now hiding in the reeds, now squeezing between high escarpments. Five completely different landscapes, and all of it one river.

Siemianówka – Narew: the Białowieża Forest and the borderland

The Upper Narew begins right by the border, beside the Białowieża Forest – the last fragment of primeval-type forest in Europe, famous for its bison. First the river flows into the Siemianówka reservoir, an artificial lake dammed between 1977 and 1990. At maximum level it covers about 32.5 km² and is some 11 km long, making it the largest reservoir in the vicinity of the forest. For a paddler this is not a typical stretch to paddle, but for a birdwatcher it is an exceptional place – Siemianówka is one of the best spots in the country for watching birds.

Only below the dam does the river begin its wild life. The first larger settlement is Bondary, and a little further on the large commune village of Narew, from which many guidebooks take the river's local name. The landscape here is still raw and borderland – a broad, wet valley, few people, a lot of sky.

Narew – Choroszcz: Narew National Park

Along the way you pass Suraż – one of the oldest towns in Podlasie. A stronghold stood here as early as the 11th-12th century, town rights were granted to the place by Władysław Jagiełło in 1390, and in the 16th century Suraż was sometimes called the capital of Podlasie. Today it is the smallest and at the same time the oldest town in the region, having lost its town rights after the 1863 uprising – what remains on the Narew is a picturesque stronghold and quiet.

The most interesting part is still ahead. Between Suraż and Rzędziany, over a stretch of about 50 km, the river enters Narew National Park, established in 1996 and covering nearly 6,810 ha. It is here that the Narew is the only lowland anastomosing river in Europe – instead of a single channel it forms a tangle of dozens of branches and canals, which is why it is sometimes called the Polish Amazon. It is easy to get lost here, so the park advises keeping to the main, widest channel. The park's headquarters occupy the manor house in Kurowo, and the best way to feel this labyrinth without a kayak is the Waniewo-Śliwno footbridge slung across the wetlands. Further on, already on the western edge of the Białystok conurbation, lies Choroszcz – worth stopping for the Branicki palace, the summer residence of Hetman Jan Klemens Branicki from 1745-1771, surrounded by a park and canals, today housing the Museum of Palace Interiors.

Choroszcz – Wizna: historic Podlasie and Tykocin

It is hard to find a lovelier stop on this river than Tykocin – one of the most historically precious little towns in Podlasie. Here stands the baroque Great Synagogue of 1642, one of the oldest in Poland, today the Museum of Jewish Culture. The town is dominated by a castle expanded by Zygmunt August in 1549-1575, and on the market square stands the monument to Hetman Stefan Czarniecki from 1763 – probably the second-oldest secular monument in Poland, right after Warsaw's Sigismund's Column. Next door, in Pentowo, is the "European stork village" – if you like birds, make the detour. Before your trip it is worth checking the current water level.

Wizna – Nowogród: the Łomża Landscape Park of the Narew Valley

Near Wizna the river steps into recent history. It was here, on 7-10 September 1939, that the defence known as the Polish Thermopylae was fought – about 720 soldiers under the command of Captain Władysław Raginis defended the crossing on the Narew against General Guderian's many times more numerous corps, delaying the German advance by three days. The place still makes an impression, especially once you know the story.

Beyond Wizna the landscape changes. The Łomża Landscape Park of the Narew Valley begins, created in 1994 and covering over 7,300 ha. The river enters a deeper valley with high escarpments reaching 40-50 metres above the water. It is a completely different world from the backwaters of Narew National Park – instead of a maze of channels, a broad current and steep, scenic slopes above Piątnica and Łomża.

Stretches of the Narew trip: from Suraż to Nowogród

The Podlasie stretch of the Narew is best paddled in stretches. Suraż-Tykocin runs through the heart of Narew National Park – the multi-channel "Polish Amazon", where the river splits into dozens of channels among the reeds. Tykocin-Łomża leads through historic Podlasie, past baroque Tykocin and the mouth of the Biebrza near Wizna. Łomża-Nowogród, through the Łomża Landscape Park of the Narew Valley, flows beneath high escarpments. You can see all the stretches on the map below – in "Close to nature" mode, with facilities and water levels along the way. And if you would rather plan the trip your own way, you can draw your own route in "Your own way" mode.

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

Nowogród – Ostrołęka: from Podlasie to the Kurpie country

At the mouth of the Pisa into the Narew, on a high escarpment, lies Nowogród – a former Kurpie town. Here stands the Adam Chętnik Kurpie Open-Air Museum, founded back in the 1920s and opened in 1927 – the second-oldest open-air museum in Poland, with several dozen wooden buildings above the river. From here you can already feel that Podlasie is ending and the land of the Kurpie begins.

The surroundings of Miastkowo and Nowosiedliny are the last fragment of the Narew in Podlaskie Province. Beyond, the river enters Mazovia and heads towards Ostrołęka – that is, where the stretch described in the previous series begins. One river, and along the way it changes beyond recognition: from borderland forest, through the Polish Amazon, to the Kurpie escarpments. On this stretch, before Wizna, the wild Biebrza flows into the Narew.