Pisa: a wild gateway to Masuria

Pisa – an easy kayak trail from Masuria to the Narew

The Pisa links the Masurian lakes with the Narew and is sometimes called the gateway to Masuria. It flows out of Lake Roś in Pisz and, after some 80 km, joins the Narew at Nowogród. It runs in an unregulated bed, first through the woods of the Pisz Forest, then among the meadows and sandy plains of the Kurpie region. At the outflow from Roś it is about 20 metres wide, and at its widest - about 34 metres - in the Pisz Forest; at the very mouth into the Narew it can be at its shallowest.

It is a wide, calm river, with no dams or artificial weirs. It suits beginners well, those who want to try a multi-day trip camping under canvas. The neighbouring Krutynia has a similarly gentle, family character.

The Pisa route: Pisz – Nowogród

The Pisa is very easy and undemanding - on the difficulty scale for lowland trails it is the lowest grade, ZWA. The whole trip from Pisz to Nowogród takes 3-4 days, or 2-3 at a strong pace, and divides into two calm stages. The river carries you gently, though in places the current speeds up and scours out big bends - which keeps it from being dull, while you still paddle without stress. You can see the whole course on the interactive trail map.

The only real challenge is the wildness of the river and the traffic of bigger craft. The bed meanders, and fallen trees lie across the current, largely the work of beavers; you have to steer around them or pass beneath them. There are no dams, weirs or hydro plants. Bear in mind, though, that the Pisa is a class Ia waterway along its entire length, used by yachts and motorboats returning from the Great Lakes towards the Narew: keep to the right-hand side of the channel, give way to larger craft and reckon with the wake as they pass, especially on meanders with limited visibility. Along the way there is also a collapsed bridge near the former village of Wilki and a none-too-stable wooden bridge near Wincenta, and past Dobry Las the current speeds up and the banks are undercut and hard to reach. In the upper course the banks are wooded and shaded; lower down they open into meadows and sandy beaches, of which there is no shortage for a stop, a swim or a camp. In the lower, exposed course there is more sun, but also less shelter from the wind.

The Pisa is wild, so overnight stops are mostly campsites and wild bivouacs. The base is Pisz - rentals, car parks, hotels and restaurants. Most trips set off from here downstream, towards the Narew. Before you go it's worth checking the current water level.

Nature along the Pisa: the Pisz Forest and its birds

The Pisa cuts across the eastern part of the Pisz Forest - the largest forest in Masuria and one of the biggest woodland complexes in Poland, about 100,000 hectares, covered by the Natura 2000 network. The first part of the trip therefore runs through forest wilderness.

The Pisa valley is one of the best places for birds in the region. Nesting and feeding here are the bittern, the lesser spotted eagle, the black and white stork, the marsh harrier, the crane, the golden plover, the common tern and the black woodpecker, among others, while in the forest the black grouse displays at its lek. In the woods live red deer, elk, roe deer, wild boar, wolves and, for some time now, lynx; everywhere you see the traces of beavers. Few people, plenty of animals.

Region and history: from the Yotvingians to the Kurpie

The old land of Yotvingia began along the Pisa. The Yotvingians were a West Baltic people, related to the Prussians and Lithuanians, who lived between the middle Neman, the Narew and the Great Lakes. Their independent existence was ended in 1283 by the Teutonic Order; the last groups scattered into Lithuania, Ruthenia and Mazovia.

The main town on the trail is Pisz. Its oldest monument is the Church of St John the Baptist: the tower dates from 1694 and the half-timbered walls of the nave from 1737; the register of monuments also lists a Neo-Gothic town hall from 1900, and the Museum of the Pisz Region brings the area to life. The lower you go, the deeper you enter the land of the Kurpie - the lower course of the Pisa and the area around Nowogród are the Kurpie region, with its costumes, paper cut-outs and music, which you can get to know at the open-air museum in Nowogród.

Stretches of the Pisa trip: from Pisz to Nowogród

The Pisa divides into two calm stages. Pisz-Jeże leads from Lake Roś deep into the Pisz Forest, on a gentle woodland current. Jeże-Nowogród is a long, wild stretch through the forest all the way to the mouth on the Narew, where the Pisa ends its course. You can see every stretch on the map below - in "Take it easy" mode, with facilities and water levels along the way. And if you'd 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

Towns and villages along the Pisa

The trip begins in Pisz on Lake Roś - the main base. It ends in Nowogród, on a high bluff opposite the mouth of the Pisa into the Narew, where the Adam Chętnik Kurpie Open-Air Museum stands. It's a good choice for combining easy, multi-day paddling with the wild Pisz Forest and a taste of Kurpie culture.