Wkra: Mazovia's wild, sandy river

The Wkra – Mazovia's wild river

The Wkra is one of the most beautiful and best-loved kayak rivers in Mazovia. It runs 249 km and keeps its wild, natural character for most of its course: it winds in countless meanders, uncovers sandbanks and flows among forests and meadows. Clean water and a calm current make it one of the friendliest rivers for families and beginners, and it lies close to Warsaw.

The Wkra is also rewarding to plan. The whole trail from Działdowo to Pomiechówek is about 206 km, easily divided into day-long stretches, and rentals and landings operate along the river. It is a river both for a quiet afternoon and for a multi-day trip with a wild camp on a sandbank.

Where the Wkra rises and where it flows

The Wkra rises near Nidzica, on the edge of the Masurian Lake District. Along the way it changes names: in the upper course it is called the Nida, in the middle the Działdówka, and only in the lower course the Wkra. It flows through Działdowo, Bieżuń, Glinojeck, Sochocin and Joniec, and near Pomiechówek, close to Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, it joins the Narew.

Along its whole length the Wkra stays a lowland, gentle river. The current is mild, the bed sandy, and the river meanders constantly, forming bends, islets and bright beaches. It is these sandbanks and the clean water that are its greatest asset.

A wild, sandy river

The Wkra is reckoned one of the cleanest rivers in Mazovia and is excellent for swimming. It has not been regulated along most of its length, so it winds freely through the forest, and its banks are grown with alder carr and riparian woodland. The river valley is protected by the Wkra Valley Protected Landscape Area.

This wildness has natural value too. Kingfishers nest along the Wkra, and sand martins settle in the sandy bluffs. The river's wildness, despite the closeness of Warsaw, gives a sense of seclusion rare on so easy and accessible a trail.

Towns and mills on the Wkra

Along the Wkra, many traces of old life by the water survive. For centuries the river drove watermills, whose remains you still meet along the route. In Bieżuń it is worth seeing the Rococo palace, and Działdowo and Glinojeck are small towns with long histories. The character of the region itself – forest, water and sandy valleys – has always set the rhythm of local life.

The old mills are now stops along the route: at some you have to portage around a weir, but many of them are picturesque places to rest. Along with the meanders and sandbanks, they create the Wkra's unique atmosphere.

Stretches of the Wkra trip: from Działdowo to Pomiechówek

The Wkra is best paddled in stages. The upper stretch, from Działdowo to Bieżuń, is a winding, forest river of the Masurian Lake District – still small and wild. The middle stretches, through Glinojeck to Sochocin, run down a meandering valley among meadows and forests, past historic mills. The most popular is the lower stretch Sochocin-Pomiechówek, close to Warsaw, ending at the mouth on the Narew. 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

Obstacles and practicalities on the Wkra

The Wkra is easy technically, but it has plenty of obstacles. On the trail from Działdowo to the mouth the PTTK lists around twenty weirs, sills and old mill dams, and at three of them – in Lubowidz, Brudnice and Bolęcin – hydro plants are working and a portage is required: at Brudnice about 50 m along the right bank, at Bolęcin about 100 m along the right bank. The most obstacles are on the upper course, from Działdowo to Bieżuń. At Unierzyż a metal object sits in the current – take care there. Some weirs can be run at the right water level, but you make that call on the spot, after pulling in to the bank. Add to that fallen trees on the wild upper stretches. In summer, at low water, the sandy shallows sometimes have to be dragged across.

The season runs from spring to autumn. Because of the sandy bed, it is worth checking the current water level before you set off. At Pomiechówek the Wkra gives up its water to the Narew – a river you can also paddle, described in the article on the Narew below Serock.