Let's meet
My name is Karol and I'm the creator of Stan Wody. I want more and more people to discover Poland from the river – on the move, close to nature and with respect for it. Because being active is one of the best things a person can do for themselves. That's why I gathered reliable knowledge about the water in one place.
I love a life on the move, travelling and planning it. Spectacular expeditions to the other side of the world give me the same satisfaction as short trips into the Polish mountains, cycling escapes around my own neighbourhood or kayaking trips. And while there are plenty of great digital tools for cyclists or hikers, I couldn't find a single one that made it easy to work out where and how you can spend time on the water. Poland has thousands of kilometres of rivers, lakes and canals, but knowledge about them is scattered – spread across forums, old trip reports and maps that don't tell you whether there's actually enough water in the river right now.
I combine three things that rarely go together: practical knowledge of specific routes, information about nature and culture, and hard data. I pull water levels live from IMGW-PIB, and I build the map from open sources – Polish and European. I check every route before I describe it.
In one place you'll find in-depth descriptions of Poland's rivers and lakes, guides to kayaking trips, you can check the current water level, and above all plan it all on the Kayaking Map of Poland, which I dreamed up.
Instead of clicking through a dozen different sites, you open one and see straight away where you'll paddle, how many kilometres you have, what the water level is, and what facilities or obstacles to expect along the way. I want planning a trip to be as simple as checking the weather before you leave the house – and just as reliable. This is only the beginning: with every new river, this map of knowledge grows.
A river is a living ecosystem and I treat it that way. For every route I write about what to watch out for and when it's better to stay on the bank, I mark sections that are easy for families, older paddlers and beginners, and I remind people to leave no trace on the water. Discovering the country from the river only makes sense if we leave it in the state we'd like to find it in.
For those who enjoy spending time on the water, or who want to begin their kayaking adventure – whether they're setting out for a few hours, a weekend trip or a longer expedition.
For those planning a first trip for themselves or with children, gentle paddling and admiring nature in silence, or more demanding routes for experienced kayakers.
I built a tool I want to use myself when planning my next trips.