3,200 sq km to explore
There are 23 national parks in Poland representing 1% of the country’s surface (that’s about 3,200 sq km). The oldest national park, Białowieża was established way back in 1932 and is the most well-known of all the parks. It is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The area is home to the largest population of European bison in the world and you might also spot wild boar, elk, red deer & wolves.
The parks range from dense forests and pristine lakes, to rugged mountains and rolling hills, and are home to a wide variety of plant and animal species. Some of the most notable national parks in Poland include:
Bieszczady National Park: Located in the southeastern part of the country, this park is known for its rugged mountains, which rise to over 2,000 meters, and its diverse wildlife, which includes bears, wolves, and lynx.
Tatra National Park: This park is located in the Tatra Mountains and is the oldest national park in Poland, it has rugged peaks and is a popular destination for hiking, skiing, and mountaineering. The park is home to many unique alpine plants and animals, including the Tatra chamois, which is an endemic subspecies.
Biebrza National Park: This park is located in northeastern Poland, and is famous for its vast wetlands, which are home to a wide variety of bird species, including the marsh harrier, bittern, and white-tailed eagle. The park is also home to many species of mammals such as the European bison and beaver, and is a popular destination for bird watching and nature photography.
Kampinos National Park: This park is located in central Poland and features a diverse range of landscapes, from dense forests and rolling hills to wetlands, and has a rich wildlife, like deer, boar, and wolves.
Wielkopolska National Park: This park is located in the Greater Poland region, it is known for its forests, lakes, and hills, and is a popular destination for hiking, canoeing, and horseback riding. The park is home to many species of birds and mammals, such as the black stork, and beaver.
Bieszczady National Park: Located in the south-eastern part of the country, this park is known for its rugged mountains, which rise to over 2,000 meters, and its diverse wildlife, which includes bears, wolves, and lynx.
These are just a few examples of the many national parks that can be found in Poland. Each park offers its own unique combination of natural beauty and wildlife, and provides visitors with the opportunity to explore and experience the country’s diverse landscapes and ecosystems.
Editor's choice
Within the Carpathian Mountains, there is a cluster of six national parks, the remaining seventeen parks are scattered all around the country proving visitors with the full range of flora & fauna, rivers & lakes and landscapes in Poland’s portfolio. You’re find snow covered mountains in the south, sandy sea cliffs in the north and an assortment of other delights in between including caves, craters, a peninsula, primeval forest and even a desert.
On this page, you will find information about six national parks in Poland. We’ve picked these because, well, they are our favourites; however don’t be put off visiting the others, they are all spectacular in their own way and if you have the time, if you’re in the area, then we recommend that you take time out to see as many of the parks as possible.
With the exception of Białowieża; which is top of our must-visit list, the Tatra National Park is also a must-see destination. The Tatra Mountain Range is simply breath-taking and provides visitors with hundreds of km of hiking trails, waterfalls and underground cave systems.
Bialowieza National Park is a real phenomenon at a European level. The oldest national park in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe has an extremely diverse variety of flora and fauna. You will find here a whole bunch of plants and animals that occur nowhere else.
Bialowieza National Park is located in the north east of Poland in the Podlaskie voivodeship and covers an area of around 105 sq km. The park is part of the Białowieża Forest, which straddles the border between Belarus and Poland. Bialowieza National Park is well-known for two reasons. Firstly, it is home to Europe’s largest land mammal, the European bison and secondly, the park shelters a sizeable chunk of original lowland primeval forest; which has remained undisturbed for hundreds of years. The forest has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve.
Kampinos National Park begins just outside Warsaw’s northwestern administrative boundary and is known locally as Puszcza Kampinoska. It stretches west for around 40km and is one of the largest National parks in Poland. Created in 1959, Kampinos National Park covers just over 385 km² of which 46.38 km² is strictly protected and it was added to UNESCO’s list of biosphere reserves in January 2000. Forests account for around 70% of the park’s area, and the most common tree is the pine followed by oak. Kampinos is very popular with Warsaw’s hikers and cyclists, who take advantage of its 300km of marked walking and cycling trails.
Tatra National Park is located in the Tatra Mountains in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Małopolska region, in central southern Poland. Extending into Slovakia, the Tatras are the highest range of the Carpathian Mountains and they form a natural border between the two countries. Poland and Slovakia have cooperated on efforts to protect the mountain range since the early 20th century and in 1992, the Polish and Slovakian national parks in the Tatras were jointly designated a transboundary biosphere reserve by UNESCO, under its Man and the Biosphere Programme. The Tatra National Park is 211 square metres in size.
Słowiński National Park is a very popular attraction for nature lovers and hikers and is located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship between Łeba and Rowy on the Baltic coast. The park is 186 sq km in size and extends for 33 km. In 1977 the park was placed on Unesco’s list of World Biosphere Reserves. Słowiński National Park consists mainly of lakes and rivers surrounded by peat bog, meadows and woods. The two largest lakes being Łebsko and Gardno. Historically, the lakes in Słowiński were bays; however over time, they were slowly cut off from the Baltic sea by the sandbar and today, they are shallow lagoons. The area is famous for its moving sand dunes, a curiosity which occurs as waves and wind carry the sand inland at a speed of 3 to 10 metres each year.
Bory Tucholskie National Park is located in the northern part of the country in the Pomeranian Voivodeship within the Tuchola Forest; which is the largest woodland area in Poland. The park was created on 1 July 1996 and covers an area of 46.13 sq km consisting of forests, meadows, lakes, inland dunes and peatlands. The park forms the core of the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO in 2010. The forested areas are predominantly pine trees and yews and the local wildlife includes deer, wild boar and wolves. Within the park, there are 21 glacial lakes with crystal-clear waters; which are home to around 25 species of fish and European beavers.
Bieszczady National Park is located in south eastern Poland within the Subcarpathian Voivodeship and it is the third largest national park in the country at just over 292 square kilometres. The park became part of the UNESCO East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve in 1992, an area which includes land in both Slovakia and Ukraine. By far, the largest element of Bieszczady National Park is natural forest (mostly beech) and animal life is abundant there; including many endangered species such as brown bears and grey wolves. You may also see European bison, moose, deer, wildcat, beavers, European otter and lynx. The park attracts bird watchers from all over Europe and is home to many rare and endangered species of birds of prey.
Leave Krakow for a day to walk the Bachledka Treetop Trail in Slovakia, visit Zakopane and relax in the hot springs of the Chochołow Thermal Spa