Destination: Poland
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: National Parks
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THREE WEEKS / POMERANIA TO MAZOVIA & PODLASIE
Poland is something of a paradise for wildlife enthusiasts, with a range of unspoiled habitats that have almost disappeared from the rest of Europe.
A tour of all 23 national parks would take six weeks; this trip around the top 10 can be done in three weeks, two at a push.
Starting from Gdansk, head west along the coast in the hope of spotting white-tailed eagles above the dunes and lakes of Slowinski National Park or the cliffs and lagoons of Wolin National Park. Then it’s a long slog south to the snowfields of Karkonosze National Park for alpine flora, black grouse and mouflon.
From here you can work your way east along the Carpathian Mountains, taking in the sandstone rock formations of the Góry Stolowe National Park and the bat caves of Ojców National Park before reaching the cream of Poland’s national parks – the alpine mountains of the Tatra National Park, and the scenic river gorge of Pieniny National Park.
East again lie the lovely wooded hills and mountain meadows of Bieszczady National Park, one of the last corners of Europe where wolf, bear and lynx survive in the wild. If time allows, head north to visit the primeval forest of Bialowieza National Park, famed for its herds of bison, and the vast wetlands of Biebrza National Park.
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