Będkowska Valley

Będkowska Valley is 7–8 km long and one of the longest valleys of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. The Będkówka stream runs along its floor beneath limestone crags, and in the middle rises Sokolica – the highest rock of the Jura, with a face of up to 60 m. It is one of the eight valleys of the Kraków Valleys Landscape Park and also one of the largest climbing areas in the region.

A karst valley full of rock formations

Carved into Jurassic limestone, the valley has the character of a gorge: steep slopes to the east, gentler ones to the west. Almost every karst feature can be seen here – caves, rock outcrops, resurgences and waterfalls. Side ravines with names of their own branch off the main valley, including Wąwóz Będkowicki and Przecówki. Cavers have recorded around 120 caves and rock shelters in the area; the largest and best known is Nietoperzowa Cave (Bat Cave), open to guided visits. The valley starts by national road no. 94 from Kraków to Olkusz and ends in the hamlet of Łączki Kobylańskie.

The trail through Będkowska Gate and past Sokolica

The Małopolska Landscape Parks authority suggests a route of about 7 km (around 2.5 hours, moderate difficulty) starting at the fire station in Będkowice, which has a car park and the "Będkowice" bus stop. The yellow trail leads through Wąwóz Będkowicki to Będkowska Gate – a rock gate formed by three crags: Narożniak, Pytajnik and Rotunda. The blue trail then passes Sokolica and the Brandysówka guesthouse, reaching the Szum waterfall after about 350 m. The last stretch is roughly a kilometre's walk to the Będkówka resurgence, from where you return the same way. Łabajowa and Nietoperzowa caves lie in the upper part of the valley, off this route.

What to see

• Sokolica – more than 100 m above the valley floor, the highest rock in Poland outside the Tatras open to climbing, with about 30 routes.
• The Sokolica hillfort – remains of a rampart and dry moat of a stronghold from the end of the first millennium AD; archaeologists also found traces of Neolithic and Lusatian culture settlement.
• Szum waterfall, also called the Wide Waterfall – about 4 m high, the highest waterfall in the Jura.
• Brandysowa Polana, a meadow with playfully named crags and a climbers' mecca.
• The Będkówka resurgence – a fissure karst spring yielding about 50–60 litres per second, which does not freeze even in harsh winters; protected as a natural monument.

Tripto tips

Entry to the valley is free, and the road along its floor is closed to unauthorised vehicles. Allow about 3 hours with breaks for the route from Będkowice to the resurgence and back; the trail is partly through woodland and on dirt paths, so wear comfortable shoes. The car park at Brandysówka is small, so it is easier to leave the car in Będkowice or Łączki Kobylańskie. On sunny weekends the crags are busy with climbers – do not linger beneath the walls, where stones may fall. Plan a visit to Nietoperzowa Cave separately, checking its season and guided-tour rules.