Podlaskie Stork Trail

The red markers of the Podlaskie Stork Trail lead cyclists through a land where storks nest in almost every village – from Lake Hańcza and the viaducts of Stańczyki to the Białowieża Forest. Work on the trail began in 2002; it links four national parks – Wigry, Biebrza, Narew and Białowieża – and is part of the international Greenways network. Its highlight is Pentowo near Tykocin, a European Stork Village.

Two sections, four parks

The route splits into a Suwałki section (183 km) and a Podlasie section (206 km), about 390 km in total. In the north the markers start at Stańczyki, beside century-old railway viaducts that look like Roman aqueducts, and run through Suwałki Landscape Park, Błaskowizna on Lake Hańcza – Poland's deepest lake – and the area around Lake Wigry with its Camaldolese monastery. The trail then enters the sandy forest tracks of the Augustów Forest, passes Sztabin and Jasionowo, and the Podlasie section begins in Goniądz on the Biebrza river.

South of the Biebrza the trail passes Osowiec-Twierdza, Tykocin, Kurowo and Suraż, then follows the Narew valley via Narew, Odrynki and Narewka to finish in Białowieża. The sequence of places is: Białowieża – Pogorzelce – Narewka – Narew – Suraż – Kurowo – Tykocin – Pentowo (link route) – Osowiec-Twierdza – Goniądz – Sztabin – Krasnybór – Mikaszówka – Wigry – Stary Folwark – Błaskowizna – Stańczyki.

Pentowo – nests around a manor house

Storks began nesting here on the tops of broken trees after a great storm swept across Podlasie in 1991. Each spring more than 20 pairs settled around the wooden manor of the Toczyłowski family, and in autumn about 80 young and adult birds flew south. A stork-watching tower stands by the manor. Next door is Tykocin, with its Baroque church, market square and one of the finest brick synagogues in the region.

Nature along the way

• the Biebrza Marshes – nearly 100,000 ha of wetland, among the largest natural wetlands in Europe, home to 262 bird species,
• the Narew valley near Suraż – 2–4 km wide, with the river flowing in many channels through reed beds, nicknamed the Polish Amazon,
• the Białowieża Forest – the last fragment of primeval lowland forest in Europe, at the end of the trail.

Tripto tip

Allow a long weekend for each of the two sections. The route mixes asphalt, dirt roads and sandy forest tracks – a touring or gravel bike with wider tyres works best. Storks are around from spring to late summer; before their autumn migration they gather in large flocks on the Narew meadows. The trail's official website is no longer online, so download a GPX track from a cycling portal or tourist map before you go.