National parks

Bieszczady National Park

Fot. Stap22, SkyMaja , CC BY 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons

Why visit?

Visit duration180–300 min

Price€

EntryNo

DogsNo

ParkingYes

The Bieszczady National Park is the wildest corner of the Polish mountains: 292 km² of połoniny meadows, primeval forests and empty valleys — the largest national park in the Polish mountains. Established in 1973 and enlarged four times since, it is famous for its połoniny: treeless ridges above the upper forest line, overgrown with bilberry heath and covering about 1,800 ha — a belt found nowhere else in Poland. Nearly all of Poland's large carnivores live here: the brown bear, the wolf, the lynx (the park's emblem species) and the wild cat, and since 1993 Hucul horses have grazed on the meadows. The park's symbol is Tarnica (1,346 m), the highest peak of the Polish Bieszczady; the most popular route to it starts from the car park at Wołosate — about 4.4 km and two hours of climbing. Chatka Puchatka on Połonina Wetlińska, one of the most atmospheric shelters in the Carpathians, has become a legend. Since 1992 the park has formed, together with Slovakia's Poloniny and Ukraine's Uzhanskyi national parks, the International East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve; it received the European Diploma in 1998, and since 2021 its Carpathian beech forests (about 11% of its area) have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The night sky is among the darkest in Poland. Access to the trails is paid: a one-day ticket can be bought at the entrance gates (including Wołosate and Ustrzyki Górne) or online as an e-ticket; children under 7 enter free, and 15% of the revenue goes to mountain rescue. The best hiking season runs from May to October. Dogs are allowed only exceptionally, on a few designated stretches — plan your trip without your pet. Set off for Tarnica early, carry enough water and an offline map: the weather changes fast and mobile coverage is patchy.