Tailor-made, multi-day (usually 4-7 days) rafting trips, organised somewhat “for themselves”, independent of client bookings, but open to all. Special prices – cheap, basically “at cost”, although sometimes in remote places (then sometimes longer, even up to two weeks). You are welcome!
We organise one or two rafting trips a year. Usually at Corpus Christi and at the turn of July and August. You can read more about these below. In addition, there are sometimes shorter, one-day rafting trips in the local area (you will need to phone us to find out about these, as they are often planned a little in advance, spontaneously).
Details, including finances, are agreed with those interested – write or phone.
Invitations are sent out at least a month before the trip.
We publish a short report after the trip.
Date: 7-11 June
River: Black Hancza on the section from Wigry Lake to Augustow Canal.
Very easy, lots of rapids. The only thing we are afraid of is a lot of people and therefore accommodation problems.
You are very welcome.
Report about rafting on the Black Hancza River
It is a beautiful but short river. It took us 2.5 days to cross it from Lake Wigry. We continued on the Augustow Canal. It surprised us with charming and really very clean lakes. Everywhere, both on the river and on the lakes, there are plenty of campsites – with one exception – in the middle reaches there is a long stretch without any, the banks are not conducive. Also, most of the campsites are in villages, next to farms, and in forests, in wilderness areas, there is little accommodation, and when there is, it is not very comfortable. The main problem is that they are overcrowded, especially before the central part of the forest. It is advisable to plan your accommodation a little further ahead or behind. You should also bear in mind that all accommodation here is currently paid for, and not just a little. Also, everything here is expensive now – even shopping at the rather unusual daytime-only “roadside bars”, tables with various local and often home-made specialities (including alcoholic beverages), can be a big expense. It’s a nice bit of folklore and thrift, though, and what a cool experience to get a biscuit or a cup right into your canoe as you paddle through. There are also plenty of ordinary barges with their own produce. But back to the charms of the river, because it really is exceptional – the water is clean, the vegetation is lush but does not interfere with canoeing, the banks are pretty, you can paddle in the shade or in the sun, the riverbed is divided, you can choose your route and there are no obstacles (be they weirs, dams or even fallen trees). This is undoubtedly an advantage, as the congestion on the river makes paddling difficult even without it. I can imagine the congestion caused by any obstacle.
We paddled the Czarna Hancza in 1985 and the comparison was quite shocking, the river is a bit different (it was wilder, especially the undeveloped banks), but mainly the number of kayaks and other equipment (e.g. SUPs) has changed. Back then we were alone on the river, we didn’t meet anyone (well, we have to admit that the weather wasn’t great then either, which was probably a deterrent), but now the number of people on the water is incredible (the weather was good this time) – as one-day trips dominate, you have to add many thousands of one-day trips to the probably thousands of paddlers like us (with overnight stays). All in all, the river is packed with canoes, you paddle in a crowd and have to be constantly on your guard to avoid collisions. Especially with those with a higher percentage of alcohol in their blood.
Nevertheless, the river is well worth a visit, as are the canal and Lake Wigry (the first night was delightful, partly because of the view of the monastery emerging from the reeds and the size of the lake – and that is only one part of it). The rafting trip was a great success, with everyone happy and full of memories.
Date: 15-19.06
River: Łeba, upper and middle section, about 75 km, or less if it is difficult.
Difficult in places, fast, shallow and rocky. Difficult in places, many obstacles. However, even beginners can do it – we will help each other by rafting small sections in a day.
Please contact us to reserve your equipment.
Costs to be agreed individually, hire as per price list, transport costs to be shared by all participants, you must bring your own car. Booking as always by phone or email.
You are very welcome!
A short report about rafting on the upper Łeba.
The Łeba turned out to be a beautiful river, but canoeing was quite difficult… There was too little water, so it was more walking than swimming. The beavers also did their bit, knocking down a lot of trees and sometimes creating real dams (although this was not a nuisance, it was fun). Single track swimmers had less to complain about – in fact, as someone rightly said, “the perception of this river depended on the current”. The runs were therefore more than modest, so only the upper Łeba to Tłuczew. 2-3 big portages at the trout farms. I recommend the river on this section, but rather at higher water levels. Very picturesque, varied and interesting. The only drawback is that the water is not clean and can even stink in places. However, this may be less noticeable at higher water levels. There were plenty of places to stay and usually after 5-10 minutes we found a nice spot, although most of them were not in the forest but in the coastal meadows. Generally everyone came back happy, although a lot of the credit for that goes to the good weather. We will probably go to central Leba again. And a video from the top:
Date: 2-7.06
River: Pilawa, about 90 km (maximum variation).
Apparently very easy and charming, clean water, many lakes in the upper reaches. We sail without hurry.
Please contact me and reserve your equipment, as usual we will probably run out of the desired models – so first come, first served.
Pilawa rafting trip (2-7 June 2021) – short report
The weather was beautiful almost the whole time, which really helped the mood – the rafting seemed exceptionally nice and pleasant. The water in the river (as it was shallow almost to the end – but not too shallow!, yes borderline, a small river) was very clear until Sweden – then unfortunately polluted. As the tone of this rafting trip was set by the very young (9 people under 12), the stops were dominated by games, happy swimming, playing. Sometimes paddling practice. Accommodation was very varied – in a field with a beach on a lake, on an amazingly wild island, on a crystal clear stretch of river… In really beautiful forests. All very comfortable for a large group (20 people), with good places to sit around the campfire.
The Pilawa River flows through a lot of interesting, very different lakes on this stretch, which makes for a huge variety of environments, but also more effort, as the current doesn’t help. I don’t know if there was more swimming in the lakes than in the river. Some of these lakes are dammed, hence the portages at the dams (one weir quite high). Unfortunately all the dams are rather unnavigable and the portages are sometimes uncomfortable, although not long. A trolley won’t help much on them, so it’s better to do the portage with several people. Other obstacles, such as fallen trees, are almost non-existent, low bridges etc. not at all. On the other hand, there are a few pipe culverts that are nice to float down.
In short, it is a very relaxing trip, the river is really charming and you meet very few other rafters. Although the water level is quite stable thanks to the many lakes, you have to be careful not to encounter a low water level (e.g. late summer, drought) as many sections can be too shallow. In general, the river is highly recommended. It is a pity that the section down from Sweden, which is quite nice and not ugly, is dirty and smelly.
In 2020 we canoed down the Krutynia from Gielądzki Lake to Zgon. It is a small river with short stretches between many large lakes. Thanks to the pandemic it was relatively empty (but in normal times it must be really crowded) and we had no problem finding accommodation. However, most of the good places are toll fields (with basic, friendly infrastructure). The exception – and it was beautiful, friendly and offered incomparable swimming, beach and other amenities – was Love Island in the lake (I think it was Zyzdroj), free and almost wild. The only problem was fuel for the campfire, which you had to swim to the forest on the lakeshore to get. As befits such a touristy river, there are almost no obstacles, although there are a few portages. The weather was not good, although it did not rain, it was quite cloudy, windy and not very warm. Nevertheless, the rafting trip was a success and many people enjoyed it very much. It was not a very demanding trip, mainly through lakes, and was well managed for a leisurely swim.
Rafting 2018
In 2018 we will be canoeing from Biskupiec to Olsztyn – a river with four names – first the Dymer, then the Dadaj, then the Pisa Warmińska and in the last section the Wadąg, which flows into the Łyna.
It may not be easy, as the rivers are not big and not very swimmable, but they are wild and there are beautiful lakes along the way. And not far away.
You are welcome!
Rafting down Dadaj and Pisa Warminski (and part of Wadąg)
Unfortunately, it turned out right at the start that rafting down the Dymer would be more walking than swimming due to the low water level, so we changed our plans and instead of starting from Kraksy Lake as we had planned, we started from the big and beautiful Dadaj Lake. The lake itself took the better part of a day, but it was well worth it. After entering the lake, there are a few hundred metres of stagnant, not very interesting river. But then there is a wooded gorge where the river almost becomes a mountain stream where you have to manoeuvre carefully between the rocks. It is clear and extremely beautiful, absolutely unique here. Unfortunately, this is only a section of a few kilometres, below the gorge the river returns to normal, although it is still beautiful. The lakes are also beautiful, although we swam in such heat that we dreamed of escaping from them, like from a hot frying pan. Below, the river widens and becomes the Pisa Warmińska. It’s not a very pretty river, surrounded by wetlands, mostly forest. Slow and not so clean. Littered in places. In Barczewo, one of the worst portages I have ever seen (even with a pushchair) – not obvious, crowded at the exit (only single canoes are lined up and taken out), long and leading through the streets of the town, ending with a stone wall several metres high with huge “stairs” where it is very difficult to launch the boat. And you end up in a river that is already very dirty and completely “channeled”. Instead, you end up in the beautiful, partly wooded Wadąg Lake, which offers excellent accommodation. Further on, the river takes on the name of a lake and in fact remains almost a lake, except that it is a dam. It is not very interesting to navigate on stagnant water through populated areas. Then it gets better, but we ended the trip a few kilometres before the estuary, so we do not know the final stretch.
In general, the Dadaj River, especially the section in the forest gorge, is one of the most beautiful rivers in south-east Poland. That is why I recommend the route through Dadaj Lake to the beginning of Pisa Warmińska, preferably in spring.
Our own rafting plan for 2017 is roughly as follows:
Corpus Christi, i.e. 13-18 June – Dubisa, (Lithuania, right tributary of the Nemunas below Kaunas) – short report below.
Summer: first half of August: Skarlanka.
Please register – I will be able to give you more information when I know how many people are willing and closer to the date of the rafting trip.
Also, if you’re not sure if you want to go, if you don’t know enough – ask, maybe I can dispel your doubts.
Rafting the Dubisa (13-18 June 2017) – Report
The river was beautiful, clean and without any portages. A few stony rapids after former mills were an excellent diversion, but no difficulties. There was also a surprisingly good supply of accommodation and well-maintained (and actually empty) campsites (although not exactly the ones we had hoped for when we sailed in the rain). And that’s it – the weather… Bright June sunshine and cloudless skies encouraged swimming in the clear waters and gave us an all-too-brief tan – until about 4 p.m. Then (every day) a thunderstorm and more or less heavy downpours for a few hours. Later in the evening it cleared up and the night was already light – so we were able to dry everything off and set off in the morning in good spirits.
Unfortunately, with the water not at its highest, the river is not very fast. There are a few sections that are a bit faster (mainly the old mill rapids, which are nice to run), but not many (the photos can be deceiving), and for the most part you have to paddle, as the current is almost imperceptible. However, the beautiful open banks, the naturalness of the river (there are basically no larger towns on it, and not many smaller ones either) and the late spring nature (summer arrives there a few weeks later than in central Poland) meant that the slowness of the current became natural, and the slightly greater effort did not bother. Also noteworthy are the amazing – well-maintained, comfortable, beautiful and large – campsites where it was a pleasure to spend the night (I don’t know if it was officially free, but nobody came to us for money).
Personally, I was very impressed by the Niemen (into which the Dubisa flows) – not only a bit wild, with naturally beautiful banks, but at the same time majestic in its size (probably not much smaller than the lower Vistula). With a strong current, coastal vegetation, numerous beaches and amazingly clear water. It is definitely a river worth rafting.
So I can highly recommend the Dubisa, along with the several dozen kilometres of the Nemunas below its mouth – especially in early June, when nature is at its most lush and people are still few and far between.
Skarlanka (August 2017) – the real river turned out to be 300 metres long, from the Brody dam to the mouth. It’s more like a system of interconnected, beautiful, small, clear lakes. It was difficult because only the first part from Lake Łąkorz to Partęczyny was shallow and silted up, then it was easy – but over standing water. I especially recommend swimming in the branch to Ciche Lake. It is really quiet and relaxing, and most of the lakes here have clear water and beautiful vegetation. The part of the “river” before the dam in the middle section is muddy, but we felt like we were in the wild Amazon. All in all – rafting is great and not tiring, highly recommended.
We would like to invite you to raft on the Biała River (1 day) and the Dunajec River (from Wróblówka to the Rożnowskie Reservoir). Accommodation in the hostel in Krościenko, transport to the stages by bus, we float empty. Our equipment, registration.
We also plan 1 day of hiking in Pieniny.
Short description of the rafting trip on the Dunajec and Biała rivers (22-28 May 2016)
First day – Biała. Unfortunately the water level was low, lots of rocks, shallow water and we had to start much lower than planned. River generally not ugly, but murky and in a deep channel (this low water) so you can see little sometimes boring. Some rapids and muddy water.
Dunajec, day one – beautiful river, clear, plenty of water, only sometimes the current under the bank is overgrown with wicker, hard to fit in. From Nowy Targ there are no more difficulties, the river is wide, slower, because now and then there are low, navigable rapids. There are a few tricky rapids (especially if we get caught in a heavy storm), but overall a great stretch. A few capsizes, some as a result of previous problems (torn tendons, badly bruised knees), but all end well – no doubt helped by the many wearing life jackets.
The second day – the Dunajec Gorge. Here the river is already big, the scenery beautiful, the weather this time without any major surprises, we reach Kroscienko. In the evening a nice football match with the local boys.
The third day was a mountain kayaking course and a typical mountain river in general. The next few days were similar (avoiding dams), although only the uninjured part of the team swam. All in all, a great river in every respect – but a bit challenging and thrilling. The beauty of the surroundings is incomparable. It’s just a shame that some of us couldn’t raft the whole thing and that part of the route is taken up by artificial lakes.
To sum up – the Dunajec is great (although it is different from lowland swimming, not everyone will like it) and I warmly recommend it, while the Biała, with its low water level, is rather not. At high water it can (I think) be dangerous.
A video of the Dunajec: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5cAyQt6Y8I
This summer we made day trips on the Iławka and Drwęca.
We invite you to go rafting in Lithuania on the rivers Ula, Mereczanka and Niemen.
The Ula is said to be very nice with few people and easy to find places to stay, maybe outside the Park area.
You can get there from Suwałki by bus, and back as well.
Order your equipment, as there is not much of it, first come, first served.
Costs are higher by travel from and to Suwałki and by tickets to the National Park.
Report on the Ula and Mereczanka rafting trip
It was an eventful trip. The first trailer breakdowns on departure led to time slips, which then only got worse. After changing to buses, it seemed that despite the late night, everything would be fine. Unfortunately, the terrible state of the roads we were travelling on led to further damage to one of the trailers, so that we had to replace it. Already in Lithuania, the bus caught a flat tyre and then broke down. As a result of the, fortunately successful, repairs we again lost several hours. As a result, we arrived at the start of the rafting trip, instead of in the afternoon, at six in the morning. There was no point in going to bed; we set off straight away. However, the sleeplessness proved fatal – we gave up two paddles to go back with the bus, it turned out we needed them after all….
The start of the river was nice, but not knocking, then it got better and better. We arrived at a super spot – on a beautifully prepared strip of land between the lake and the river for the night, so despite the young hour, we decided to take a cool dip. The swimming was sensational. The next few days the river already there proved more and more beautiful. The next night we were greeted by millions of bloodthirsty blackflies, it was difficult to stand a moment outside the tent. On the other hand, at night we experienced an unexpectedly strong frost of -5 degrees (e.g. the water in the bucket all froze over). Which, when compared with over 34 degrees during the day, is probably a lifetime record for everyone on the rafting trip. In the morning, people with a canoe passed by during breakfast. Then another and another. Then a whole, endless snake of people with kayaks, at least 60 people. They came down, they swam. When we set off, it turned out that more paddles had been lost. Unfortunately, they were identical to the ones the Lithuanians were carrying – they must have taken them by mistake. We chased them the whole day, which wasn’t difficult – it turned out it was a team-building trip and they were definitely integrating, so much so that some of them fell unconscious out of the canoe, and continued the route like corks from numerous empty bottles. It was a good thing that they were in kapoos and on the surface of the water. They lost a couple of kayaks, but our paddles did not, and on reaching their finish line, managed to retrieve them. As some of us had to swim without paddles, we spent the night there. In spite of the adventures, it was a great day; it would be hard to find a nicer and friendlier river – the obstacles are numerous but easy, providing plenty of variety, the banks are often high escarpments, thick spruce and pine forests providing much-needed shade in such temperatures, and everything was beautiful. Similarly over the following days. Practically one larger but comfortable portage.
The Mereczanka turned out to be a large river, but contrary to what I had heard earlier, quite slow – probably due to the low water level. A bit turbid, in principle maybe not ugly, but to me after Ule it seemed boring. Because of all the adventures and delays having at least one day less, we didn’t sail the Nemunas anymore, only a few hundred metres to the ‘pick-up point’. But nobody seemed to have much desire for such a big river either. It is worth mentioning that on our last overnight stay we met a group led by an old acquaintance Jan Kramek from the Lithuania-Latvia-Estonia society, who had persuaded us a few years earlier to go to Gauja and Latvia in general. Strangely enough, the meeting with his group was not very pleasant; we felt as if we were being held against them for entering “their territory”. Anyway, they left in the evening.
To sum up, the Ula is an exceptionally beautiful river and made for rafting – as it turned out, all kinds of rafting. In spite of this beauty, there are few people on it (we passed only this one day canoeing) and almost none at all – there are a few tiny villages, but nobody actually lives there permanently. I recommend the Ula very highly. The Merečanka, on the other hand, is probably worth exploring from the springs, not just in its lower reaches and rather at slightly higher water – then it will probably be more interesting.
In the end, all adventures ended without major consequences, but there will be something to remember. We will definitely return to Lithuania, although I don’t know if we will find a river nicer than the Ula.
This summer, we went on a few more one-day rafting trips – down the Pasłęka below Kasztanowo Mill, along a stretch of the Drwęca and along the Skarlanka.
River – the Upper Pilica, we start below Szczekocin, it probably flows at least as far as Przedborz. A very easy river, basically almost without obstacles, at the beginning many weirs, there can be jumps like on the Tanew.
Equipment: apart from ours. canoes “twos” can be chosen from those that will take us to the start – ELKO rental, there are Vista. Canoes, if you run out, you have to take on the way from Tomaszów, but they have only 3 there, so you have to order quickly.
A short report on rafting on the Pilica River – upper section
The canoe trip turned out to be much more interesting than we expected, although not so comfortable, even exhausting in parts. The weather was not the best and very changeable (sometimes quite cold, with thunderstorms and frequent clouds, and sometimes harsh, skin-burning sun), the river was not the cleanest and there were quite a few obstacles, not only on portages, and above all not many places suitable for accommodation. On the other hand, there were many beautiful, navigable (or almost navigable – sometimes the highest rapids were flooded) and safe rapids, an alternative riverbed for many kilometres, many tributaries not on the map, beautiful sandy banks and (for the first few days) areas not penetrated by tourists. On the last day we had a rest, we decided that it was enough to go to Przedborze – and the accommodation was great – very comfortable and nice, on a great sandy escarpment. In general, we will remember this canoe trip mainly from the perspective of the escarpment and jumping from rapids and many surprises, although there were also many beautiful places. We would like to return to the Pilica, but it might be worth waiting for the weather to clear – here, in the upper reaches, it was still tolerable, but if you know the river from Spała or even lower, you can expect unpleasant water.
This year we also went down the Wieprza (but in a small group) – the river was beautiful and quite clean, it was great, but on the last day – over twenty kilometres to the sea – we had to give it up… Boring (almost only reeds) and the water was already dirty and almost stagnant.
2013: Wda Młynki-Żur
2012: Tanev; Ogre (Latvia)
2011: Brda to Woziwoda; Wda to Młynki
2010: Venta (Lithuania, Latvia); Marózka
2009: Lower Drwęca; Gauja (Latvia – all)
2008: upper Słupia; Łupawa; upper Drwęca
2007: Gołdapa; Łyna; Wałsza; Pasłęka from Wałsza to the estuary
2006: Wel; Pasłęka from Isąg to the mouth of Wałsza; middle Drwęca
Before 2006: the Pisa, the Narew from the mouth of the Biebrza, the Mazurian Lakes, the Białawka-Wyszka, the Czarna Hańcza, the Biebrza with the Netta and Augustow canals, the Wisla from Warsaw to the Szkarpawa, the Elbląg canal, the Świder (lower course), the Bug (from Malkinia to Modlin), the Sapina from Kruklin, the Krutynia from Ukta.
You can (and sometimes must) ask us about all these rivers, although of course the older we are, the less up-to-date the information. We have sailed many of the rivers again or several times (only the first crossing is recorded here), so we know how much they can change.
We are also happy to receive suggestions for routes – drivers – on which to organise a canoe trip.
Słonik canoe and kayak rental
