Kayaks and canoes - trip down the Narew

The following description is a continuation of the kayak trip started on the Narewka River.

28.3 km - we arrive at the recreational center near the village of Rybaki (a wooden hangar is visible over the water). There is a lot of space to pitch tents in the forest surrounding the center and on the meadow by the water. This is a very convenient place for a camp.

40.0 km - continuing the kayak trip, we pass under the road bridge on the Białystok - Hajnówka route. Right after it, on the right side, there is a convenient place to get out of the kayaks. There is a lookout tower and several huts, so you can stop for the night or rest. In the nearby village of Narew, you can do some shopping and possibly eat a meal. Additionally, there is a large and very nice church worth visiting. The area around the bridge is also a good place to start or end shorter kayak trips on the Narewka and Narew rivers. You can easily bring or pick up kayaks here. The village of Narew is easily accessible by public transport from Białystok.

51.4 km - paddling further, we stop near the village of Puchły on the right bank of the river to visit the beautiful church. It's probably the most beautiful of all the ones we've encountered on the Narew kayak trip. In Puchły, there is also an agritourism farm. Continuing the kayak trip, we pass the village of Ciełuszki on the right side. Behind it, under the forest on the right bank of the Narew, there is a very nice camping spot where we can stop the kayaks and possibly end the stage of the trip.

62.0 km - if we want to paddle further, we reach the beautifully located village of Koźliki. On the slope, on the left bank of the river, we can see a small forest church, and a little further on, a windmill hidden among the trees. About 300-400 meters behind the windmill, we stop for the night on the left bank of the Narew. The gentle, sandy exit makes it easy to pull the kayaks ashore. The pine forest reaches the water's edge here, making it an ideal place to end another day of the kayak trip.

70.8 km - continuing the kayak trip, we reach the historic road bridge on the Białystok - Lublin route. On the way, we passed the village of Kaniuki on the right bank of the river, where we could get out of the kayaks and do some shopping. We also paddled near the recreational centers on the left bank of the Narew in Ploski. There was also an opportunity to get out of the kayaks and stop for a rest or a swim. If we want to eat something, it's worth stopping the kayaks under the bridge to go to the "Zagłoba" inn, located about 500 meters to the left of the bridge.

79.3 km - paddling further down the Narew, we reach the village of Kożany on the right bank of the river. Often, kayak trips stop here to visit the very nice church. Paddling downstream, we encounter a railway bridge in the area of the village of Strabla.

86.7 km - the kayaks pass under the road bridge near the village of Doktorce, where there are former recreational centers and a shop. We can set up a campsite on the sandy beach behind the bridge on the right bank of the Narew, or near or on the grounds of the ZHP center.

96.0 km - the kayak trip reaches the village of Zawyki, passing the picturesque village of Samułki Małe and then Samułki Duże (where we can get out to the shop). In Zawyki, the river widens significantly, and we need to be careful when paddling through the concrete plates laid across the Narew at the beginning of the village. We can stop here and do some necessary shopping at the nearby shop.

103.9 km - we arrive at the Active Tourism Center "Bajdarka" located on the left bank in the small town of Suraż. This is the best-organized accommodation spot on the Narew kayak trip route. There is a large camping site, a pension with rooms for rent, a restaurant serving local dishes, and a kayak rental. We can use the showers, internet, play volleyball, do some shopping in the nearby shops, and visit the small Archaeological Museum. In Suraż, the old street layout has been preserved, and there is an old grodzisko called "Królowej Bony" hill. The Active Tourism Center "Bajdarka" is where 2-3 day kayak trips through the Narew National Park usually start, and the Narew River is an example of a multi-channel river, also known as an anastomosing river. At the center's reception, we can buy admission tickets for the kayak trip and maps of the NPN, which are worth purchasing due to the numerous river branches. 200 meters further, the river is crossed by a road bridge, and after another 500 meters, the Narew National Park begins.

112.9 km - we arrive at the OKF beach in Uhowo, where we can stop. At the exit from the beach, there is a shop, and in the nearby Community Center, it's worth visiting the Narwiańska Gallery. A nice camping spot is also located near the pine grove about 1.5 km behind the village. Uhowo and nearby Łapy are accessible by train, making it a good place to start short kayak trips on the Narew. Below the village, the valley starts to be overgrown with high reeds, and the river retains this character, with minor interruptions, until the end of the Narew National Park. 117.8 km - it's worth stopping the kayaks at the hornbeam grove on the slope between fields and meadows on the left bank of the Narew. This is a good place to rest, visited by kayak trips, and known among local residents as "Durnego Chaty".

121.1 km - before the stone weir in Bokin, we can stop the kayaks and get out to the shop located about 100 meters away. Before the village, as well as along the entire Bokin, we notice a huge number of bays and tributaries. Some of them can be paddled through and will make the kayak trip more interesting, but we need to pay attention to whether there is a noticeable water current in them. The Narew River bed along the village is relatively fast and rocky, with a large number of shallows. We need to choose the route of the trip carefully to avoid damaging the kayaks and canoes. After about 2.8 km, we pass under the road bridge on the Wysokie Mazowieckie - Białystok route.

125.1 km - continuing the kayak trip, we arrive at the village of Topilec. Paddling further down the main riverbed, we encounter two islands, and we need to steer the kayaks to the right, otherwise, we will miss an excellent spot for a stop - a clearing on the right bank of the river with a lookout tower (just before a small stone weir). We can stop the kayaks here, as firewood is easily accessible. It's worth ending the stage of the Narew kayak trip here. At high water levels, this place is an island, and at low water levels, we can reach Topilec via a 700-meter long path and visit the church and a small historic cemetery from World War I.

129.0 km - we arrive at the colony of Topilec. On the right bank of the Narew, behind the village, there is a camping site of the Narew National Park with a hut with tables and benches and a small observation platform. In this town, there is also a second, private camping site at the beginning of the village. We can also stop the kayaks at the nearby oak grove Murawiniec, which is located on the left bank of the Narew below the NPN camping site.

135.7 km - paddling further down the Narew, we arrive at Waniewo, located on the left bank of the river. There is a stone weir here, which we need to portage the kayaks or canoes around. On warm days, we suggest taking a break from the trip and using the beach and possibly taking a swim. Nearby, there is a small bar. At the height of Waniewo, the river creates many bays, tributaries, and oxbow lakes, which can be admired from the lookout tower. A major attraction here is the wooden footbridge Waniewo - Śliwno, connecting the towns located on both sides of the valley. It runs across the valley, intersecting its numerous riverbeds, and we can cross it on floating ferries, pulling them with ropes. In the town, there are also agritourism quarters.

139.3 km - we arrive at the sign "Kurowo" on the left bank. Here, we will steer the kayaks to the left and leave the main riverbed for 1.8 km to visit the headquarters of the Narew National Park, located in a historic 19th-century manor house. It's worth getting out of the kayaks and stopping for a longer period, preferably overnight. We can visit the park, climb the lookout tower, and walk along the educational footbridge. Near the Park's headquarters, there is a camping site equipped with toilets, a hut, and a place for a campfire. To return to the main riverbed after sightseeing or overnight, we need to turn left when exiting the marina, and after 500 meters, turn right on a wide tributary. The kayak route in the Kurowo area is marked, and there are information boards with maps at the marina.

142.5 km - continuing the kayak trip, we enter the oxbow lake, where on the right, we can see one of the abutments of the so-called "broken bridge" that existed before World War II on the Białystok - Jeżewo route. On the right, we can also see a sandy island where we can get out of the kayaks and canoes to swim. The next village we pass on the left bank of the Narew is Radule.

146.2 km - after paddling past a solitary farm behind Radule, we arrive at the stone weir, known as the mill weir, which kayaks and canoes can pass on the right side without major problems, and we enter the artificially widened Narew riverbed as a result of regulatory work.

148.8 km - we arrive at the tributary on the left, which was the main riverbed of the Narew before the regulatory work. It is marked with a sign that says "Rzędziany", and 50 meters below this tributary, on the main riverbed, there is a permanent stone threshold. This is a characteristic place indicating the need to turn left into the Rzędziany tributary. We steer the kayaks into this narrow tributary and after 50 meters, we turn right.

150.6 km - we arrive at the agritourism farm in Rzędziany, where we end the Narewka and Narew kayak trip. Paddling further down this riverbed, after about 4 km, we will re-emerge onto the main, regulated Narew riverbed, thus avoiding the first weir in Rzędziany. We can paddle down this riverbed to the town of Wizna, where the Biebrza River flows into the Narew. This section is 51 km long, and the kayak trip should be divided into two days, with an overnight stay near Tykocin. However, it will be necessary to portage the kayaks over the weirs located near the towns of Babino, Złotoria, Góra, Tykocin, and Strękowa Góra.