Beaver & Balloon Adventure in the Biebrza Marshes, Aug 2017
Tour Leader: Andrzej Petryna (Andy)
Participants: Rachel, Jason & Laura (UK)
Text by Andrzej Petryna & Mariola Przyborowska
Photos by Andrzej Petryna
After pick up and ca 3 hrs drive from Warsaw we reached our guesthouse, small wooden lodge situated right in the heart of the Biebrzański National Park. It was a perfect location and starting point to our pre-breakfast walks and daily excursions, as we were in closest proximity to the trails and our favourite sites. Cosy atmosphere of the place coupled with traditional homemade meals prepared every day by our hosts made our stay very relaxing and enjoyable.

During our daily trips we focused on exploring the most interesting and pristine places of the National Park in search of the rare birdlife and Elks. The landscape of marshes was peaceful and seemed endless, just magnificent! In such vast open space we could see from a distance numerous Elk (Moose) wading in the reeds, and we were awaiting with excitement our planned hot-balloon flight over the marshes to see them closer. And this is how it lookes like from above ;-)

The hot-balloon flight over the Biebrza Marshes was organised exclusively for our group, and undoubtedly became the highlight of our tour. It was an hour-long flight – an extraordinary hour of breathtaking views over the marshlands and meandring Biebrza River. We took off late in the afternoon from the western bank of the National Park, and landed at sunset in the eastern part, crossing the Marshes at its widest part and enjoying the most amazing scenery.

Flying at different heights we had an excellent close view of 2 Red Deer and 9 Elk (Moose), mainly males with antlers. Here is one of them:

But it wasn’t the end of our adventures, as on the other evening we boarded a flat bottomed boat, and accompanied by the experienced local crew we cruised down the river carefully searching its banks for Beavers. They didn’t dissapoint us! Soon we noticed dark silhouettes at the edge of the water. In the spotlight, we could observe these fascinating animals from a close distance without disturbing them. That was a very successful evening!

In general, we had a superb time with great and very dedicated group. During just 4 days we enjoyed fantanstic wildlife sightings, and saw the Biebrza Marshes from so many different perspectives. An exceptional overall experience!
Please enjoy few more photos from our tour: