Visiting Białowieża
Visiting Białowieża, primeval forest is part of a greater plan of visiting Poland and Lithuania. Instead of heading towards all inclusive packages for the summer we decided to spend our vacation differently.
We started our vacation in Prague and we had the first proper stop in Lodz followed by another in Bialystok. And while in Bialystok we couldn’t miss seeing Białowieża.
Bialowieza is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest. It managed to remain like that mainly because it was declared a hunting reserve for many years.
Białowieża National Park Visitor center, Poland
Bialowieza National Park is very close to Bialystok and my husband in particular wanted to visit it. He read a little about the place and he wanted to see some bison. It took us approximately one hour and a half to get to Białowieża National Park Visitor Center.
Guided tours can be arranged in certain areas of Białowieża, primeval forest but in the day we got there there were none in English. However we had plenty to see!
Center for Nature Education at the Białowieża National Park is located in a very cute old house. It remained me a bit of houses from certain rural parts of Romania.
Near the house there is a picnicking area and a place where kids can play. As can be expected there is nature all around and kids can enjoy a good chase. However there are plenty of insects and is better if they wear long pans and long sleeve t-shirts.
Nature and Forest Museum
While in Bialowieza one can not miss Nature and Forest Museum. Permanent exhibitions are divided in thematic blocks and they cover all the nature related issues. The collections are quite impressive and they cover zoology and biology.
You can see on display all the animals that live in the forest.
The display of bird collection is enhanced with the natural sound of the birds.
Insect collection is a bit scary… 🙂
In order to visit the museum we bought tickets and we got electronic guide in English. So we could hear the description of each display. But there are also touch-screen computers that you can access.
We didn’t have the stroller with us but the building has elevator and moving with a stroller or wheel-chair should not be a problem.
Once you finished seeing the exhibitions you can admire the view from the observatory.
Reservation Białowieża
Białowieża, primeval forest is well know for the bison and we couldn’t leave without seeing the reservation. Which is not far away from the Nature and Forest Museum.
The parking is free and is very close to the reservation entrance.
There are a few animals on display and they are kept in semi natural conditions.
The enclosures are quite big so you might not be able to see them at times.
Although there are not so many animals the surface is quite big
You can purchase some small souvenirs and water from the same place where you can buy the tickets. And outside the perimeter of the reservation there are a few local sellers. You can buy the local honey or so they say. 🙂
Overall the trip was very nice and little F had a good time. He enjoyed the animals and he behaved quite well at the museum. For a good meal we stopped in Hajnowa at the restaurant Starowka. The ambient was nice and the food was tasty!
We enjoyed our trip in the nature! I hope you enjoy your outing too!
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Lodz day trip, part of our road trip
Sightseeing Bialystok on our road trip