PAN Parks - Bieszczady National Park (Poland)

Poloniny National Park (Slovakia)

Východné Karpaty Protected Landscape Area (Slovakia)

The Bieszczady Mountains, in the south east corner of Poland, are part of the Carpathian chain of mountains that run from southern Poland into Slovakia, Ukraine and ultimately Romania. They form some of wildest territory in Poland, not least because of forcible de-population carried out after the Second World War. That tragedy has led much of mountains to be reclaimed by nature, and today they are home to wolf, bear, bison, lynx and eagle. The rounded peaks have forested slopes of natural beech, with the highest slopes of the Bieszczady of open grassland, affording wide panoramic views.

The Bieszczady National Park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, such is the importance of its natural heritage. In the National Park, the Połoniny hills are two large narrow ridges which are very popular with visitors. Slightly higher are the Great and Little Rawka summits close to the Ukrainian border as well as Tarnica (1346m). Ustrzyki Górne and Wetlina are useful bases for exploring this region. Just to the west of the National Park, the Bieszczady narrow gauge railway runs from Cisna, with trains running east to Przysłup and occasionally west to Wola Michowa (and in the near future Nowy Łupków).

The Bieszczady range are interconnected by a network of colour-coded paths, which often run along the ridges and summits of the mountains. Being located in the far south east corner of Poland, the climate is very continental with bitterly cold winters and hot summers. The region is isolated from the rest of the country, and that makes access that bit more challenging - particularly after recent cuts in the public transport network.

Bus Links in Poland (NB Footnotes in Polish!)

Sanok Bus Departures PKS Sanok

Map of bus services: PKS Sanok

Getting there by sustainable transport

However, the Countrygoer guide makes it all that bit easier! The main gateway to the region is through Sanok, which is a hub for buses which run into the hinterland. Buses run through to Ustrzyki Górne, Lutowiska, Wetlina and Cisna as well as Komańcza and Nowy Łupków.

Getting to Sanok off-season is easiest via Rzeszów (just over 2 hours by fast train from Kraków) with regular buses running south. There are also some direct services from Kraków and Katowice to Ustrzyki Górne. To the north west of the Bieszczady are the Besid Niski (Low Beskid range) which run along the Slovak border. This area where the ranges meet around Komańcza has less of the bustle of the highest mountains, but nonetheless keeps its wild charachter. During the summer weekends the western edge of the Bieszczady can be accessed by the railway running between Zagórz, Komańcza, and Łupków on the Slovak border. Connecting trains run on to Medzilaborce in Slovakia.

Note that many buses are seasonal, particulary those in the High Bieszczady area running to/from outlying areas of the mountains.

Buses in Slovakia to the Beskid Niski range (NB Footnotes in Slovak!):

Medzilaborce - Palota & Kalinov bus times SAD Hummené.

Buses in Slovakia to the Východné Karpaty:

Hummené - Svetlice - Medzilaborce bus times SAD Hummené.

Snina & Stakčin to Runina and Nová Sedlica SAD Hummené.

From Slovakia, buses from Medzilaborce and Hummené can be used to access the Bieszczady range from the south. In Slovakia the mountains are known as Bukovské vrchy.

There are regular trains from Košice to Hummené and an overnight train (couchettes/sleepers) from Bratislava.