Things to do
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Białowieża National Park
The strict reserve of the national park, an area of old-growth forest with oaks, limes and spruces several centuries old and fallen trunks left where they lie. Walks of about three hours start at a gate near the Palace Park. A licensed guide is required, so book one ahead through the park's tourist office.
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Białowieża Palace Park
The landscaped park around the site of the tsar's hunting palace, burned in the war and later demolished, with ponds, old trees and a stone obelisk from a royal hunt. The national park's nature museum and its viewing tower stand in the grounds. The park is free to walk, and the museum is ticketed.
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European Bison Show Reserve
A reserve in the forest where European bison, wolves, elk, wild horses and deer live in large enclosures along a woodland path. Bison died out in the wild after the First World War and were bred back from zoo animals, the first returning here in 1929. The reserve is ticketed and lies a few kilometres west of the village.
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Royal Oaks Way
A short loop through the forest past giant oaks, each one named after a Polish king or Lithuanian grand duke, partly on a raised boardwalk. The path is easy and needs no guide. It starts from a car park a few kilometres west of the village, and entry is ticketed.
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Żebra Żubra
A wooden boardwalk trail through wet alder and ash forest south of the village, crossing streams and bog on planks. It runs for about three kilometres, is free and needs no guide. The planks turn slippery after rain and in autumn, when leaves cover them.
