Słowiński National Park

What makes it special

The dunes stand on a narrow spit of land between the Baltic Sea and Lake Łebsko. They are bare, moving dunes, and the wind off the sea lifts fine sand from their crests, so each dune creeps east. The Łącka dune, the one the path from Rąbka leads to, is about 30 metres high, a climb of loose sand at the end of the walk in.

Years after a dune passes, the wind uncovers the forest it buried, and grey pine stumps stand out of the open sand.

Around the moving sand, the park shows every stage of how a dune settles. Grasses come first, then lichens, herbs, shrubs and tree seedlings, and finally the seaside pine forest that covers the older dunes.

Visiting

Outside May to September, every trail is free. In season, you need a ticket for selected trails, bought online or at the ticket points beside them, and a multi-day ticket is sold beside the single one. Walking the marked trails to the beach and along it costs nothing.

From Rąbka, you walk in to the Łącka dune or ride a meleks, a golf-cart-style shuttle, for a fee. The marked loop from Stara Łeba is 15.1 km, nearly half of it along the beach and the rest through coastal pine forest, out to the Łącka dune and back.

Guided or on your own

The park has no guides of its own, so a group tour must bring its own guide, and the park works closely with local guides. On your own, the marked trails and the shuttle from Rąbka are all you need to reach the dunes.

Tips

The bare dunes get very hot in summer sun, so carry water, a hat and a high-factor sunscreen. Adders live in the park, so watch where you step.

If you have a full day, the Czołpino lighthouse and the park museum there make a second destination. The museum shuts on Mondays in season and its ticket desk closes at 16:00, so go there first.