Bieszczady: the wild poloniny of the Carpathians
In the far south-eastern corner of Poland, where the borders with Ukraine and Slovakia meet, the Bieszczady Mountains hold high-altitude grasslands and forests inhabited more by bison, wolves and bears than by tourists. One of the most depopulated and silent areas in Europe.
Foto: Moyan Brenn from Anzio, Italy (CC BY 2.0) — Wikimedia Commons
There is a corner of Poland that seems to have fallen off the tourism maps. The Bieszczady Mountains occupy the far south-eastern edge of the country, where the frontiers with Ukraine and Slovakia almost touch. It is a land that still bears the scars of history: after the Second World War entire villages were abandoned and their people relocated, and today those valleys are among the least inhabited on the continent. Where once there were fields and houses, forests now grow and wolves, brown bears, lynx and herds of reintroduced European bison roam. For those seeking wild nature and solitude, it is still here.
The poloniny
The signature of the landscape is the poloniny, vast grasslands that cover the highest peaks in place of woodland. They are not man-made pastures but natural, wind-swept expanses of grass, which grant open, panoramic walks that are extremely rare in the wooded Carpathians. The most famous is the Połonina Wetlińska, a long undulating ridge on which stands a much-loved historic hut, spartanly built and reachable only on foot. Not far off stretches the Połonina Caryńska, another grassy rise crossed while enjoying three-hundred-and-sixty-degree views. The highest point of the range is Mount Tarnica, a classic destination from which, on clear days, the gaze reaches far beyond the borders.
The hiking heart revolves around the small centres of Ustrzyki Górne and Wetlina, at the last bends of the scenic road that leads into the national park. From these villages the marked paths that climb to the poloniny set off. Getting here takes effort: this is a peripheral area, far from the big cities, reachable by car or by infrequent buses, and it is precisely this inconvenience that keeps it sheltered from the crowds. Once on site you move on foot along a network of well-signposted routes.
Difficulty of the route
The walks are of moderate difficulty. The climbs to the ridges are steep but not technical, on paths of earth and rock that become muddy and slippery after rain. A ridge traverse from one polonina to another takes up much of a day, with elevation gains to tackle with fit legs but without any need for mountaineering gear. You can arrange day loops or chain several peaks together relying on the huts. The weather changes quickly on the exposed grasslands: fog, wind and downpours can arrive suddenly even in summer.
When to go
The best period runs from early summer to autumn. June tints the poloniny with flowers and intense green; September and October grant crisp air, beech forests turning to copper and that sense of luminous emptiness that is the place's signature. Autumn is also the season of the deer rut, which echoes through the valleys at dawn and dusk. Crowds, in truth, are almost never a problem here: only summer weekends see a little movement on the best-known paths near Ustrzyki Górne, while on weekdays and outside high summer you can walk for hours crossing very few people.
The border culture
Beyond the walks it is worth slowing down and savouring the border culture of this land. In the villages you still find the wooden Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches of the Rusyns and Lemkos, the minorities who once populated these valleys, and in the small local museums the story is told of the inhabitants moved elsewhere in the mid-twentieth century. It is a memory that gives depth to the silence of the woods and makes you understand why nature has reclaimed so much space here.
A practical tip: you are in a territory where bears and bison truly live in the wild, not in an enclosure. Keep your distance from the animals, never approach to photograph them, make some noise while walking through dense woodland and store your food so it doesn't attract unwanted visits to your camp or hut. Bring water supplies and provisions, because along the ridges you find no shops and the huts are few and spartan. This is its beauty: a piece of Europe that has truly remained in the wild.
Practical guides for Como
Practical info
When is the best time to visit Bieszczady?
The recommended time is June, September and October, when it is less crowded.
Where is Bieszczady?
Bieszczady is located in South-eastern Poland.
