Day 1 MEETING

Day 2 HOLY MOUNTAIN

Morning: Coach transfer to north-eastern Poland. On the way we make a stop in Grabarka and pay a visit to the Holy Mount which is an Orthodox Church pilgrimage site. Lunch in Grabarka.

Afternoon: Further on, we travel to a hamlet called Kleszczele - there we visit a local folk sculptor. Later we arrive in the famous small town of Bialowieza and check into your three-star hotel.

Evening: A short bike trip will help us explore the immediate vicinity. Dinner: the hotel restaurant is famous for great pierogi, lard, and porcini soup.

Distances - Day 2: bike 10-12 km.

Day 3 BIALOWIEZA FOREST - THE MOST STRICTLY PROTECTED RESERVE IN EUROPE

Famous worldwide, this closed natural reserve was set up 70 years ago. It stretches over the last preserved relics of the primeval forest which once covered almost entire Europe. The abundance of flora and fauna, including very rare and endangered species, helps emphasise the global importance of this area. The Bialowieza National Park is listed as a premium UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve.

Morning: A knowledgeable local guide will show us all the secrets of the Bialowieza National Park Museum. Afterwards, we will take a fascinating walk (3 hrs) through the very heart of the Bialowieza National Park.

Afternoon: We will mount our bikes and continue a pleasant trip to the wild animal park where we can see local wolves, elk, deer and especially "His Majesty the Zubr" i.e. the European bison.

Evening: Barbecue to the accompaniment of cheerful and lively accordion music.

Distances - Day 3: bike 30 km, walking: 6 km.

Day 4 KAYAK TRIP & BEAVER LODGES

Morning: Narewka is both a small town and a river by the same name. To get there, our coach will have to make its way through the wilderness of the primeval forests of Bialowieza. Once there, armed with kayaks, we shall challenge the water element. You needn't worry as no special skills are required for this trip: the Narewka is a very submissive river, especially for our guests.

Afternoon: After approx. 2.5 hours of kayaking we will take a short walk to pay a visit at a gamekeeper's hut. The host will treat us to coffee and tea and tell us a lot about his life, job and beaver dams hidden deep in the forest.

Day 5 THE END OF THE WORLD

Morning: We will set off on our last bike ride through the primeval forests, of which only a small part has remained until today. A forest lake will make a perfect scenery for our delicious and relaxing picnic.

Afternoon: Transfer by coach to the village of Waniewo. It will be our base for a lovely two-hour gondola trip down the lower part of the Narewka river. The nature reserve of the Narew valley belongs to one of the most interesting ornithological locations in Poland. Here one can find over 180 bird species, especially the marsh harrier - the proud symbol of the Narew National Park.

Evening: We will reach a quiet and simple but very cosy guesthouse in Waniewo. It has an outstanding chef and serves tasty regional cuisine.

Distances - Day 5: Bike 30 km, bus 100 km.

Day 6 NATIONAL PARKS & A JEWISH SYNAGOGUE

Morning: Further bike exploration of the Narew National Park which is nicknamed the Bird Paradise or the Polish Amazon - the Narew River is the only example of an anastomosing river in Europe. The river has unique multiple bending channels which are mostly overgrown by reeds. Birds love this place and we can only hope you will too.

Afternoon: We will get up to a small sleepy town of Tykocin. It is a very picturesque place dating back to the 15th century. It was here that in 1705 King August II established the most important Polish distinction: the Order of the White Eagle.

The town's major attraction is its Baroque synagogue built in 1642. One of the best preserved synagogues in Poland, it now houses a local Jewish museum.

Evening: Transfer by coach to our hotel in the buffer zone of the Biebrza National Park. Dinner and overnight stay.

Distances - Day 6: bike 75 km, bus 50 km.

Day 7 BIEBRZA NATIONAL PARK & THE RED BOGS

Morning: At dawn, an experienced local guide will lead us through various types of ecosystems, including swamps and meadows of the fascinating Biebrza National Park. The guide will also teach us how to distinguish animal tracks. We will reach the famous Red Bogs reserve. The Biebrza Park is the largest national park in Poland. It is made up of alluvial forest - every spring it is flooded and the swampy area is a perfect breeding ground for thriving wildlife. If we are watchful enough and have some luck we might even bump into an errant elk which is not uncommon around here.

Evening: After such a thrilling day all of us will thoroughly enjoy the leisure time - an evening at our cosy hotel - accommodation as on Day 6.

Distances - Day 7: Bike 20 km, walking 8 km.

Day 8 MASURIAN LAKE DISTRICT & THE TOWN OF ELK

Morning: This is the day when we finally move on our bicycles further into the Masurian Lake District, the land of 3000 lakes. The special added value is the graceful storks, the mythical birds which are said to bring children and good luck. Masuria is a region with the highest density of stork population worldwide. Every fifth stork nests in Poland, and Masuria is by far their most popular "tourist destination".
Our conclusion is that storks apparently have a highly developed sense of aesthetics.

Afternoon: We will cycle up to the town of Elk. The word Elk has no literal meaning in Polish (the animal called elk is called "los" and pronounced as "wash" in Polish) but is associated with the scenic countryside surrounding Elk Lake. If the weather is hot, we will have a refreshing dip in the lake.

Evening: Dinner and overnight stay in a cosy hotel in Elk.

Distances - Day 8: Bike 55 km.

Day 9 GIZYCKO - THE CAPITAL OF MASURIA

Morning: We will slowly make our way to the village of Wydminy and visit an interesting 16th-century church which was beautifully reconstructed after a Tatar raid.

Afternoon: Later, we will continue to Gizycko (formerly German Lötzen) riding through many beautiful meadows and forests, but also along the shores of the delightfully picturesque Masurian lakes.

Evening: Finally, we will reach our mid-range hotel located in Gizycko, a popular Masurian harbour, where we will enjoy a delicious dinner.

Distances - Day 9: Bike 68 km.

Day 10 A VOYAGE TO THE ISLE OF CORMORANTS

Morning: A boat cruise in Masurian Lakes will take us to Sztynort - a small town located between two scenic lakes. On the way we will see a fascinating nature reserve at Dobskie Lake, where hundreds of cormorants nest in the trees.

Afternoon: Sztynort was a little known place until Nazi foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop chose the 17th palace of Graf Lehndorff for his summer residence. We will visit that palace and continue our bike tour further to Gierloz to visit the historic Hitler's headquarters, the so-called Wolf's Lair (Wolfsschanze) - the place from which he oversaw the attack on the Soviet Union in 1941-1944.

Evening: We will get to our hotel in the town of Reszel after a short coach drive. Dinner and overnight stay.

Distances - Day 9: Bike 30 km, bus 20 km.

Day 11 AN ORGAN CONCERT IN MASURIA

Morning: We will start with a short bike tour of the town of Reszel (a visit to the observation tower in the Bishop's Castle).

Afternoon: We will continue to the most popular pilgrimage site in Northern Poland, Swieta Lipka, and explore its Baroque 16th-century church. An organ concert is scheduled on the premises.

Evening: Return to Reszel. Dinner and accommodation as on Day 9.

Distances - Day 9: Bike 55 km.

Day 12 WARSAW & HOMEWARD BOUND

Morning: Transfer back to Warsaw by chartered coach.

Afternoon: As a bonus, we have prepared a 2-hour walking tour of the Old Town of Warsaw. Expected end of the tour: 5 p.m.