Strictly Protected Area
The SPA is the oldest section of the park. A characteristic that distinguishes primeval parks from managed parks is that, for the former, no human intervention is permitted. So you'll find many dead trees left fallen (or standing) where they are. The name, along with the fact that you can access it only with a licensed guide, might lead you to think that this is a zone teeming with big game. The guides will tell you, "The problem with animals is, they move." You'll see birdlife, but mainly what you get is a fun stroll on muddy trails and wooden walkways among ancient foliage accompanied by an entertaining, fact-filled commentary on the park's origin, and animal and plant life. They'll point out fungus like dead man's fingers (which you might have dismissed as "something black and moldy") and tree trunks pockmarked by eight species of woodpeckers.
The routine tour is 7km (4 1/4 miles) and 3 hours long. You spend about 30 minutes getting to the SPA entrance. There's an option to get there by horse-drawn cart (140 z per cart). The SPA is best in the morning when there is more animal activity. You can book a guide at any of the tourist offices or at the Natural History Museum, where you also purchase admission tickets to the SPA. If you book your guide at the museum, they can pool visitors together to split the guide's cost. No advanced booking is needed, but do call ahead to reserve a tour with Mateusz Szymura (tel. 601/450-035; bialowieza@tlen.pl), a particularly enjoyable guide at the BNP.
The SPA is the oldest section of the park. A characteristic that distinguishes primeval parks from managed parks is that, for the former, no human intervention is permitted. So you'll find many dead trees left fallen (or standing) where they are. The name, along with the fact that you can access it only with a licensed guide, might lead you to think that this is a zone teeming with big game. The guides will tell you, "The problem with animals is, they move." You'll see birdlife, but mainly what you get is a fun stroll on muddy trails and wooden walkways among ancient foliage accompanied by an entertaining, fact-filled commentary on the park's origin, and animal and plant life. They'll point out fungus like dead man's fingers (which you might have dismissed as "something black and moldy") and tree trunks pockmarked by eight species of woodpeckers.
The routine tour is 7km (4 1/4 miles) and 3 hours long. You spend about 30 minutes getting to the SPA entrance. There's an option to get there by horse-drawn cart (140 z per cart). The SPA is best in the morning when there is more animal activity. You can book a guide at any of the tourist offices or at the Natural History Museum, where you also purchase admission tickets to the SPA. If you book your guide at the museum, they can pool visitors together to split the guide's cost. No advanced booking is needed, but do call ahead to reserve a tour with Mateusz Szymura (tel. 601/450-035; bialowieza@tlen.pl), a particularly enjoyable guide at the BNP.
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