eKajaki.pl • Brda • Tuchola Forest • the Queen of the Borowiak Rivers

Brda – a kayaking trip through the Tuchola Forest for beginners and families

The Brda, known as the Queen of the Borowiak Rivers, is the dream route for a first kayaking adventure: relatively easy, very well marked, with a well-developed network of accommodation and campsites. And on top of that incredibly charming – it carries you to great lakes and leads through endless forests.

For a novice, the Brda lets you fall head over heels for kayaking – and makes sure you come back to it as a seasoned old hand.

easy route for families with children Tuchola Forest lakes finish on the Vistula

Location

The Brda is a left tributary of the Vistula. Most of the route runs through the buffer zone of the „Tuchola Forest" National Park and the Zabory and Tuchola Landscape Parks. Its basin has over forty tributaries and numerous lakes. The river starts at Lake Smołowe, runs through the ribbon lakes of the Charzykowy Plain, flows through the Tuchola Forest and ends its course in Bydgoszcz, flowing into the Vistula above Fordon.

Route difficulty and campsites

The Brda route is considered easy – few obstacles, which is why (especially the middle section) it is perfect for a family trip and first experiences with a kayak. The infrastructure is very good: centres, landings and private campsites. The exception is the upper section up to Lake Szczytno – there your own tent comes in handy.

Route description – what awaits you on the water

The Brda doesn't let you get bored: winding, wrapped in forests, it lazily meanders among meadows and woods, only to turn into a swift stream between steep banks moments later. Despite its popularity it still has places that enchant with silence and mystery. The route is divided into three stages.

Upper section (sources – Lake Szczytno)

For those who like portages, obstacles, a narrow channel and a brisk, fast current. Two permanent obstacles: a sluice weir and a mill in Stara Brda. With a little luck you'll see deer, roe deer and wild boar coming down to the water, and in the almost 300-year-old beech reserve – a colony of cormorants and herons.

Middle section (Szczytno – the dam at Mylof)

A completely different river: wide and calm, the most frequented (it can get crowded) – ideal for family trips. The attraction is the picturesque lakes: Szczytno, Charzykowskie, Długie and Łąckie.

Lower section (from Mylof)

A greater drop, a swifter current – still easy, but with a dose of adrenaline. Below Rytel beautiful pine forests begin, and near Tuchola a charming gorge with rapids awaits – the „Piekiełko" reserve. The crowning point is the largest and most beautiful lake on the route, Lake Koronowskie, and the finish – in Bydgoszcz on the Vistula, with a passage through the „Bydgoszcz Venice".

On the Brda you can plan both a successful weekend and even a three-week expedition exploring the side tributaries. It's a kayaking „must go!".