eKajaki.pl • Łupawa • Pomerania's wildest river • for experienced paddlers

Łupawa – the wildest kayaking trip in Pomerania (from Lake Jasień to the Baltic)

Hold on tight – this is the Łupawa! A wild river with the character of a mountain stream, where rapids and obstacles outnumber the calm stretches. A route for those who don't mind water in the kayak, aren't afraid of capsizing and know how to read a river.

If you manage to take your eyes off reading the water for a moment, you'll see high, steep hills and old forest covering the banks. This is a river with character – perfect for a real, trapper-style expedition in a few kayaks.

Location

The Łupawa begins near Lake Jasień (about 20 km from Bytów), in the Słupia Valley Landscape Park. It crosses Lake Obrowo, moraine hills and the coastal lowland, before flowing into Lake Gardno in the Słowiński National Park. It's one of the most beautiful and wildest routes in Pomerania, and – after the Słupia – the second where you can admire historic hydro-engineering structures (some power stations can be visited). The Łupawa can be paddled straight to the Baltic.

Route difficulty and character of the river

Travelling down the Łupawa takes considerable effort – it's a difficult route that requires experience. The obstacles (mainly stony rapids) are usually easy to bypass, but numerous; there are also plenty of portages, fortunately over short distances. Keep distance between kayaks (to avoid collisions), but maintain eye contact – in case of trouble you need to come to the rescue quickly. We recommend single-seat kayaks with spraydecks.

For the less experienced we suggest starting at the village of Łupawa; old hands set off from Kozin. The Łupawa is not a good idea for winter or mass trips. The best time is late spring and the days after heavier rainfall – a higher water level makes it easier to clear the stones, and the rapids are calmer. Facilities are modest, but there are plenty of wild spots to camp (usually for 4–5 tents), and along almost its entire length the river has class I water purity and few tourists.

Route description – what awaits you on the water

The upper section flows through picturesque Lake Jasień (the largest in the Słupia Valley Landscape Park). Then the Łupawa, like a mountain river, cuts through a belt of moraines, before finally flowing into Lake Gardno. In the upper and middle course the greatest impressions come from the high, steep hills above the water and the old forest on the banks. Although the route isn't long, the standard 4–6 days are often not enough.

Suggested route

• Łupawsko – Kozin: 14 km
• Kozin – Łupawa: 19 km
• Łupawa – Łebień: 14 km
• Łebień – Damno: 10 km
• Damno – Żelkowo: 16 km
• Żelkowo – Smołdzino / Gardna: 12 km

Top attractions

• The „Słupia Valley" Landscape Park and the wild, mountain character of the river
• The „Rowokół" reserve – a climb to the summit (115 m a.s.l.) with a panorama of the Baltic
• The Słowiński National Park and its shifting dunes
• A 17th-century church and a late-Baroque palace with a park in Łupawa
• A neo-Gothic church (1879) and a palace in Damno
• A 19th-century brick mill with an open-air museum of rural carriages in Poganice
• The Holy Trinity Church and the Natural History Museum in Smołdzino
• Hydroelectric plants: Łupawa, Poganice, Łebień, Drzeżewo, Żelkowo, Smołdzino (some open to visitors)

Photo gallery – Łupawa

See what a kayaking trip on the Łupawa looks like: stony rapids, steep wooded hills, historic hydroelectric plants and the wild river valley.