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Radunia – a kayaking trip through Kashubian Switzerland (the Radunia Loop)
The Radunia is the beating heart of the Kashubian Lake District. The trip delivers unforgettable impressions thanks to the landscape – high hills, deep gorges and clear lakes. You'll discover the most charming corners of Kashubian Switzerland.
It's a river with three completely different faces – from calm lakes ideal for families to the wild, protected Radunia Gorge. Also great for team-building trips.
Location
The Radunia is a left tributary of the Motława (basin 837 km²). It rises above Lake Stężyckie and ends its course in Gdańsk, flowing into the Motława. Kashubian Switzerland is the recreational hinterland of the Tricity, so the river can get busy – during the „In Remus's Footsteps" event there can be several hundred kayaks here. This is not a route for solitary wanderers, but lovers of nature and holiday fun will be delighted.
Route difficulty and campsites
The upper section is easy, with few portages – mostly paddling across lakes, ideal for beginners, with well-developed banks (campsites, centres, agritourism). The middle section has a mountain character, but is closed to kayak tourism (the Radunia Gorge Reserve, the Trątkownica–Rutki section, camping prohibited). From Żukowo the least-travelled stage begins – for enthusiasts, with strenuous portages.
Route description – the three faces of the Radunia
1. The Radunia Loop – a necklace of lakes
A group of over 25 lakes connected by short flows, entirely within the Kashubian Landscape Park – from a bird's-eye view it resembles a necklace. You can paddle around them almost without leaving the kayak (Stężyca – Borucino – Chmielno – Lubowisko). A curiosity: from this highest area of the Lake District the waters flow in all directions (the Reda and Łeba north, the Radunia east, the Wierzyca and Wda south, the Słupia and Łupawa west). The whole loop is 2 days (Stężyca → Ostrzyce) – not very strenuous, beautiful, ideal for families and for a weekend.
2. The gorge – the Radunia Gorge (closed to kayaks)
Flowing out of Lake Ostrzyckie the Radunia becomes an independent river and, in a deep valley, forms the picturesque „Radunia Gorge". This section is under reserve protection and inaccessible to paddlers – the kayaks are transported from Trątkownica to Rutki (camping prohibited).
3. The lower section – for the persistent
Less attractive: the river is increasingly regulated, flowing through dam reservoirs (Łapińskie, Kolbudy, Goszyn, Straszyńskie) and powering 8 hydroelectric plants. Long portages make the route strenuous. Before Pruszcz Gdański the channel splits into the New Radunia (the oldest canal in Poland, built by the Teutonic Knights in the 14th century) and the Old Radunia leading to the Motława and the centre of Gdańsk. Most trips, however, end in Żukowo.
Top attractions
- The Botanical Garden in Gołubie and the Kashubian cottage in Ostrzyce
- The Kashubian ceramics workshop with a museum and the Regional Chamber in Chmielno
- The Holy Trinity Church in Goręczyno and an 18th-century church in Kiełpino
- The „Radunia River Gorge" landscape reserve
- The Gothic post-monastery church in Żukowo
- Over-100-year-old hydroelectric plants known as the „Water Castles"
Photo gallery – Radunia
See what a kayaking trip on the Radunia looks like: the lakes of the Radunia Loop, the hills and gorges of Kashubian Switzerland and the wild river valley.
