Pieniny National Park is one of the smallest Polish National Parks, lying in the southernmost part of the country, on the border with Slovakia. The Pieniny mountain range is divided into three parts:

* Pieniny Spiskie – extends between Dursztyn village and Niedzica, with the highest peak Żar (883 metres above mean sea level (ASL).

* Pieniny Właściwe – extends between Czorsztyn and Szczawnica and culminates with the Okrąglica peak (982 metres ASL) in the Three Crowns massif. By climbing this summit, a splendid, panoramic overview of the vast area can be gained and enjoyed.

* Małe Pieniny – extends between the Dunajec river (in the victinity of Szczawnica) and the Rozdziela pass in the east. The highest peak of Pieniny is the Wysoka mountain (1,050 metres ASL).

The Park’s area is 23.46 km², of which 13.11 km² is forested. One-third (7.5 km²) is strictly protected.

The most attractive part of the mountain range, from both natural and scenic points of view, is the Pieniny Właściwe range. The peaks here are beautifully jagged and the valleys often form rocky gorges. The northern faces slope gently into the valleys; the southern and eastern picturesque limestone cliffs (which are up to 300 metres high) drop down suddenly to the Dunajec river.

Pieniny National Park has its headquarters in the village of Krościenko nad Dunajcem. This national park continues on the Slovakian side of the mountains, called Pieninský národný park.

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Several places on the river are popular destinations for recreation and canoeing in the Czech republic. The most recommended part started from Suchdol – Majdalena – Stará řeka (Old river) – Lužnice but there are also other great parts suitable for canoeing.

The river is ideal for beginners and suitable for a family holiday. The river flows slightly, the dangerous can be just silty or fallen trees, which you must outflank, and thus slows down a ride. However if you want to experience a romantic vacation in nature, just go to Lužnice.

We recommend you to start in Suchdol early morning (9:00-10:00am) and then – after a daytrip (11.5km) – stay in a campsite at Majdalena. The following day start again early in the morning and ride down through the most beautiful part of the river (protected areas + large lake) to another campsite in Lužnice (22km). Here you can stay for another night or return your canoes. However if you have more days available, you can continue on the water trip in the morning. Be aware that those two camps are the only here, so do not miss them!

Staying in the camp-sites are very cheap (1Eur/person + 1Eur/tent) but do not expect Italian or Austrian luxury. For the canoeing you could need to rent a canoe, barrel for your wears and personal stuff, safety vest and paddles of course. You can rent it really cheap (approx. 10Eur/day) from one of the following rental services:

Veronica https://www.pujcovna-lodi-raftu.info/luznice/ (in czech only)

Dušan Jakubec https://www.pujcovna-lodi.com/ (in czech only)

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