FRONTIER POLAND

     Augustow is a town that is located very close to Lithuania, Belarus and the Russian  enclave of Kaliningrad also known as Konigsberg (the birth place of the philosopher Kant). Up to 1939, Augustow was also very close to the Prussian border. Over the centuries the frontier has shifted several times, this has created a region , which is characterised by a population of different ethnic and religious minorities i.e. Tatars, Old believers, Lithuanians Jews, Mazurians, Prussians. People settled here because they realised they could be self sufficient and the forests and lakes provided all the items they needed to survive. One of the unique features of this area is that it has never experienced mass development and therefore there are tracts of primeval forest which are not found anywhere else in Europe, there are lakes and rivers , which are rarely visited by anybody.  In the forests there are monuments to those who lost their lives fighting for freedom, these date back to the Polish insurrection of 1863. Even further back in history , Napoleon marched through this area on the way to Moscow, and marched back after his defeat. Augustow also has the honour of Monsieur Bonaparte staying there for one night. Both world wars left scars on this area, which are still visible, there are bunkers which formed the Molotov-Ribbentrop line, there is the unique Mazurian Canal, which some say was created to transport U boats from the Baltic. One of the outstanding features of this area is the Augustow canal which was constructed at the beginning of the 19^th century, this canal still exists and is presently used for pleasure boating, it is the only feature in this area that is about to be listed as a UNESCO heritage site, furthermore it flows into Belarus and there are plans to make it navigable  for canoeists so in theory they can reach the Baltic. In reality this will have to wait for a few years , the present political situation in Belarus will have to change. Living in a frontier area is always exciting, presently this is the dividing line between east and west.

      Augustow is also in the fortunate location of having national parks to the north and south of the town, the Biebrza national park to the south ,is Poland's largest national park  and is a paradise for bird watchers, it also has the largest population of moose (elk) in the whole country. To the north we have the Wigry national park which is home to the famous seventeenth century monastery. Both parks are joined by a river and waterway system which is ideal for canoeing a north to south route, with Augustow located in the middle. Further down south , the Bialowieza national park encompasses one of the worlds most famous temperate primeval forests and  a free roaming bison herd. But this is not the only location where we can find bison, to the west of Augustow in what is known as Mazuria, the Puszcza Borecka also has free roaming bison. The puszcza can be best described as a forest complex, which in places is still wild in that it provides habitats for many mammals which do not exist in other parts of Europe, wolf, lynx, red deer, beaver, capercaille, black storks and many others. The Puszcza Romnicka which crosses the frontier with the Russian enclave used to be the hunting ground for the Prussian aristocracy and there is still evidence of this. This area has preserved its natural history due to the fact that frontier locations were always seen by the authorities as places where people tried to escape and therefore development was limited, also during the cold war there were strategic/ military reasons for keeping people out of these areas. Even now permission is required from border authorities to paddle on particular rivers.

    If you like the outdoors and are keen on trekking, canoeing, hiking, cyclying, birdwatching and other related activities, whether you are a first timer or old hand , then we will try and provide tours and activities which will be interesting and exciting. Adventure can be applied in small doses but will always be an unforgettable experience, we do not intend on providing adrenalin packed activities i.e. Bungee jumping or quad racing. We have a responsibility to the environment and local culture, we will be using facilities which already exist i.e. foresters lodges. We will not be demanding  for anybody to build hotels for our needs. We want you to experience an environment which has existed for centuries. We see canoeing as eco friendly, there is no use of motors and unless somebody decides to break the canoeing speed record , the wash will not damage the banks. The use of motor vehicles will be restricted. We respect the environment that we live in and we hope others will do the same. Before you start any of these tours , we will introduce you to the history of this area, we will provide maps and other guides. Our company is a British-Polish partnership and therefore we are in a position to supply British guides if required. We can provide details on how to get to Augustow and also arrange transportation from your place of arrival. We also have a responsibility to make your visit to Poland as hassle free as possible and will always help out if required even for the smallest of tasks. The ideas that we will be proposing for tours, our based on our own investigations and experience, some of them we consider to be quite original, which nobody else is presently offering. This in itself is an adventure in that you can consider yourselves as pioneers, the first people to try out these tours , hopefully afterwards with positive opinions. We have catered for groups before from western Europe and so far the feedback has been positive. One of our long term aims is that this region is recognised as having a unique environment and network of habitats which will allow for the existing flora and fauna here to survive for many generations. We through personal experience ,value the fact that the human spirit every now and again needs to be uplifted, experiencing the wilds is one of the best ways of achieving this. Seeing a bison , a crane, canoeing down a river and spotting a beaver, trekking through  a forest and finding wolf tracks will add a sense of adventure to your tour that you will always remember and cherish and in all probability take lots of photographs. Although sometimes imprints on your memory and the descriptions that you provide afterwards to others are more valuable and interesting.