Białowieża: the Palace Park, the Żebra Żubra boardwalk and the bison reserve

From the car park at the entrance to the Palace Park in Białowieża, walk through the park, laid out round the vanished hunting palace of the tsars, and out along the road towards Pogorzelce to the start of the Żebra Żubra (Bison's Rib) path. Nearly half of it is a wooden boardwalk, across wet alder woods and meadows at the edge of the forest, to the entrance of the Bison Show Reserve, where European bison are kept. Return by the yellow path through the forest to Krzyże and along the road into the village.

It is 10.6 km with 33 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Easy: level paths and boardwalk all the way.

The Palace Park and the boardwalk are free; the Bison Show Reserve costs 25 zł (2026) and from 16 October is closed on Mondays. Wild bison sometimes wander into the park and the village in autumn and winter: keep well away. The national park's strict reserve can be visited only with a licensed guide. A closed zone runs along the Belarus border east of the village, but it excludes tourist trails, and the national park says all its trails remain open.

The car park by the Palace Park is free.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.