Guestbook

Amazing weekend at Bialowieza National Park!
We booked a 4-day tour (Fr-Mo) and it was amazing!! Oliwier is the best guide, his tracking skills are excellent and he even can imitate owl sounds so good that they responded, which was so cool to hear in the quite forest.
We mainly focused on Bisons and Wolves but from the beginning it was clear that the chances of seeing Wolves are very small, but we were so lucky because Oliwier was always right where we might find them and saw them twice, one we even saw & heard howling pretty close to us. Oliwier also found the kill of a wolf pack. In addition, we also saw and heard owls, saw many different birds, red deer, a red fox and a racoon dog. The Bison encounters were very special too, first we saw one or two males alone on a field grazing and a herd a bit further away but on our last day, we saw another big herd quite close, so cool, such impressive animals. Another amazing thing was the tracking, we learned so much from Oliwier, saw so many different tracks, from Bison, Deer, Wolf, Fox and Badger, we also saw two Lynx tracks in the fresh snow. The tracking led us through really beautiful parts of the forest. We are so happy that we booked this tour with Oliwier, the whole weekend was amazing, we can really recommend him as a guide, we would always choose him again. Thank you so much Oliwier for this unforgettable weekend!

We visited the Białowieża National Park and Biebrza Marshes in October 2023 . Due to the season, the tour was focused on the iconic mammals, like wolves, bisons, and elks, and on the forest as such, less so on birds. Oliwier organized for us a tour with Przemek Bielicki, a German-speaking guide, who was extremely knowledgeable and home-bound in Białowieża, where he knows every corner in the forest and added also quite some cultural and historical aspects to our tour that I hadn’t expected. This made the nature experience even more rounded and full-filling. The forest (and also the marshes, where we spend less time, though) was definitely worth the long travel time.

We had a great day looking for wildlife with Oliwier during the bleak Winter in Bialowieza. We had some lovely bison sightings, and spent a few hours walking through the forest, where we were lucky enough to see all the signs for wolves, before eventually catching a glimpse of pack of them ourselves. It was a truly special moment and definitely thanks to Oliwier’s great tracking skills. It was also amazing to find out more about all the other species inhabiting the forest as Oliwier is hugely knowledgeable. Can really recommend.

Oliwier Is in the top three wildlife guides I have met in fifty years of loving wildlife. In four days we clocked up 82 species!! He really listened to what it was I hoped to see and so often delivered. An example was grass snakes – so rare in the UK He found a beauty for us as our photos prove! The Beaver safari was a particular highlight -we saw 7!! Close up! Oliwier THANK YOU SO MUCH I so hope to come again!

Oliwier is a superb guide- friendly, organised and most importantly has amazing fieldcraft and birding skills and knowledge. In 5 days we amassed almost 160 species including all the targets, despite it being beyond the peak time for certain species e.g. woodpeckers. Some many memorable experiences including Great Snipes at dusk, Black Woodpecker at a nest site, and Pygmy Owl. His determination to find birds when not so easy at first but also to try and get better views without causing any disturbance, when it might be easy just to say it was seen, was also something I really appreciated- for example the White-backed Woodpecker which we waited till the final morning to get good views of thanks to his skills. He also incorporated wishes to see mammals and lepidoptera with some great encounters with Bison and Elk. And finally, he catered for dietary requirements (vegan) with ease despite being told it was very hard in Poland, and was very well looked after. All in all cannot recommend Oliwier enough as both a guide and as a really good guy on top.

Oliwier is one of the best guides I have had the pleasure to travel with. Myself and a couple of good friends decided to spend a few days in NE Poland. The trip was mostly birding but we were also keen to see European Bison. We chose early May as it seemed like the best time to have a chance to see most of our target species, but we were aware that some of the most desirable targets maybe a little difficult so late in spring. We should not have worried, from the very second we got into the forest Oliwier’s amazing knowledge got us onto Tengmalm’s Owl, also a family of Nutcrackers plus a flyover Black Woodpecker thrown in, all this in the first 15 minutes. After this incredible start it was difficult to imagine how the rest of the trip could compare, but it certainly did. We saw all of my personal targets thanks to Oliwier’s hard work and perseverance, and huge amounts of fun whilst doing so. We also had numerous encounters with Bison which at that time of year was by no means guaranteed, but again thanks to Oliwier’s incredible local knowledge we had some brilliant encounters with this iconic species.
In addition to his guiding Oliwier booked us into two amazing guest houses, small and owner run, they were perfect for our needs. The guest house at Bialowieźa Forest Oliwier chose for us was right on the edge of the forest, walk out of the guest house cross the dirt track and there is the forest. The guest house we stayed in at Biebrza Marshes was also perfect, the hospitality and breakfast was everything one could ask for, and it is also birder friendly.
I cannot recommend Oliwier highly enough as a guide. If you are considering a trip to NE Poland, Oliwier is the person to make it happen.

Oliwier was an amazing guide throughout our 5 day spring tour.
His knowledge of the area was outstanding and certainly knew where to find our targeted Birds and Mammals. We met most of our targets, including all woodpeckers., and Pygmy Owl.Bison right on our doorstep too.
The accommodation was superb, food amazing..didn’t go hungry at all. The Pod owners were so friendly and made us very welcome.
One of our highlights was hearing the Wolves howling very close in the forest.
Oliwier certainly goes that extra mile to make your trip memorable. He works extremely hard.

I have been to NE Poland a number of times and on every trip, Oliwier has been our guide- he never fails to disappoint! He is absolutely fantastic and is extremely knowledgable about Polish wildlife. If you have a target bird which, for me in March, was the Pygmy Owl, Oliwier is the guy to go with! As well as being a birding guru, Oliwier is easy going, accommodating and overall a top bloke which certainly made my trip extremely fun and enjoyable.

Excellent experience with Oliwier. His skill in tracking the bison was apparent. He smelled the bison (I did too), found footprints, then a bedding area, followed by fresh dung (which he waved his hand over to determine it was fairly fresh) and then a large, mature male European bison that was grazing in a nearby field. My family, with two young girls, has stayed back after no luck at a first site as it was quite early. Oliwier ran back to get them and drove them to near the second site so they could see the bison as well. We were able to watch him for about 15 minutes before he wandered into the forest for the day. Oliwier´s knowledge of the species, their behavior and seasonal movements was apparent and surely a factor in the success of our outing. It was especially moving for me to see a live, wild European bison. I work in Paleolithic art and seeing alive specimen of the same animal painted on the ceiling of Altamira cave 14,000 years ago was a real thrill for me. I plan to write a short story about the experience as it was very moving. Thank you Oliwier!

Oliwier is the perfect guide to the forests and marshes of NE Poland and all the wonderful wildlife there. One day alone we had Bison at dawn and Elk in the late afternoon, and in between male and female 3-toed Woodpeckers and Pygmy Owls at the nest. We had Aquatic Warblers singing at the top of reeds whilst Common Snipe were drumming behind us. We had Little Crake running in and out of reeds right in front of us. Oliwier was always knowledgeable and hard-working and made it a wonderful tour for us.

If your birding destination is NE Poland and you need to get your target birds then contact Oliwier. He certainly knows where to find them! I was amazed at his knowledge of the area and it took him no time at all to find the species I needed. He was even able to produce a couple of wolves on one evening excursion.
Good company, good accomodation, good food and of course excellent birding are all part of the experience. Fully recommended.

They say that wildlife watching is all about having good luck. I disagree. Having proper prior planning is also key. And with Oliwier you get plenty of this. Awesome guide that does a whole load of prior preparation and planning to get you in the right place at the right time. On my tour we saw and photographed all of our targets and more. If you want to head to Poland then speak to Oliwier, he is the right man for this job. Amazing!

An absolutely excellent guide who completely knows his “patch” (and what a patch it is!). We were interested in the whole picture, of habitat and ecology and this was something Oliwier was very able to share with us.

Oliwier combines a very friendly and flexible attitude with expert knowledge, making time with him a real pleasure.

This is quite rare – not all experts can do this, but we think it’s equally vital to have a pleasant atmosphere as well as professional help – finding the best Pielmieni for lunch and Pygmy Owls for “afters”. It was a great balance.

Oliwier is fluent in English (and of course, Polish) and we enjoyed sharing valuable information and funny moments too.

He also helped recommend other things for us to do independently.

We hope to visit Poland with Oliwier again.

Bialowieza is well worth visiting again and again at different times. We were very lucky to see what we saw, but our luck was VERY much helped by Oliwier’s guidance.
Thank you.

Oliwier is a very good guide！

I went on the „EARLY SPRING TOUR” expecting to see only a few birds at this time of year, but Oliwier used his bird expertise to show me 7 species of woodpeckers and I was amazed!! And, of course, seeing a whole bunch of Bison. The most satisfying thing for me is to see Pygmy Owl and to see Pygmy Owl hunting for food. I really appreciate Oliwier’s efforts to find it, which makes my Wildlife journey so wonderful!

Highly recommended! At short notice Oliwier was able to arrange two half days birdwatching for me in Bialowieza, and a full day at Biebrza. We found most of what I wanted to see (I’ll have to go back to see wolves!) but just as important, Oliwier was able to provide plenty of context and wider information. He was also punctual, good company and able to provide me with transport.

Oliwier is a great guide! He took me and my friend all over Białowieża in one day and we saw many animals (bison, red deer, hazel grouse…). He is very passionate about nature and knows many facts about the local fauna. Would highly recommend.

VERY SKILLED GUIDE

I did three-day-tour in the Biebrza National Park with Oliwier in the middle of May. Oliwier showed me super beautiful landscapes and he knew exactly where to see which birds. I enyojed it a lot and it would be cool to come again and visit the primeval forests with the bisons!

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Oliwier as a guide. We had a very enjoyable couple of days with him despite poor weather. He has an excellent command of English, a good sense of humour, punctual and polite and a thorough knowledge of sites and their wildlife.

Very good knowledge.

I only had one an half day for birding in East Poland, and a very limited „wish list” of some specialties that I had still to find… I contacted Oliwier and with a very short time of response he organized the tour and also gave me some tips to find some birds by myself in my way to meet him.

Once together, he proved himself as a very knowledgeable guide, and very friendly! We succeeded in finding all the birds we needed, and even some more which we enjoyed beautiful views of.

I would with no doubt recommend Oliwier as a very experience guide for any visit to East Poland!

I had a really good time with him.
Carlos
June, 2022
Barcelona

Oliwier is a great guide!
We carried out the 1-day bison excursion in May 2022.
Oliwier is a lovely guy that has a lot of knowledge of the area and the local fauna. If you are curious enough, you can chat about anything for hours and never get bored.
The excursion is mostly carried out in a safari way, but there are also a few nice walks and the possibility to have a nice picnic.
We had an epic encounter with a heard of bisons at dawn that I will probably remember my whole life. We also managed to see many other local animals like elk, deers, swans, eagles, etc.
We also visited the villages of the Land of Open Shutters.
I strongly recommend to do this excursion, you won’t regret it!

Super recommended! We went on an amazing 5 day journey with Oliwier. Even with covid, some bad weather and the state of emergency with the border Oliwier new exactly what to do and where we can watch wildlife. He has an outstanding knowledge of every corner in Podlaskie and never gives up on finding the most rare birds (he also knows where the best food is!).

Oliwier was very kind to change our schedule at the last minute so our trip won’t be affected by bad weather. With his guidance we found bisons, elks, red deers, roe deers, beavers, otters, rare woodpeckers, cool waders and beautiful raptors. He has a lot of patience and he is very knowledgeable about wildlife, ecology, geography and history.

We definitely recommend him as a guide, we had some wonderful time!

Oliwier is great! We spent a few days with him in July 2021, and had a phenomenal time.

We love both birds and mammals. July isn’t supposed to be a good month for wildlife in Bialowieza and Biebrza, but you wouldn’t have known it based on what we saw. Oliwier found us a TON of species. We saw European Bison, Elk, Marten, and Beaver. We saw Golden Oriole, White-Backed Woodpecker (and all the other woodpeckers), Aquatic Warbler, Greater and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Tawny Owl, and Great Snipe, among lots of other amazing species.

Oliwier is a joy to be around. He’s so enthusiastic, knowledgable, and accommodating.

Thank you Oliwier for a great experience!

Oliwier does a great job finding and showing everything was Bialowieza forest and Biebrza marshes have to offer. We contacted Oli on a very short-term-note in October 2021 and he organized an amazing trip just for the two of us. There were many highlights,like roaring deer stag in the autumn forest, a wolf howling in the night (answering Oli), spotting Bisons on frozen grassland at sunrise, spotting beavers at night, visiting the oldest trees of the park and much more. We also enjoyed learning a lot about our neighbour-country Poland via talking to Oli. We feel really close now – as good neighbours!

Several of my acquaintances and friends appear to have been to Poland many times for nature observation. When I talked to them, they were surprised by our observations of Wolf, European bison, Moose and Beaver, but that they had not used the services of a guide.
Our guide was Oliwier Myka and what a wonderful knowledge of nature this man has. Of course we came for the Big Four of Poland (we were able to tick them all off) but also for amphibians and reptiles. For these, the autumn is less interesting but nevertheless we were able to observe and photograph 11 of the 19 species in both parks in just 5 days. Sometimes it was as if we could go out on demand for certain species, like for the Adder, one of my top species. And yes, thanks to Oliwier, we were able to see a fairly large adult male.
So my advice is, if you go to Poland then you should definitely take Oliwier as your guide and you will be amazed by his knowledge of nature!

We went with Oliwier on a trip to find some bison and do some birdwatching in Bialowieza. During our walk towards the spot where we would look for the bison we also happened upon a pygmy owl! At the spot we found a complete herd of bison. We were very lucky. Two males even started fighting. Afterwards we also found the three toed woodpecker and several other bird species. All in all, a great trip!

We spend two half days and 1 whole day with Olivier in the fields of Biebrza and Bialowieza.

Even though it wasn’t the best time of the year for birdwatching, Oliwier managed to show us the local special bird species in various beautiful places that these nature reserves are rich in. We also had unforgettable encounters with a male Elk and several European Bisons. We would never have found all those animals without him (certainly not in the summer).

We enjoyed his very pleasant company and vast knowledge of the local nature. If we would return in another season, we would certainly approach Oliwier again for this. I wholeheartedly recommend everyone to do the same.

Many thanks Olivier!

Oliwier and I worked together earlier this month on a nine day tour in northern Poland concentrating on the Bialowieza Forest, Biebrza Marshes and the Baltic coast. Oli is a hard working, professional guide with a natural attitude to guiding and with enhanced people skills. He is an excellent organiser, a good listener and his local knowledge of the area and the key people within it provides the best possible platform for quality wildlife watching. Oli’s field skills originate from his extensive time out in his beloved Polish landscape; it’s unusual to find someone so young with such an excellent knowledge of the range of calls and songs associated with often very reclusive birdlife. I would thoroughly recommend that this young man is the guide to book should you be looking for any bird or mammal in north Poland!

I’ve been in NE Poland with Oliwier not only once but two times, on personal tours.
Oli is a great guide, his birding skills are some of the best I’ve seen. We had fantastic times looking for birds in Bialowieza and Bierza, in a true adventurous ways.
I highly recommend Oliwier as a nature guide, no matter if you are just looking for a good time, or a hardcore birder looking for the difficult specialities.
Great guide, in a gorgeous environment

Having thoroughly enjoyed an autumn tour with Oliwier visiting Biebrza Marshes and Białowieża Forest I had no hesitation returning for another tour with him, with a different group in spring. These are great places to view wildlife and with Oliwier as our guide we got to see and appreciate a wonderful selection. We certainly made the most of our time with the benefit of his local knowledge and experience of where and when to go looking. Also his exceptional ability to pick out bird calls and impressive spotting skills enabled him to quickly locate and show all of us much we would otherwise have missed. I feel privileged to have had Oliwier as our guide in Poland and it is a pleasure to recommend his services to others considering a visit.

Oliwier was our local guide for a trip to the marshes and the Bialowieza forest. The weather was not great but Oli worked very hard to find all the species that my group wanted to see – with great success, patience and good humour.

I would not hesitate in recommending him – well done Oli!

Keith Buchanan, May 2019, England

Oliwier has been an awesome guide. He knows Biebrza National Park inside out. Thanks to Oliwier, we spotted more birds in 3 days than we ever could have imagined and our 4th day in Knyszyn Forest was also remarkable.

Oliwier’s knowledge of birds, mammals, plants and the eco-system in general is outstanding.

A great guide for a fascinating environment!

We have travelled to many places around the world birdwatching and have been with some excellent guides. Oliwier falls into this category as he made our trip to Poland a very enjoyable experience. We saw everything we wanted to thanks to his knowledge of the area, the birds and their calls. For anyone planning a birdwatching trip to Poland, you couldn’t do better than to use Oliwier.

I’ve been Birding for over 30 yrs and this was my first ever Birding trip overseas and with the RSBP North Bucks group to Poland ?? it was in its self the most enjoyable Birding experience ever but with Oliwiers bird and location knowledge he really made it an exceptional trip experience. I’ll never forget the Black Woodpecker, Pygmy Owl and Bison, Beavers to name a few. To have that much bird knowledge for one so young is just nothing but amazing,
Oli is just an exceptional guide – so thank you for your leadership with an easy going nature & it was fun too.

Oli took my family to a unique trekking experience across the ancient forest of Puszcza Bialowieska. My little ones are keen explorers and ended up absolutely mesmerised by stories Oli told and things he showed us. Oli’s familiarity with the forest is somehow mystique, it feels he is one of the forest, speaking its native languages.
Oli woke up curiosity and sparked willingness to spend more time in the woods; he showed us wild animal habitats, trees and plants.
We were lucky to bump into a Bison, Elk, beavers, Pygmy Owl and much more.
We would highly recommend Oli’s excursions into the wonderful forests of Poland and cant wait for our next time out there with Oli.

I have been on many wildlife tours with Naturetrek and Ace Cultural Tours and I was on the recent Ace tour with Oliwier in north-east Poland. We had a 'top-quality’ week, seeing many nesting and rare birds as well as other wildlife. He knows the area in great detail. We were all very impressed with how well he guided us, beginners and experts alike. His research and skills enabled us to see and learn about many of the common and rare animals in open areas, marshland, rivers and dense forest.

I have worked with Oliwier every year since he started guiding and found him to be a very knowledgeable and courteous local guide. He quickly understands the needs of his clients and tailors their trip for the best results. His knowledge of local wildlife, birds and calls is excellent and I’d thoroughly recommend him

I am a leader of the Naturetrek tours to Poland in Autumn who has worked with Oliwier several times. He is dynamic, very enthusiastic, and good fun to be with. He certainly knows the birds and is especially good on calls and songs. His local knowledge of the best places to visit has played a large part in the success of our trips.

I organised RSPB North Bucks Group’s trip to Poland. From the start, I wanted Oli to be our guide and was very pleased when that was eventually confirmed. I would expect any tour guide to know the bird id and calls so, for us, his local knowledge was key as was his connections. He found us birds that we would never have found on our own and his ability in finding pigmy owl and black woodpecker within minutes of each other was, for most, a highlight of the tour.
Ili Is an exceptional guide and a very nice guy. (When you see him, don’t forget to mention his favourite soccer team, Jagiellonia!)

I have had the opportunity to go on both summer and winter expeditions with Oli, looking for various forms of wildlife. Our main target species were Bison, Owls (Pygmy and Tawny), Woodpeckers and wild boar.

Oli successfully located all of the above and more. His enthusiasm and passion, coinciding with his exceptional local knowledge made my expeditions a truly unforgettable experience!

His ability to hear, spot and identify birds is truly amazing! I recommend his services very highly to all wildlife enthusiasts!

Oliwier was the local guide for the spring Naturetrek trip to Poland which I took part in. His identification skills, both visual and aural are excellent and helped us find several birds we would otherwise have missed – notably Ortolan Bunting at a site which looked very unpromising from the road! As well as being a talented ornithologist, he’s a thoroughly nice guy – I’d recommend him strongly if you’re birding in Poland.

Oli joined myself and a few friends as part of an independent trip in May 2015 where he helped us to target some of the trickier species. He is a very competent field observer with sharp eyes and a good ear, as well as being a good travelling companion. If you’re planning a trip to Poland, you really must get in touch – Oliwier’s skills will undoubtedly assist with clinching some of the more difficult species.

Oliwier was our guide on the North Bucks RSPB trip organised by Nature Trek. Oliwier was a brilliant guide. His local knowledge of habitats and birds was exceptional. Often guiding us to a single tree in the midst of the forest to find a woodpeckers nest. His personality and humour made him an ideal leader for this kind of group activity. Always happy to answer questions and his ability to identify birds in flight or by their call made the trip both informative and fun.

Oli’s incredible! He uncovers whole the essence of Biebrza Basin, Białowieża and Puszcza Knyszyńska. Rare woodpeckers, threatened warblers, pygmy owls – what’s mystery to others, is bread & butter for Oli. None simulates eagle owl like him! Thanks for guiding and see you next year!

Fue una suerte y un placer tener a Oliwier como guia local el año pasado en Polonia; no sólo por su profesionalidad y extenso conocimiento de las aves del lugar, que era nuestro principal objetivo, sino tambien por su simpatía y entusiasmo, gracias al cual conseguimos ver al ansiado bisonte europeo.
Maria de la Sierra
España

Oliwier was the co-leader for Naturetrek’s Poland in Spring tour in May 2017. From the start when we met in Warsaw we find him to be an extremely knowledgable, skilful and enthusiastic guide. He worked very well with his co-leader and helped us with any local knowledge we would need. My own personal highlight was when he took some of the group out at dawn and helped us get views of a Corncrake – something we weren’t expecting. It was an absolute pleasure to be guided by him, and I can strongly recommend him to anybody needing a wildlife guide in Poland.

I was part of Reading RSPB Local Groups’, NatureTrek trip to Poland, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Olivier’s ability to identify the various birds not only by sight but also their contact calls was very impressive. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and Olivier managed the 12 or so of us with ease by himself.