Bieszczady Autumn Tour 2026

A 6-days tour to Bieszczady Mountains (SE Poland) in search of mammals and birds.

During the tour we will look for mammals in Bieszczady Mountains, a relatively low mountain range (up to 1346 m) located in the Eastern Carpathians & very extreme southeastern part of Poland. Being sparsely populated, much forested & very wild, the area is a refuge for over sixty Brown Bears, almost ninety Wolves, over sixty Lynxes, a hundred of Wildcats & at least six hundreds of European Bisons as well as dozens of Beaver families. During the six days spent in Bieszczady Mts we will walk through primeval carpathian woodlands, drive around meadows & glades, visit best vantage points at dawn & dusk as well as do a little bit of night drives to try to find those elusive mammals.

While searching for mammals we will also look for some local bird specialities – woodpeckers (White-backed, Grey-headed, Black), Nutcracker, Dipper as well as owls (Pygmy & Ural). The latter actually in suitable habitat in Bieszczady could reach higher densities than Tawny Owl!

The tour requires relatively good fitness as every day we will be walking for a few hours (up to 13 km daily, max. 300-400 m elevation gain, sometimes steep slopes, often narrow & muddy tracks), starting early in the morning & sometimes finishing late in the evening. The area is quite vast, so we will also spend some time in the vehicle moving from one wildlife spot to another.

2025 late October reconnaissance was extremely succesful – in 5 days of proper exploration of the area I saw Brown Bears twice, Lynx & Wolf simultaneously (!), European Bisons, Beavers, rutting Red Deers & Roe Deers as well as Ural Owl (seen twice), Pygmy Owl (heard only), Nutcracker & Dipper. Yet from my experience mind that seeing all three species of large predators during five days is rather exception than rule, but you never know!