Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Bialowieza on the Polish side, is a remnant of the forest that once covered the European plain, protected as a hunting reserve for centuries by successive rulers, which is why it was never cleared or fully worked; the result is old-growth oak, hornbeam, lime and spruce with standing and fallen deadwood in quantities found almost nowhere else, and the fungi, beetles and woodpeckers that depend on it. The European bison was hunted to extinction in the wild here by 1919 and reintroduced from captive stock in the 1920s; the forest now holds the largest free-living population. The core reserve is entered only with a guide; cycling, walking and a museum operate in the buffer areas.

What you actually see

• Old-growth stands - the oak and hornbeam with deadwood in place.
• European bison - the free-living herds, most visible at winter feeding.
• The nature museum - the exhibition at the park headquarters.
• Cycling routes - the marked tracks through the buffer forest.

When to go

May to September for cycling and walking; winter is when bison come to feeding sites and are actually seen. Core reserve access needs a guide and booking. Spring brings mud and mosquitoes.

Honest expectations

Wild bison are rarely seen outside winter feeding; the animals most visitors meet are in enclosures near the entrance. The strictly protected core is closed without a guide. The park has a tourist complex at the entrance that is heavily developed. Mosquitoes are severe in summer.

Nearby

Kamyanyets tower lies north; Brest is southeast.