Kamienczyk Waterfall

The Kamienczyk stream drops twenty-seven metres in three stages into a granite gorge above Szklarska Poreba, which makes it the highest waterfall on the Polish side of the Karkonosze. Behind the falling water is a cavity in the rock called the Golden Hole, from a story about gold-seekers, and a wooden platform built into the gorge lets you stand close to the bottom of the drop and look up into it - the spray reaches the platform in high water. Above the fall the gorge, Wawoz Kamienczyka, continues as a narrow cut with walls up to thirty metres. The walk in from Szklarska Poreba is a broad track of about an hour with the last part on steps into the gorge; a refuge stands at the top. It is inside the national park and the entry fee applies. Snow and ice close the gorge platform in winter.

What you actually see

• Twenty-seven metres in three steps - the highest fall in the Polish Karkonosze.
• The Golden Hole - a cavity in the rock behind the falling water.
• A gorge platform - built in below the drop, reached by steps, with spray in high water.
• A thirty-metre cut - the gorge continuing above the fall.

When to go

May to October; spring snowmelt for the fullest flow. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The platform closes in winter for ice. Flow drops noticeably in dry summers. The approach track is an hour each way. Park entry is charged and the path is busy at weekends.

Nearby

Szklarska Poreba is below; Szklarka waterfall is east.