The Ukta-Nowy Most route is 9 km long and you need 2–3 hours to complete it. It’s a typical river section.

Once you leave Ukta behind, the Krutynia River changes. The riverbed narrows slightly, and often gets even more narrow due to fallen trees. However, even novice kayakers don’t find it difficult as all obstacles can easily be avoided without having to get off the kayak. There are alders, aspens, rowans and birches growing on the banks. This is really important during a hot summer as the trees create a tunnel over your heads to protect you from the heat. The Masuria region offers alamedas not only on the roads. There definitely is a reason why Krutynia is called a river under a canopy.

Having passed Ukta, you go along the ruins of a railway bridge destroyed during World War II, and then on the right bank there’s PTTK Ukta. On the left one you’ll see the last lonely farm which means you enter the “Dolna Krutynia” reserve. The river meanders strongly there and is 30 meter wide and 2–7 metre deep. The Krutynia Dolna reserve protects this section of the river together with the surrounding forests and Lakes Gardyńskie, Malinówka and Dłużec. We recommend taking a walk and search for rare plants, such as orchids, insectivorous sundews, European fills, common eagles, martagon lilies or pasque-flowers. An interesting fact is the occurrence of Greek valerian - the glacial relic, i.e. a remnant from the glacial period. It is also called the Jacob's ladder due to the high inflorescences covered with blue bells of flowers.

Going down the river you’ll see that the trees grow further from the banks. They gave their way to dense water vegetation. Real green carpets. You can also see many rare species of birds: white-tailed eagle, osprey, common crane, eagle owl, kingfisher, corncrake. Though the river is deep, the water is clear so you can observe underwater fauna and flora.

The bends are numerous, though quite wide, and guide you to the village of Nowy Most. The trip ends behind the bridge on the right bank. In the Nowy Most river hostel you can have a meal.

Having reached Nowy Most, you’ll be taken back to Krutyń to the As-Tour parking lot.

Price 80 zł/kayak, 110 zł/canoe.

Note: everybody, who wants to take part in the kayak trip down the Krutynia river (sections Ukta–Nowy Most and Ukta–Iznota) are welcome to our base in Ukta (by the river, opposite the church; enter directly from the Mrągowo–Pisz route).

 

The Zgon-Krutyń route is 12.5 km long and you need 3–4 hours to complete it. We provide the transportation for participants and kayaks from Krutyń to Zgon.

The route is characteristically diverse - you go down both the river and the lakes. It is recommended to experienced kayakers as Lake Mokre, despite its beauty, is not an easy lake to go kayaking. It is big and in windy conditions it’s not that hard to flip over. The lake raises both respect and admiration.

To describe the beauty of the route, we must use the words of poets and writers. Melchior Wańkowicz, who took the Krutynia route before the II WW, wrote the following in his book Na tropach Smętka: “(...) a kingdom of raw greenness. The boat is a dot in this monotonous greenery and the burden of taming nature is no longer ours - a man is ready to fear it.” But we can assure you - you have nothing to be feared of. Keep your eyes wide open to admire all the magnificence of nature, which Krutynia brings at your fingertips. However, it’s always appreciated when you show some respect and admiration to it.

The section begins in Zgon. Lake Mokre is the first on the route with its surface of 846 ha. It’s nearly 8 km long and 1.6 km wide. It’s situated in the Masuria Natural Landscape Park. There are 5 islands. Lake Mokre is surrounded by three reserves of nature: Królewska Sosna, Zakręt and Krutynia. Look out for white-tailed eagles, eagle owls, herons and kites.

You should also get off your kayak and walk around the reserves. In the Królewska Sosna reserve you can look for a 300-year-old great pine and an oak called the “Oak by Mukre” named after Karol Małłek. Małłek used beautiful words to describe it: “(...) a thousand-year-old giant firmly buried in the ground has grown widely. It remembers the entire history of this land and the history of the Masurian people. Had it ever spoken with a human voice, how many wonderful secrets it could have revealed, how much beauty of the past it would have discovered, to how many people it would have recalled all the things they don't want to remember! The thousand-year-old oak rustles with language of the forest and only those who can listen understand its oak speech.” On the other hand, the Zakręt reserve is famous for floating islets, peat detached from the shore, which travels with the wind through a mid-forest lake.

In good weather, Lake Mokre will ravish you with beautiful nature. It is surrounded by the Puszcza Piska forest, which, having passed the village of Zgon, seems to be pristine. The mild and sandy shores of the lake create perfect conditions for swimming. Let’s use Małłek’s words again: “The eastern shore of Mukru has been cut by nature into fanciful smaller and larger coves. Blue water is masterfully embroidered by the forest wall reflected in it. Here and there you can see islands scattered and overgrown with all kinds of greenery, from grasses and rushes to pines and oaks.”

However, Lake Mokre has its humours as well. In windy conditions, it can greet you with a pretty strong wave, which can bring a bit of trouble and prevent you from admiring the views. On the other hand, it will allow you to experience a real adventure, if you are not afraid of challenges. Usually in the afternoon the wind diminishes and allows you to calmly go through the lake.

At the end of the lake, turn right and approach the dam. After a long trip through Lake Mokre you can stretch out there as you need to carry your kayak over to Lake Krutyńskie. And this is the beginning of one of the most beautiful sections of the route. Unlike Lake Mokre, Lake Krutyńskie is very narrow and winding. At first, it’s difficult do say whether its a river or a lake. The area of Lake Krutyńskie, along with the Krutynia river, up to the Krutyń village, is the area of a strict reserve of nature. This section will make you stunned with the nature’s diversity. Fallen trees, a landscape untouched by a man, rich vegetation, a huge amount of waterfowl and clear water, which allows to observe fish swimming under kayaks, makes the river seem completely wild here. Despite the many tourists, you might have the impression of being the first person to discover the area.

Going down the river you slowly approach the first buildings of Krutyń. Pass a large concrete bridge and finish the today's adventure on the left bank of the river.

Price 90 zł/kayak, 130 zł/canoe

The Spychowo-Krutyń route is 25 km long and you need 8 hours to complete it. This section is recommended to experienced kayakers not only because of its length, but also because of Lake Mokre, the size of which and strong waves in bad weather conditions may scare the inexperienced ones.

We provide transportation of trip participants and their kayaks to the set off point in Spychowo (right by the road bridge).

When you start at Spychowska Struga (different sections of Krutynia have their individual names such as Sobiepanka, Grabówka, Dąbrówka, Babięcka Struga or Spychowska Struga) you enter the Spychowskie Lake for a while, however very soon you leave it behind. Remember to swim along its left shore and then follow the river current along the buildings of Spychowo. The river flows into Lake Zdrużno, which you leave very quickly behind as you turn right, just right by the reeds.

Head left and enter the Lake Uplik - a quite long lake surrounded by the forest. On its right shore, there’s Czaplisko-Ławny Lasek, a reserve of nature established to protect the 200-year-old pine forest. Gray herons used to nest in the reserve, but they moved to the opposite shore of Lake Uplik.

Before you enter Lake Mokre, you can stop in Zgon. Don’t be scared by the name (Zgon means death in Polish) as it doesn’t refer to death but to scolding cattle to a watering place by Mokre. Although some say that the forest animals were often killed by hunters waiting for easy prey.

Go under the road bridge, turn left and enter the wide Lake Mokre waters. It’s one of the biggest and the deepest lake on the route. Its fairly simple and wide basin seems to be endless at first, however, in cloudy weather, it may be scary. The devil’s not so black as he’s painted, though. In good weather conditions Lake Mokry will ravish you with stunning nature. It is surrounded by the Puszcza Piska forest, which, having passed the village of Zgon, seems to be pristine. The mild and sandy shores of the lake create perfect conditions for swimming. It sometimes has its humours as well. In windy conditions, it can greet you with a pretty strong wave, which can bring a bit of trouble and prevent you from admiring the views. On the other hand, it will allow you to experience a real adventure, if you are not afraid of challenges. Usually in the afternoon the wind diminishes and allows you to calmly go through the lake. The lake raises both respect and admiration.

In its book Na tropach Smętka, Melchior Wańkowicz describes the kayaking trip down the Krutynia river: “Right at the entrance from Lake Mokre a colourful mentel (butterfly) sat on our kayak’s beak, as if emphasizing the fact of us entering some kind of magical land. Poor willows on the banks gave way to delicate birches with their tiny leaves flowing over the brown and transparent water.”

Lake Mokre is surrounded by three reserves of nature: Królewska Sosna, Zakręt and Krutynia. Look out for white-tailed eagles, eagle owls, herons and kites.

You should also get off your kayak and walk around the reserves. In the Królewska Sosna reserve you can look for a 300-year-old great pine and an oak called the “Oak by Mukre” named after Karol Małłek. Małłek used beautiful words to describe it: “(...) a thousand-year-old giant firmly buried in the ground has grown widely. It remembers the entire history of this land and the history of the Masurian people. Had it ever spoken with a human voice, how many wonderful secrets it could have revealed, how much beauty of the past it would have discovered, to how many people it would have recalled all the things they don't want to remember! The thousand-year-old oak rustles with language of the forest and only those who can listen understand its oak speech.” On the other hand, the Zakręt reserve is famous for floating islets, peat detached from the shore, which travels with the wind through a mid-forest lake.

long trip through Lake Mokre you can stretch out there as you need to carry your kayak over to Lake Krutyńskie. Here starts one of the most beautiful sections of the route. Unlike Lake Mokre, Lake Krutyńskie is very narrow and winding. At first, it’s difficult do say whether its a river or a lake. The area of Lake Krutyńskie, along with the Krutynia river, up to the Krutyń village, is the area of a strict reserve of nature. This section will make you stunned with the nature’s diversity. Fallen trees, a landscape untouched by a man, rich vegetation, a huge amount of waterfowl and clear water, which allows to observe fish swimming under kayaks, makes the river seem completely wild here. Despite the many tourists, you might have the impression of being the first person to discover the area.

Going down the river you slowly approach the first buildings of Krutyń. Pass a large concrete bridge and finish the today's adventure on the left bank of the river.

Price 100 zł/kayak, 150 zł/canoe

The Krutyń-Iznota route is 29 km long and you need 8 hours to complete it.

It’s the extended Krutyń-Nowy Most route. We recommend it to hard-bitten kayakers. And strong ones, as the route is long, there are fallen trees in the river and you need to carry your kayak over several times. The diversity of views, though, makes the trip pleasant and interesting.

The first section of the route, the Krutyń-Ukta section, is a typical river one. In half of this section Krutynia is no more than 0.5 m deep. You also need to carry your kayak by the mill in Zielony Lasek. If you’re willing to pay a small amount of money, there are people waiting on the bank who can do it for you. Rosocha is the next place on the route and you can have a delicious and home-cooked meal there. You go by Wojnowo and reach Ukta.

Having passed Ukta, there might be fallen trees in the river. It shouldn’t be difficult to go past them. The advantage of so many trees is the tunnel that tree crowns form over your head to protect you from the sun.

You enter the “Dolna Krutynia” reserve. The river meanders here strongly. Watch for rare species of plants and animals such as orchids, sundews, lilies, pasqueflowers, white-tailed eagles, ospreys, cranes, eagle owls, kingfishers or corncrakes. The river has a diverse depth within the reserve and it ranges from 2 to 7 m.

The next stop on the route is in Nowy Most. You go along the PTTK Nowy Most on the right and return into the wild nature area.

The riverbed spreads out, the trees grow densely along the banks and there are less reeds. You approach Lake Gardyńskie, where you need to take the right turn through the dense underwater vegetation.

For just a moment, you enter Lake Malinówko, where you follow its left shore to go to Lake Jerzewko, which smoothly translates into the river again - Iznocka Struga (also called Czarna Woda). The riverbed becomes very wide again, and the wooded banks are full of wide reeds and rushes.

When approaching the village of Iznota, you pass several buildings and finish the trip on the right bank before the bridge.

Price 120 zł/kayak, 150zł/canoe