Dunajec River Rafting

Rafting down the Dunajec is the best-known attraction of the Pieniny and probably of the whole Polish Carpathians. Raftsmen (flisacy) in embroidered highlander costume carry passengers on wooden rafts through the gorge the river has cut into the limestone between Sromowce Niżne and Szczawnica. The Pieniny Gorge of the Dunajec is about 8 km long, the river makes several sharp bends and the rock walls rise to roughly 300 m. Almost the whole route lies in Pieniny National Park, and on this stretch the Dunajec forms the border between Poland and Slovakia.

The tradition goes back centuries. The oldest image of a rafting trip is a painting from 1589 in the old church in Krościenko nad Dunajcem. In the 19th century log rafts were floated down the river all the way to Gdańsk, and from about 1831 the trip became a tourist attraction, popularised by Józef Szalay, founder of the Szczawnica spa, who organised lively outings with music for spa guests. The rafts were once made of dugout canoes; today they are built from planks, with several narrow boats joined into a stable platform. The trips are run by the Polish Association of Pieniny Raftsmen (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Flisaków Pienińskich); depending on the season, between 50 and 200 rafts are on the water.

What to see and do

• Route to Szczawnica — about 18 km and roughly 2 h 15 min on the water; to Krościenko — about 23 km and 2 h 45 min.
• Scenery — Trzy Korony above the river, the crags of Sokolica, the Červený Kláštor monastery on the Slovak bank and the narrowest parts of the gorge.
• The raftsmen's stories — legends of the outlaw Jánošík, the monk Cyprian and Saint Kinga, plus plenty of highlander humour; the raftsmen happily comment on every bend.
• A souvenir — you can order a photo from the raftsman before setting off; it will be waiting at the landing (20 zł per print).

Practical information

The season runs from 1 April to 31 October: rafts sail every day except Easter Sunday and Corpus Christi. The starting landings are in Sromowce Wyżne, hamlet of Kąty (Kąty 12), and in Sromowce Niżne; both have ticket offices, paid car parks and toilets. Tickets are sold on the spot with no advance booking, and some online (with an e-ticket you still go to the ticket office to be assigned to a raft). A raft leaves once 11 passengers have gathered. Ticket offices open in April 9:00–16:00, May–June 8:30–17:00, July–August 8:00–17:00, September 8:30–16:00 and October 9:00–15:00 (after the change to winter time until 14:00).

2026 prices to Szczawnica: standard ticket 111 zł, in high season 117 zł; child ticket (under 10) 78 zł and 82 zł. To Krościenko: 134 zł and 140 zł, child 94 zł and 98 zł. The price includes the Pieniny National Park water-trail card. High season means 1 July–31 August, 1–3 May, 5–7 June and 10–11 October. To get back to your car, take a minibus (ticket 21 zł, departures roughly every 40 minutes) or rent a bike and ride along the Pieniny Road.

Rafts have no roof, so bring rain gear; life jackets are available on request. Alcohol is banned on board, and hand luggage up to 5 kg is free. If the water level exceeds 250 cm, trips are cancelled. Park rules forbid landing on the banks and swimming in the gorge; the water trail is closed from 1 November to 31 March. The trip is calm and suits families with children, but boarding a raft is difficult for wheelchair users.

Nearby

From Sromowce Niżne you can climb Trzy Korony, and the final landing is right in the spa town of Szczawnica. Upstream lies Lake Czorsztyn with the castles of Niedzica and Czorsztyn.

Official website: flisacy.pl

Photos: Zalasem1, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Zalasem1, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; JakuV, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Trybus, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, Wikimedia Commons; Sssine21, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Lech_Darski, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.