Wodospad Wielki in Obidza

Wodospad Wielki ("Great Waterfall") is a natural cascade 5 m high on the Majdan stream, also called Majdański Potok, in the village of Obidza in the Łącko commune of Nowy Sącz County. It lies at about 505 m in the Radziejowa Range of the Sądecki Beskids (Beskid Sądecki), in the hamlet of Majdan, about 2.5 km from the church in Obidza, right by the narrow asphalt road running up the valley. The Lesser Poland regional tourist portal writes that it is often ranked among the ten most beautiful waterfalls in Poland.

The Majdan stream, almost 6 km long, rises at about 999 m below the western slopes of the Minkowska Pass and flows west through a deep wooded valley, then north to the Obidzki Potok. The waterfall lies just below the mouth of its largest tributary, the Czerniawa. The water falls from a natural rock step; below it the water has scoured a plunge pool which, according to the Lesser Poland portal, keeps deepening as the water swirls. The valley has steep walls here, so the waterfall looks bigger than its size.

Obidza is an old mountain village. Historians assume that the first settlers, shepherds, arrived in the 13th–14th centuries, and from the 16th century the village grew thanks to glassworks that needed wood felled deep in the mountains. Forests still cover almost half of the village, and the grassy ridges offer wide views.

What to see and do

• The waterfall and its pool; you cross the stream to it on a wooden footbridge.
• The stony bed of the Majdan below the fall — best light and most water in spring and after rain, and colourful beech slopes in autumn.
• A hike along the Radziejowa Range: from Obidza a blue trail leads via Przehyba to Radziejowa, the highest peak of the Sądecki Beskids (about 5 hours, 14 km).

How to get there

This is a stroll, not a hike: the waterfall is right by the road. In Jazowsko on the Dunajec turn off to Obidza and drive to the church, where the first signpost stands; from there a side asphalt road leads to the hamlet of Majdan. After about 2.5 km, by the stream, a second signpost points to the waterfall. You can come from Nowy Sącz or from Krościenko nad Dunajcem. Higher up the valley, the Obidza – Przełęcz Przysłop trail climbs to the main ridge.

Season and safety

The waterfall is accessible all year with no tickets. The road to Majdan is narrow, so park without blocking local traffic. The stones by the water and the footbridge can be slippery; entering the pool below the fall is dangerous. In winter the waterfall partly freezes. GOPR mountain rescue: 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

In the same Radziejowa Range, near Szczawnica, falls another waterfall — Zaskalnik Falls. Other Polish Beskid waterfalls of this series are the waterfall on the Mosorny Potok and Wodospad Magurski.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.