Travel Tip – The Maldives of Poland 🙂 🇵🇱

On our latest journey through Poland, we simply couldn’t skip one incredibly famous spot — known by no other name than the “Polish Maldives”. We headed to Gródek Nature Park, situated near the town of Jaworzno. 🌲

From the Czech border — specifically from Bohumín — it’s about 100 kilometres by car, which means a comfortable hour and a quarter drive along the motorway and you’re there. 🚗💨

When you arrive, you leave your car in a paid car park (it costs 20 zloty) and from there you walk a short distance through the forest to the park itself. It’s less than a kilometre and a half to the main attraction — a pleasant walk that absolutely anyone can manage. A huge bonus is that entry to the entire park is free.

As soon as you reach the valley, an extraordinary view opens up before you. The whole area was formed on the site of a former dolomite quarry. Mining stopped here in the nineties, and when the quarry flooded with water, nature worked its magic to create stunning turquoise lakes surrounded by rocky cliffs. 🌊

There’s an interesting story behind the flooding. In 1997, the electricity was cut off due to debts, the pumps stopped, and the water rose at an astonishing rate. Apparently, two giant excavators are still resting on the bottom of the neighbouring lake to this day. The site has since become a renowned diving location, attracting divers from across Europe. 🤿

I’d recommend sticking to the paved path — venturing off it near the cliffs can be dangerous.

But the real highlight for regular visitors are the winding wooden walkways and footbridges with gazebos, which lead directly over the water of Wydra lake.

Sometimes, when the water level is high, the walkways are slightly flooded — so in summer you wade through the water. And as an added bonus, you can watch shoals of fish swimming right beneath your feet. 🐟