Dunajec 3 Regions
Lesnica - Łącko - Szczawnica
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Last update 2025-09-18
Dunajec River Gorge, Pieniny
Rafting on the Dunajec River is one of the greatest attractions of Poland and Slovakia. Until the 1920s, the river was mainly used for floating goods – an economic necessity for the local inhabitants. Pleasure rafting for tourists was introduced by the nobility as early as the 1830s.
Today, rafting has become a dynamic branch of tourism in the Pieniny Mountains. Its essence lies in the uniqueness of the Dunajec Gorge and the exceptional way of exploring the valley – from the perspective of a traditional raft. In the past, the route began below the Pieniny strongholds of Czorsztyn and Niedzica. Today, after the construction of the Niedzica dam, the route is 15 km long, stretching from Sromowce to Szczawnica, with an average gradient of 2.5 m/km. Within the gorge, the Dunajec alternates between calm pools and rapids, causing the rafts to speed up and slow down in turn. The beauty of the landscape, the unique experience, and the raftsmen’s tales make this an attraction enjoyed by around 300,000 visitors each year. Rafting by pontoon and kayak is also becoming increasingly popular.
Kąty-Red Monastery Starting Point of the Dunajec Rafting Tour
Tourists board the rafts, called czółna, recalling the old days when they were carved from a single tree trunk. The initial section of the rafting route runs along the calm current of the broadly meandering Dunajec. On the left lies the Slovak peninsula of Veľké Pole, while on the right there is a beaver habitat with a cycling path.
At first ahead of us, and later to the left, rise the rocky walls of Macelowa Góra. Geologically, it is an unusual formation – a kind of “inverted mountain”: older limestones, about 165 million years old, are found at the top, while younger ones, nearly 100 million years newer, lie at its base. These can also be spotted a bit later above the road, where they stand out with their distinctive red color.
The Dunajec spreads wide among stony shoals, passing a rafting marina along the way. In the past, flood-renewed pebble banks built of Tatra gravels were common along the riverbanks, hosting unique biocenoses. Since the regulation of the Dunajec’s flow by the dam, their occurrence has become rare, and the former gravel bars are now overgrown with shrubs.
On the left, above Obłaźnia Góra (591 m a.s.l.), towers the famous rock formation known as the Three Crowns. On the right, one can spot the Slovak rafters’ marina in Majere. Passing by, we see the villages: on the right Lechnica, and on the left Sromowce Niżne, over which spreads a magnificent view of the Three Crowns massif.
The riverbanks are connected by a suspension footbridge spanning 90 meters, built in 2006. Earlier attempts at its construction failed, begun twice before: in 1914 and 1939.
A little further on, to the left, lies the rafting harbor in Sromowce Niżne. This part of the village was once known as “The End,” but today, in tourist reality, it is right here that everything begins. From this point lead the main Pieniny trails: to the Three Crowns, to the Dunajec Gorge trail, and into the most spectacular section of the rafting route.
How the Dunajec Gorge was formed
The Dunajec Gorge has always intrigued researchers as a morphological puzzle and inspired attempts to explain its origin. In the early 19th century, the most popular theory was rooted in legend, connected to King Bolesław the Brave. According to the tale, the king, moved by the plight of highlanders whose pastures were flooded by Lake Dunaj, struck the rocks with his sword, releasing the waters and, quite by accident, creating the Dunajec Gorge. Judging by the number of bends in the river, it would seem he had to strike at least eight times.
As science progressed, new hypotheses about the gorge’s genesis emerged. Researchers considered factors such as terrain formation, uplifting movements, and hydrodynamic forces. One theory suggests that several million years ago, the Dunajec originally flowed eastward, along the southern side of the Pieniny range. This process, full of geological dynamism, in some sense corresponds with the legend. As the mountain massif was compressed and released, its complex structure allowed rock blocks to shift in relation to each other, carving out a new path for the river toward the north.
Beginning of the Gorge
Red Monastery Marina - Swińska Rock
On the left, one can spot the marina at Červený Kláštor, with the monastery buildings tucked behind centuries-old lime trees. Below lies the mouth of the Lipnik stream, flowing at the foot of Klasztorna Góra (657 m a.s.l.).
The Dunajec quickens before Ostra Skała, then passes the jagged outcrops of Grabcze Wyżna and Grabcze Niżna, with the sooty entrance of the Rybacka Cave. Above them rise the forested slopes of the Łysina massif (795 m a.s.l.). Here, the river narrows to 12 meters and reaches a depth of 4.5 meters, creating a swift current. This is the legendary site of Janosik’s leap.
According to the tale, depending on the raftsman’s story and the imagination of the passengers, it was either Janosik fleeing from gendarmes or chasing after Maryna, making his famous jump to the Polish side. Allegedly, the imprint of his kierpiec (traditional shoe) can still be seen on the left bank of the Dunajec. Tradition also has it that anyone aspiring to become a brigand had to successfully perform such a leap here to prove their worth.
On the ploso – the calm stretch of water just below – the raft slows down, and further on the left appears another rocky spur of Facimiech Mountain (793 m a.s.l.), known as Świnia Skała. Up until the 1960s, when the Pieniny Road was closed to Poles, the raftsmen had to wade into the water here to pull their boats around the rock.
Swińska Skała - Facimiech
The Dunajec bends southeast, winding through several turns that, on the map, resemble the shape of a footprint. In the background appears a postcard-like panorama of Podskalnia and Nowa Góra.
On the right rises the forested slope of Klasztorna Góra, while on the left extends the peninsula of Klejowa Góra. A sharp turn to the left forms the “toes of the foot,” where the current safely carries the raft through a rapid. Just below, on a rock to the right, a white mark indicates the river’s level during the great flood of 1934.
On the left bank there once stretched a chain of meadows with hay barns, collectively known as Rówienka. On the opposite side, beyond the riparian alder grove and the rise of Stredný Diel, lie the meadows of the former hamlet of Huta.
Ahead, the forested slopes of Holica (828 m) come into view, bristling with rocky fangs called the Seven Monks. This formation, composed of siliceous Pieniny limestones, is said by legend to represent seven monks turned to stone by the prior of the Červený Kláštor. Their fault? Supposedly, they had been visiting a nun living in the neighboring rock formation.
The Dunajec quickens before this “gallery of monks” and curves left along it, turning westward as it flows beneath Facimiech.
Facimiech - Leniwe
Rock gates overlap here, concealing the river’s further course. In view rises the massive Facimiech rock. With a little imagination, one can discern on its surface the outline of an eagle and a nun.
Several caves are found in this area, one of them called the Nun’s Cave, recalling the legend of the monks. These caves, like most in the Pieniny Mountains, have a fissure or landslide origin. Some were also shaped by water and karst processes.
A sharp bend to the right almost reverses the river’s course. The force of the current has sculpted the rocks in the streambed, creating visible potholes formed by swirling waters.
Leniwe- Ślimakowa Skała
The Dunajec calms, spreading out into a pool known as Leniwe. At the end of this stretch, the ridge of Sokolica’s trail comes into view, with Ociemny Wierch (744 m), Czerteż (774 m), and Czertezík (772 m). According to legend, the last two peaks were brothers of Sokolica (747 m), turned into stone.
Lower down lie the rock formations called Fujarki and Ślimakowa Skała. On the right rises Polana Mountain, and below, among the trees, stretches the Polanka meadow, once the site of the Csárda inn, which operated between 1885 and 1915. Higher up, the dark slopes of Holica are visible. The Polish equivalent of this name, Golica, reflects the former economic use of the Pieniny, where forests were heavily logged to supply the local glassworks.
The river first bends gently to the right. On the left lies a debris cone marking the mouth of the Pieniński Potok stream. Nearby, on the bank, stands a small chapel at the site of a tourist’s death. To the right of the stream rises Ślimakowa Skała. Its intriguing name is tied to a legend about the annual gathering of Pieniny snails.
Ślimakowa Skała - Lesnicki Potok
The river rushes swiftly along the white cliffs of Wilcza Skała, separated from Cukrowa Skała by the high gully of Wilczy Spad. The name “Sugar Rock” (Cukrowa Skała) comes from its shape, resembling a sugarloaf.
Above them, high up, towers Sokolica. The river slows at a place called Na Krzywe, where on the left lies Przechodki Wielkie, the pass of the Przechodni Wierch spur (552 m). Before the establishment of the Pieniny National Park, this was the route of the Skalna Perć trail. It began at the old Sienkiewicz shelter and followed a chain-secured path above the Dunajec Gorge all the way to the mouth of the Pieniński Potok.
On the rock to the left is the cave known as the “Mother-in-law’s Mouth.” Higher up appears the rocky gallery of Sokolica. The river bends left toward a place called Na Bystre, and on the right lies the strong spring of the Stuletnie Źródło (“Centennial Source”).
The current eases, though whirlpools swirl on the surface of the deep water. This is the Loch, where the river, after passing a hard threshold, hollowed out a cauldron in softer formations. On the right rises the proud rock Osobita, known in Polish as Sama Jedna (“The Lone One”). On its wall is a plaque of the Mountain Rescue Service (HZS), commemorating the victims of the Pieniny. Above, at the summit, stands a steel cross.
Forming the backdrop to Osobita is Wylizana, a broad rock wall, beneath which, on the right, the Leśnicki Potok flows into the Dunajec.
Lesnicki Potok - Równica
The Dunajec flows west, turning sharply to the right before the rock known as Rygiel Sokolicy. Before the bend, on the left side, lies a meadow where the Sienkiewicz shelter once stood. On the right, by the rafting marina, the Slovak section of the Dunajec rafting trip comes to an end. The swift current of the river rebounds off Hukowa Skała. The name of this rock is linked to the 19th-century custom of organizing rafting trips down the Dunajec accompanied by music and mortar salvos, fired in places with particularly good acoustics.
Równica-Land End of the Dunajec River Gorge
The Dunajec enters Równica, another widening of the river valley. On the right it passes picturesque rock formations above the Pieniny Road, while among the forest stands the Orlica mountain shelter. In the distance rise the hills of the Beskid Sądecki, with Dzwonkówka (983 m) as the most prominent, along with the meadows of the Szczawnica foothills.
Here, a ferry crossing connects an important Pieniny tourist trail leading to Sokolica and the Three Crowns. Below the crossing, on the right, lies Cypel, a tree-covered island formed from sediments carried by the Dunajec. During the great flood of 1934 it was completely washed away, but over time it re-formed.
On the right side, in a place known as Ląd, there is a rafting marina, followed by the buildings of Lower Szczawnica.