Pristine Nature in Belarus

Belarus

Tour Description: Guided

A three hour eastward journey from Warsaw brings us to the borders of a country represented by a blank spot on many tourist maps. 

We are about to discover a scarcely known but exceedingly welcoming country. The cities are clean and well maintained with carefully renovated cultural monuments. And the magnificent natural landscapes and national parks are a particular highlight. Cycling through Belarus requires no great effort. Traffic is sparse, there are no mountains, and the roads are quite good - some of them even with bike lanes.

We will be on the road for 10 days (from Friday to Sunday) with full-board accommodation. The tour will start and end in Warsaw, a city that enjoys easy accessibility with numerous flights and trains.

Daily legs over flat terrain do not exceed the 25-37 miles (40-60 km) limit. And the additional transfers by bus in Belarus are also not all that long (at the most 2-3 hours). There are two overnight stays at lakeside hotels and both are for two nights. You have the choice of resting at the lovely lakes instead of going on an excursion. We would request you to register early for this tour due to visa requirements for tourists.   

Learn more about guided tours. 

Tour Description: Self-guided

A three hour eastward journey from Warsaw brings us to the borders of a country represented by a blank spot on many tourist maps. 

We are about to discover a scarcely known but exceedingly welcoming country. The cities are clean and well maintained with carefully renovated cultural monuments. And the magnificent natural landscapes and national parks are a particular highlight. Cycling through Belarus requires no great effort. Traffic is sparse, there are no mountains, and the roads are quite good - some of them even with bike lanes.

We will be on the road for 10 days (from Friday to Sunday) with full-board accommodation. The tour will start and end in Warsaw, a city that enjoys easy accessibility with numerous flights and trains.

Daily legs over flat terrain do not exceed the 25-37 miles (40-60 km) limit. And the additional transfers by bus in Belarus are also not all that long (at the most 2-3 hours). There are two overnight stays at lakeside hotels and both are for two nights. You have the choice of resting at the lovely lakes instead of going on an excursion. We would request you to register early for this tour due to visa requirements for tourists.   

Learn more about guided tours. 

Highlights: Guided

• Warsaw
• Naroch National Park and Naroch Lake
• Augustow Canal, dating to the 19th century
• Minsk
• Radziwill family's castle in Nesvizh from the 17th century
• Castle in Mir, an UNESCO World Heritage Site

Highlights: Self-guided

• Warsaw
• Naroch National Park and Naroch Lake
• Augustow Canal, dating to the 19th century
• Minsk
• Radziwill family's castle in Nesvizh from the 17th century
• Castle in Mir, an UNESCO World Heritage Site

Daily Program: Guided

Day 1: Warsaw - Bialystok          
Individual arrivalal in Warsaw. Depending on how you choose to arrive, we meet at either the airport or at the central railway station in the afternoon. Departure to Bialystok (a city near the Belarusian border) is at 2:00 pm. We would advise those not able to book a morning flight or the night train to Warsaw to come a day earlier and to book an extra night.

Day 2: Neman valley (28 miles/45 km)
After crossing the border we cycle along the high banks of the Neman river to arrive at the Augustów Canal. This old waterway dating back to the 19th century recently underwent complete renovation. The four chamber lock at Niemnowo is particularly impressive. There is an overnight stay at the medieval city of Hrodna, a city with two castles and some churches of historical interest.

Days 3 and 4: The lake plateaus and Naroch National Park (28-34 miles/45-55 km)
We travel by bus to northern Belarus where time seems to have come to a halt. Villages with tiny wooden huts standing empty for the most part have scarcely altered in the last century. We then cycle along a string of smaller lakes and soon arrive at the crystal clear Naroch Lake, the country's largest lake.

Days 5 and 6: Berezina National Park (22-28 miles/35-45 km)
Berezina National Park has the country's most famous biosphere reserve, the Berezina Biosphere Reserve, which is at the water divide between the basins of the Baltic and the Black seas. This is the source of the Berezina River, famous from Napoleonic times. We then cycle through a huge expanse of untouched wilderness- dark forests, moors, rives and seas. You may, if you wish to, also go for a canoe ride.

Day 7: Minsk (28 miles/45 km)
East European metropolises are not usually a particularly good goal for tourists on cycles. This capital city is an exception to the rule. Completely destroyed in World War II, Minsk was rebuilt by Stalin to become the "ideal" socialist paradise city. The Svislach River flows through the entire city, and breaks up into numerous lakes surrounded by parks and beautiful alleys. We then cycle to the city centre, a mixture of Soviet architecture and high-tech style.

Day 8: Nesvizh and Mir (34 miles/55 km)
And finally we visit two imposing historical architectural monuments that are exactly a day's leg apart. The Radziwill family's castle in Nesvizh from the 17th century with its beautiful parks was recently renovated with great care. There is an even older castle in Mir similar to a fortress. It is a mixture of gothic, renaissance and baroque work that was recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site following successful restoration efforts.

Day 9: Warsaw
Today we start the return journey to Warsaw, where we will be spending the last night. The time of our arrival will be either early or late afternoon depending on how long border formalities take.

Day 10: Departure
Departure from Warsaw unless you would like to go on another cycle or trekking tour offered by Bird Service. 

Daily Program: Self-guided

Dates: Guided

Jun 29* and Aug 10, 2012

* Tour guaranteed.

Dates: Self-guided

Packages and Prices: Guided

Tour package
Per person, double occupancy $1200 Single room supplement (1 person/1 room) $155 Bike rentals Hybrid touring bike $70 Extra nights, Warsaw Per person, double occupancy $58 Single room supplement (1 person/1 room) $31

Packages and Prices: Self-guided

Included Services: Guided

• All bus transfers from/to Warsaw 
• 9 nights accommodation in Hotels 2-, 3-, and 4-star hotels (all rooms with shower/WC)
• All entry fees
• Full board: 9 x breakfast, 8x lunch, 8 x dinner
• Luggage transportation from hotel to hotel
• Specialist English-speaking guide

Included Services: Self-guided

Hotels: Guided

Accommodations include 2-, 3-, and 4-star hotels along the cycling route with en suite facilities.

Interested in visiting other areas before or after your trip? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options. 

Hotels: Self-guided

Accommodations include 2-, 3-, and 4-star hotels along the cycling route with en suite facilities.

Interested in visiting other areas before or after your trip? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options. 

Bike Rentals: Guided

The bikes available are 21-speed derailleur gear hybrid touring bikes with a light aluminum frame. The tires are high quality Schwalb Land Cruisers. Another feature is comfortable, suspended gel-saddles. The bikes are equipped with saddle bags. 

Bike Rentals: Self-guided

The bikes available are 21-speed derailleur gear hybrid touring bikes with a light aluminum frame. The tires are high quality Schwalb Land Cruisers. Another feature is comfortable, suspended gel-saddles. The bikes are equipped with saddle bags. 

Surface and Terrain: Guided

The terrain is flat with occasional hills. Each daily ride averages approximately 29 miles (46 km). Cycling through Belarus requires no great effort. Traffic is sparse, there are no mountains, and the roads are quite good - some of them even with bike lanes. 

This tour is rated Moderate and is for cyclists in good physical condition.  

Surface and Terrain: Self-guided

The terrain is flat with occasional hills. Each daily ride averages approximately 29 miles (46 km). Cycling through Belarus requires no great effort. Traffic is sparse, there are no mountains, and the roads are quite good - some of them even with bike lanes. 

This tour is rated Moderate and is for cyclists in good physical condition.  

How To Get There: Guided

Tour start and end
Nearest airport: Warsaw, Poland
Nearest train station: Warsaw, Poland 

Tips on getting to and from your tour

How To Get There: Self-guided

Tour start and end
Nearest airport: Warsaw, Poland
Nearest train station: Warsaw, Poland 

Tips on getting to and from your tour

Weather: Guided

Weather Underground offers information on average and record temperatures at many destinations throughout the globe. Type a destination in the search box and enter a travel date range to learn about seasonal weather patterns.

Get weather information.

Weather: Self-guided

Weather Underground offers information on average and record temperatures at many destinations throughout the globe. Type a destination in the search box and enter a travel date range to learn about seasonal weather patterns.

Get weather information.

Tour Company Background: Bird Service: Guided

This is your chance to enjoy some of the most picturesque and spectacular parts of Poland, nearby Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine and Belarus by bike. These are areas that are only now beginning to be discovered by tourists. And for those preferring to hike there are well-marked trails and charming mountain huts ready for visitors.

Allow us to introduce you to the best of our cycling tours. We have been organizing active tours for the last twenty years and look forward with our team of enthusiastic staff to making your holiday a memorable one.

Our company started as Polish "Bird Service" in 1990 in Bialystok (NE-Poland) and has gained good reputation as organizer of nature study tours. We still offer a range of tours for birdwatchers and nature lovers, published on the webpage www.birding.pl 

In 2000 we moved our office to the heart of historic Cracow and started to offer a range of cycle tours in southern Poland. As state borders are now easy to pass, we also organize cycling events in the nearby Slowakia, Czech Republic and Hungary. We offer ground arrangement for renowned tour companies. Each year clients from a number of countries around the world (mainly Germany, UK, Belgium, USA, even Japan) book our tours directly.

Tour Company Background: Bird Service: Self-guided

This is your chance to enjoy some of the most picturesque and spectacular parts of Poland, nearby Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine and Belarus by bike. These are areas that are only now beginning to be discovered by tourists. And for those preferring to hike there are well-marked trails and charming mountain huts ready for visitors.

Allow us to introduce you to the best of our cycling tours. We have been organizing active tours for the last twenty years and look forward with our team of enthusiastic staff to making your holiday a memorable one.

Our company started as Polish "Bird Service" in 1990 in Bialystok (NE-Poland) and has gained good reputation as organizer of nature study tours. We still offer a range of tours for birdwatchers and nature lovers, published on the webpage www.birding.pl 

In 2000 we moved our office to the heart of historic Cracow and started to offer a range of cycle tours in southern Poland. As state borders are now easy to pass, we also organize cycling events in the nearby Slowakia, Czech Republic and Hungary. We offer ground arrangement for renowned tour companies. Each year clients from a number of countries around the world (mainly Germany, UK, Belgium, USA, even Japan) book our tours directly.

Terms and Conditions: Bird Service: Guided

Information coming soon. 

Terms and Conditions: Bird Service: Self-guided

Information coming soon.