The pontoon lazily flows down the river through piled up green and brown of all shades. On either side are high hills, all tightly covered with lush forest. From time to time the adrenaline is raised by small stone rapids. The San – Poland’s sixth largest river – is a water element that is best experienced from a pontoon!
For a long time it was not even known where the San had its source. Doubts were finally dispelled in the second half of the 20th century. In a short stretch the river gets very wide, collecting water from all over the Bieszczady Mountains.
The water behaves differently everywhere: it has a different pace, adapting to the various constraints that appear in the riverbed. The mountain section is the most difficult and brings the most excitement and adrenaline, on the mountain-lowland section it is usually already calm, and the lowland section is pure idyll.
Characteristic of the upper section are rapids. Rapids are shallow places on the river where the course of the water significantly accelerates. On the San they are very easy to spot and, at the same time, audible from a distance. The rapids can be from a dozen to several hundred meters long, and although they are the most exciting parts of the river you need to be on guard and skillfully raft through them.
The choice of rafting section should be appropriate to skills and expectations.
Pontoon rafting on the San River – the course
In the standard option, rafting trips start in the town of Sanok, near the local open-air museum. Their length depends on the chosen variant. The shortest ends in the village of Liszna and lasts about 1.5 – 2 hours. On the way it is worth taking a break to visit the Orthodox church in Międzybrodzie.
Those interested in longer fun can sail to Mrzygłód. This is a more challenging and longer variant. In this version, rafting takes about 3 hours.
Rentals where you can inexpensively rent a pontoon (from 40 to 70 PLN per person) can be found primarily in Sanok. The price includes instruction. Those who feel less confident with a paddle can opt for a rafting trip with an instructor.
EXPLORE THE REGION – BIESZCZADY
