This route is recommended for experienced canoeists. The river has high, overgrown and inaccessible banks. Moreover, it flows through wild and secluded areas, meanders beautifully and often changes its direction. The Wierzyca can also be treacherous. You should not feel at ease in its calm current, as you can encounter numerous fallen trees and boulders hidden underwater.

The canoe route starts on Wierzysko Lake in Kościerzyna. To the mouth of the Wietcisa (the largest left-bank tributary of the Wierzyca) it is very wild and winding. Several kilometres further down, the river still meanders and has numerous obstacles in its bed. This is the way you reach Starogard Gdański, and from here you continue on a scenic route to Pelplin, passing the reconstructed stronghold in Owidz. The route ends where the Wierzyca flows into the Vistula in Gniew, from where you can go further on to Tczew, Malbork or Gdańsk. The Wierzyca Route’s unique assets are the small mediaeval towns it flows through.

From the river, you can admire the monuments of Kociewie’s capital – Starogard Gdański, the Cistercian Pelplin, and Gniew. If you plan to spend a few days on this river, you must prepare to camp in the wild, which must be skilfully prepared, as the Wierzyca is not developed in terms of tourism, and a convenient camping site is hard to find. The Wierzyca also has the picturesque navigable tributary of Wietcisa. Several kilometres long and fairly difficult, its canoe route goes through the historic town of Skarszewy.

The Wierzyca Route: 149 km
The recommended route: Lake Wierzysko – Gniew
Number of days: 8
Difficulty: upper and middle course – medium; lower course – easy
Number of portages: 13
Tributaries: Wietcisa (route: 12 km/1 day/medium)