ICARO birding experience

Once again, we return to Poland for a five-day tour to visit one of Europe’s most charismatic national parks: Białowieża National Park. Its breathtaking primeval forests, untouched by human activity for more than 400 years, make this place — with its enormous diversity of flora and fauna — an unbeatable destination for birdwatching and, above all, for observing woodpeckers. Here, it is possible to spot up to eight different species, including the Grey-headed Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, and the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker.

It is also a unique place to see the European bison roaming freely alongside other mammals such as wolves, Eurasian lynx, beavers, and moose, all within a spectacular landscape declared by UNESCO as both a World Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. With the help of our local guide friends, we will have a much better chance of finding some of the area’s most sought-after species, such as the Boreal Owl, Hazel Grouse, Corn Crake, Red-breasted Flycatcher, and Collared Flycatcher, among many others.

Additional visits to the northern part of Białowieża National Park will provide excellent opportunities to observe White-tailed Eagles, Lesser Spotted Eagles, Black Storks, and Red-necked Grebes, and we will even experience firsthand the fascinating courtship display of the Great Snipe! This is a short but very intense tour that will allow us to fully enjoy every moment both inside and outside this wonderful national park. Are you ready to experience it live?

In the event that we must cancel the tour, a full refund of the amount paid will be provided.

We will arrive at Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW), where our nine-seater vehicle will be waiting for us. From there, we will begin the approximately three-hour journey to Białowieża National Park, where we will leave our luggage at what will be our accommodation for the next four nights.

From that moment on, with our binoculars already hanging around our necks, we will begin exploring the different areas of the park. The advantage of staying in the village of Białowieża itself is that it will allow us quick and easy access to whichever areas are of greatest interest at any given time. Our itinerary will depend on the latest and most relevant wildlife sightings.

Starting from the second day of the tour, a good friend and local guide will accompany us to locate the territories of the different woodpecker species and the Boreal Owl. The expertise of our local guide will be extremely valuable, as his knowledge of nest locations will save us a great deal of searching time.

Early in the morning on our third day, we will continue our search for the European bison, which will be our absolute priority. That same afternoon, we will visit one of the lek sites to witness the spectacular courtship displays of the Great Snipe firsthand!

During the remaining two days, we will also explore the different northern areas of Białowieża National Park and the lagoons near the city of Białystok, where large birds of prey and impressive European moose await us, among many other species.

At midday on our final day of the tour, we will collect our luggage and head back to Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW), where our tour will come to an end.

What birds can we see?

Only the most relevant species

Hazel Grouse, Red-necked Grebe, Eurasian Bittern, Great Egret, Black Stork, White-tailed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, European Honey Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Northern Goshawk, Spotted Crake, Little Crake, Corn Crake, Common Crane, Black-tailed Godwit, Great Snipe, Common Snipe, Boreal Owl, Eurasian Pygmy Owl, Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Green Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Wryneck, Citrine Wagtail, Thrush Nightingale, Whinchat, Fieldfare, Barred Warbler, Wood Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Marsh Warbler, River Warbler, Savi’s Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Collared Flycatcher, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Long-tailed Tit (subsp. caudatus), Eurasian Penduline Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Great Grey Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Spotted Nutcracker, Rook, Hooded Crow, Hawfinch, Common Rosefinch, Common Reed Bunting, and Little Bunting.

What is included?

Accommodation for 4 nights in a double room (single room supplement: €95)

Transportation throughout the 5-day tour

Professional guide from Icaro Birding Experience (Ferran López)

Local guide specialized in woodpeckers and owls

Local guide for the European bison

20x60 spotting scope

Personal travel insurance

Shared bird list via eBird

What is not included?

Return flights

Meals on all days

Personal expenses and phone calls

Personal cancellation insurance

Anything not expressly specified in the “What’s Included?” section

It will be necessary to bring rubber boots, which we will only use when visiting the Great Snipe lek. It is also important to bring mosquito repellent.

Observations

The meeting point for the tour will be the arrivals area of Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW), and the tour will also end at the same airport. It is the responsibility of all participants to be present at the indicated place, date, and time in order to begin the tour. We recommend arriving on the suggested flights below. In the case of departures from Barcelona, we recommend the following:

08/05/2027 – Departure from Barcelona at ?? h, arriving in Warsaw (Frédéric Chopin – WAW) at ?? h

12/05/2027 – Departure from Warsaw (Frédéric Chopin – WAW) at ?? h, arriving in Barcelona at ?? h

Participants may also arrange their own transportation or choose flights other than those recommended, provided that they are present at the meeting point at the indicated time, or at least one hour earlier. For the return journey, departures must be at the indicated time or later.

As soon as the minimum number of participants required to operate the tour has been reached, we will notify you so that you may proceed with purchasing your flights. In the event that a participant purchases flights before receiving our confirmation, Icaro Birding Experience SL will not be responsible for the cost of those flights in the event of cancellation.