One of the attractions every tourist must experience while in Masuria is a kayaking trip along the most beautiful river in this region of the country. The Krutynia River, to be specific, offers many sections of varying lengths and difficulty levels, making it easy to tailor the kayaking experience to individual abilities. 

We offer kayak rentals along with life jackets, as well as transportation to the starting point of the trip and pickup of participants at the end of the route. 

We would like to invite all participants to join us for some fun by the traditional bonfire or to feel the "heat" in our kitchen during cooking workshops. If you'd like to learn how to prepare something delicious, we will make pierogi, bake bread, or cookies together during the workshops.

If you prefer a more "traditional" way of spending time, we have a designated safe area for bonfires at our Riverside Hostel, and on cooler evenings, you can warm up by the large fireplace in the tavern.

Fairy tales and legends inspired by historical events combine elements of literary fiction with historical truth. Thanks to the stories of the Old Storyteller, you will learn Mazurian legends and fables, while reading the most beautiful fairy tales will make your evening even more enjoyable.

Finally, we will help you create your own legend by the Krutynia River...

An unforgettable experience that will spark your imagination.

Galindia is the land of a historic tribe located on a peninsula at the mouth of the Krutynia River, where it meets the Great Masurian Lakes. During the tour, you can explore the open-air museum with a guide, experience the Galindian initiation ceremony, receive a medallion or wooden mace, and even participate in a bus raid!

A great adventure for all participants. The tour route includes the Galindian fields, the Sacred Grove, the ritual glade, the underground caves of Perkūnas, the Demon Labyrinths, the Amber Chamber, and the witches' cavern.

In addition to the tour, the museum organizes unique workshops for students. We can arrange an interesting history and creative writing lesson about the outstanding Polish poet Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, teach poetry interpretation, or give a chance to develop acting skills. Learning through fun? Absolutely! Even in the summer!

Choosing PTTK Ukta Riverside Hostel as a location for your summer camp indicates that nature is important to you. If you value nature and want to learn more about it, you should spend time surrounded by it and learn to listen to it. We highly recommend taking trips to the local nature reserves. 

"And when a person enters the forest, they don’t know if they’re fifty or nine, they look at the forest like a funny drawing; they rub their dazzled eyes, recognize the forest bell, scare away a moth, and place moss on their heart like a bandage."

"The Olsztyn Chronicle" – Leśniczówka Pranie, 1950

Here are a few of our suggestions: 

a) Educational Trail around Leśniczówka Pranie

This trail was undoubtedly walked by Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński between 1950 and 1953. The trail begins at the parking lot in Pranie, runs along the forest lodge and a section of Lake Nidzkie, forms a loop through the beautiful, moss-covered forest, and leads back to the parking lot.

Many animals live in these woods. With a bit of luck, you may encounter deer, roe deer, or wild boars.

Trail length – 1.4 km
Estimated walking time – approx. 40 minutes

b) Nature Trail – Zakręt Nature Reserve

The nature trail leading through the “Zakręt” reserve starts and ends in the village of Krutyń. Along the way, we pass several ancient oaks, which are unique monuments to the strength and majesty of nature. One of them is the "Loving Couple," a more-than-century-old oak entwined with the branches of a pine.

The nature trail also passes a dystrophic lake, with its characteristic peat bog vegetation. These small lakes are only fed by rainwater and groundwater from the surrounding moraine hills, and you can spot floating islands on their surface.
Jeziorka te zasilane są jedynie wodami opadowymi i gruntowymi z otaczającymi je wzniesień morenowych a po ich tafli zobaczyć można pływające wyspy.

The fauna and flora around the Zakręt Reserve area are fascinating. Here, you can see the carnivorous round-leaved sundew or the bog bilberry bushes, whose berries have a strong coating, known as "pijanica" due to the substance that causes dizziness.  On the sky, you may spot hunting tawny owls or a bird from the crow family – the jay, which stores acorns under the moss, helping to grow the nearby oaks. 

Trail length – 3 km
Estimated walking time – approx. 1.5 hours

Besides the marked trails, we encourage you to take walks through the fields and forests, go berry picking, or search for traces of wild animals. 

This type of activity helps deepen knowledge in subjects like geography and biology. Furthermore, the information gained through direct observation tends to be more lasting than what is learned in a classroom setting. Field games stimulate critical thinking, reasoning, and develop the ability to make judgments about phenomena encountered in the field, as well as about life in general. They broaden intellectual horizons, encourage self-observation, and foster self-education.

In addition, the field game combines cognitive elements with physical effort. Through various tasks, you will learn how to read and use a map, search for patrol signs, solve puzzles, and determine azimuths.

The goal of the game is to explore the local area’s features in an engaging way. Reaching the designated location will require participants to master various terrain orientation techniques (which they will learn before and during the game) and make bold decisions.