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Tarnawa Peat Bog - attractions, interesting facts

Town: Tarnawa Niżna

Flat roads
Stroller-friendly
Mainly in the sun
Convenient parking
Toilet available

Tarnawa Peat Bog is an extraordinary place in the San Valley, located in the non-existent village of Tarnawa Wyżna. It is one of several Bieszczady peat bogs open for visitors. This charming reserve is a must-visit attraction in the Bieszczady Mountains!

Tarnawa Peat Bog - attractions

First and foremost, it's all about nature! Wild wet meadows and forests, but also... mountain panorama!

Wołowy Range - Halicz - Kop Bukowska - Krzemień - Bukowe Berdo can be seen from the parking lot (we have the visible peaks described here). We will also enjoy mountain views while walking over the peat meadows, where majestic ridges create a beautiful backdrop for delicate flowers and grass.

Walking along the two paths through the peat bog (longer one takes about 40 minutes, shorter one 15 minutes), we traverse comfortable boardwalks (the longer path has no barriers, the shorter one has barriers) and learn about the plants and animals living in the peat bog. Innovative, foldable signs will assist us in this:

Tarnawa Peat Bog - interesting facts

Peat Bog and Peat

Does the peat bog remind you of peat? Very well! Peat was indeed extracted from peat bogs (a valuable soil for plants), but primarily used as fuel and a raw material in medicine (peat baths, cosmetics). Unfortunately, such "extraction" destroys peat bogs, which are highly valuable wetlands: natural water reservoirs and natural "coolers" of the climate (they sequester carbon).

Tarnawa Peat Bog. Here is the number one hero, the king of the peat bog: Sphagnum moss!

Draining Peat Bogs

Peat bogs were destroyed not only by peat extraction but also by drainage for agricultural fields or pastures. For this purpose, drainage channels were built. Tarnawa Peat Bog was also attempted to be drained - on the longer trail, we will see overgrown drainage ditches from the 1980s. Since the area was protected (in 1999), the ditches have been blocked, and the groundwater level is returning to its natural state.

Tarnawa Peat Bog. Water is abundant on the peat bog, even on a hot summer day.

Interesting Plants in the Peat Bog

You can read about the extraordinary plants of the peat bog on the signs, and most of them can also be seen "live". These include bog bilberry, cranberry, black crowberry, bog cranberry, slender sedge, cotton-grass, common sundew, and mosses: red bog moss, Magellan bog moss, common cotton-grass, and common peat moss.

We recommend this guide to help you identify the individual plants after leaving the signs: www.atlas-roslin.pl

Tarnawa Peat Bog. White cotton-grass against the backdrop of Wołowiec and Halicz mountains.

Getting to Tarnawa Peat Bog

Although the peat bog is located within the Bieszczady National Park, right on the border with Ukraine, it is easily accessible by car. It can also be reached on foot or by bicycle - the road is asphalted but narrow and without a shoulder. From Tarnawa Niżna: 4.5 km, from Muczne: about 10 km.