A simple rope barrier next to the moving dunes in Poland, to stop people walking on the sands

Hiked To The Moving Dunes In Poland

22nd July 2023 - New Experience Number 22.

Jump to 'Try it yourself'

Hiking to the moving dunes in Poland was a fantastic travel experience. A unique and unexpected sight in Europe, it’s definitely somewhere you should include on you itinerary if you’re visiting the country.

Poland’s coastline doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Actually, the Baltic coastline doesn’t get the attention it deserves, but that’s for another post!

I had never considered that Poland had a coastline, and was even more surprised to find that there were colossal sand dunes that wouldn’t look out of place in a desert scene.

Not just small peaks rising at the back of the beach, but a big expanse of large white shifting sands known as the Moving Dunes.

Wydma Łącka - The Moving Dunes in Poland

The official name for the Polish desert phenomena is Wydma Łącka, which roughly translates to The Moving Dunes.

It’s pretty much always windy there, and the Baltic breeze means the dunes are moving between 3 and 10 metres every year. 

In fact, it’s thought that hidden deep within the shifting sands is an entire village that has been captured as the dunes have continued their onward march.

close up of a small clump of green grass growing in the pristine sand at the Moving Dunes in Poland.
It's breezy at the moving dunes!

Planning Our Visit

We were camping in the lively resort town of Łeba which was full of the usual seaside things to do. It had a beautiful long sandy beach and clear sea waters. The national park on the doorstep was home to an unusual feature that we were definitely going to visit. 

There were several options to get to the moving dunes, and we decided to hike through the Słowiński national park and back along the beach to make a circular route.

Don’t worry, if hiking is not your thing then there are alternative means of visiting the dunes – take a look at ‘want to try it yourself’ below.

Hiking To The Moving Dunes

The national park path along Do Rąbki from town was well sign posted. We turned onto Szlak Czerwony through the tall trees of the forest. There were a few other walkers, and lots of cyclists making use of the flat track, including some very small children joyfully teetering along on balance bikes.

A path winding through a dense forest of tall green trees as it goes through the Słowiński national park
Hiking through trees in Słowiński national park

Rąbka was the nearest  parking point for the dunes. There were a few facilities for the national park there including the payment kiosk. It was only 8 Zloty each which was less than £2 per person.

Continuing through the lush forest we came across a rather unexpected museum. Beyond the snack bars, lay a Rocket Launcher museum. We didn’t go in, but apparently there is a lot of warfare paraphernalia on display amongst the trees. This had been an important site in the Polish defence.

The Ups And Downs Of The Moving Dunes

My first reaction to the moving dunes was that they were much smaller than I had anticipated. That’s because we’d only just emerged through the trees. I had mistakenly thought these sloping sands were the big spectacle.

Looking up at a grassy sand dune with some dead trees still in the sand. It's a sunny day with blue skies. At the moving dunes in Poland
I mistakenly thought this was the moving dunes!

Rounding the corner, I saw the enormity of the actual dunes and, wow, they were impressive! To the left was a forest where the front trees stood dead and skeletal having been strangled by the moving dunes.

Looking across the Moving Dunes in Poland, at the sand with a forest towards the back where the front line of trees have been killed by the shifting sands.
The front trees have been killed by the moving dunes

A vast expanse of sand lay ahead where people looked tiny as they climbed up the tallest dune which was around 12 metres tall. We joined them and waded up the steep sand bank. It’s slow going when your feet are sinking into the deep sand!

People climbing the Moving Dunes in Poland which are so big the people on them look tiny
People looking tiny as they climb the dune

Unique Views In Europe

The view at the top was impressive.

Łebsko lake lay to the left, the crashing waves of the sea were on our right, and the epic moving sand dunes sprawled out as far as the eye could see.

Looking across the Moving Dunes in the Polish desert, a vast expanse of white sand with the sea and trees in the distance
Amazing desert-like views

The wind whipped across the top of the dunes, whisping sand into the air like clouds misting off the top of a mountain.

Looking across a great expanse of white sand that peaks and troughs as fine grains are blowing across the top.
The vast expanse of the moving dunes

The sands were paler than the Moroccan desert where I had ridden a camel and spent a night in a Berber camp in 2022. However, they still had the same natural mystique. Mother Nature had sculpted the sand into different shapes and sizes, with perfect ripple patterns as though the tide had washed over it.

Sand dunes on a cloudy day, the wind is whipping sand across the top of the dunes
The moving dunes were constantly shifting in the wind

Pristine and untouched, this was not a sight I’d ever have associated with Poland. Barriers kept people off the majority of the dunes to protect the natural movement. We did spot a couple of cheeky footprints on the other side of the rope though!

Looking across a large expanse of sand under a blue sky with a few fluffy clouds. There are ripples all across the sand
Ripples across the dunes

A Natural Exfoliant

As well as an incredible sight, it was also an amazing bit of exfoliation. The grains of sand scratched against our skin as the wind blew.

Coming down the dune was fun as our feet sank deep into the soft sand. It’s definitely a place where the cobwebs will get blown away! 

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair which is being blown about as she stands at the vast moving dunes in poland
Looking windswept! It was a bit breezy!

Hiking Back From The Moving Dunes In Poland

We hiked back along the beach which was sparsely populated with other walkers. The pine forest backdrop accompanied us for the length of the journey. 

Walkers in the opposite direction looked to be having a hard time as they battled through the head wind, wrapping coats and jumpers around their faces for protection from the sand blast.

Looking along an empty white beach on a beautiful day. There are trees lining the back of the beach and blue sea to the left.
A beautiful, blowy walk back along the beach to town

As we neared the town, kite surfers were making good use of the favourable weather conditions. They sped out to sea and sailed through the air as the wind gusted into their parachute, splashing them back down into the waves below. It looked like huge amounts of fun! 

Kitesurfing is definitely on my list of new things to try at some point!

A kitesurfer holding on to the ropes whilst out on the windy and wavy sea
Kitesurfing is on my list of new things to try!

Windswept Wandering

Eventually we arrived back at the campsite. We’d walked 21km in total, (that’s 13 miles for anyone who’s not moved to metric), had an unexpected exfoliation and seen a surreal landscape in the North West of Poland. 

Feeling very weathered and with tired feet, we contentedly sipped a beer as the sun went down. It had been amazing to experience the unusual phenomena, and I would definitely recommend adding it to any ‘to visit’ lists.

Looking across a big sand dune in a large expanse of sand that looks like a desert. This is the moving dunes in poland.
A unique view in Europe at the Moving Sands

Want To Try It Yourself?

  • To visit the moving sand dunes you’ll need to go to Poland.

  • The nearest town is Łeba.

  • You don’t need to walk 21km to see the dunes, but if you like a hike then it’s a nice interesting route.

  • You can always hire a bike in Łeba and ride to the dunes, or catch one of the mini bus trains to take you there.

  • There is also a car park at the Rąbka entrance of the Słowiński national park. It’s just 5.5km from the dunes. From Rąbka, you can walk, hire a bike, or catch the golf buggy type bus for a small fee.

  • Słowiński national park is huge, and there are lots of walking routes that you can take if you want to explore more of the nature on offer.

Cost Of Experience

  • In June 2023 it cost us 8 Złoty each to enter the national park, which is less than £2 per person.

  • If you choose to drive to Rąbka you’ll need to pay for parking.

  • Hiring a bike or catching the bus will also cost you more.

Recommendations

  • If you decide to do a long distance hike like we did, you might want to use a sight like plot a route to map it out and refer to whilst you walk. 
  • Take some water and some snacks.
  • Don’t eat your lunch at the dunes unless you want sand in your food. It is very windy there!
  • Make sure to wear suncream.
  • Even though it wasn’t a particularly breezy day, the wind at the dunes was quite a force, so you might want to take sunglasses to protect your eyes and some layers.
  • If you have long hair, you might want to take a hair tie to keep it out of your eyes in the wind!
  • Don’t forget your camera! 

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