Wild camping in Poland: is it legal? (2026)

The Polish forest act bans 'biwakowanie' — bivouac and tent alike — outside places designated by the forest owner or the forest-district manager. On top come the closures: permanently closed forests (young plantations, wildlife refuges), temporary closures for fire or works, and the private owner who can bar entry with a sign.

Poland's answer to bushcraft, and it's official: Lasy Państwowe (the State Forests) runs 'Zanocuj w lesie' — sleep-in-the-forest — zones where up to 9 people can sleep up to 2 consecutive nights in one spot, free and with no notice. More people or more nights? An email to the forest district 2 working days ahead, with confirmation back. Tent, tarp or bag: whatever you use must not damage trees or understory.

• The exact zones live on the Forest Data Bank map and each district publishes its own rules — live map and fire-closure check before setting out, always.

Engines in the forest: public roads and forest tracks signed open only, parking only at marked spots. Zanocuj zones are for arriving on foot — the programme doesn't include wheels. Sleeping inside a lawfully parked car? No national rule classifies it: unconfirmed.

Across Poland's 23 national parks the conservation act repeats the pattern: bivouac and tent banned except at places the park director designates (in reserves, the regional environment director). Each park resolves it differently — two real extremes below — so the specific park's current designation is all that counts.

The two star massifs say the same in their own signage: in the Tatra National Park, 'do not bivouac — it is prohibited'; the night belongs to the shelters. In Karkonosze, identical: no bivouacking, overnighting only in mountain shelters. No designated tent spot in either.

The counter-example, in the southeastern Carpathians: the park itself runs the Górna Wetlinka bivouac field — parking, toilets, hot showers, fire points — open mid-April to the end of October. Field staff point out where to pitch and where to park the camper or the car with a caravan. The textbook designated exception; outside the field, the park stays closed to tents.