Pieninski National Park
The most characteristic feature of this range is its particularly diversified landscape. During the traditional raft and kayak trips down the Dunajec River, visitors are able to admire the picturesque crags and peaks, steep rocky walls and several hundred meter high precipices dropping down to the river.
Lush flora abounds in a number of endemic and reintroduced species of plants like the Pieniny dandelion and the Pieniny wallflower. Mixed beech and fir forests are predominant in the area. Barren slopes and ledges are covered with small, pine forests.
The exceptionally rich and interesting wildlife and the insect population – of butterflies in particular – are a distinctive feature of the meadows nestled in the forest glades and on the rocky slopes. Among the multitude of butterflies there are the Apollo Butterfly and the rarer Swallowtail Butterfly. Amphibians and reptiles under total protection include the triturus, the spotted salamander, the common European adder and others. Mammals are represented mostly by rodents and 17 species of bats. Among the bird population the wallcreeper is to be specially noted.
