Iconic cruise: Along the trail of lakes, locks and slipways from Ostróda to Elbląg

Why has this cruise become an ICONIC landmark?

• Is there a longer (11-hour) cruise anywhere on the Polish inland waterway? There isn’t!
• This is a suggestion for the persistent, for true lovers of nature and its integrally connected hydrotechnical monuments.
• It’s the sum of all possible cruise experiences!
• Thanks to this journey, we experience the nature and spirit of the canal region and the idea behind the construction of the former Elbląg-Oberland Canal, connecting the forests and lakes of Western Masuria (Osterland, in the Oberland region) with the Baltic Sea (Elbląg, in the port city).
• This route has been used for decades by boats, cargo barges, steamships and motorboats, pleasure boats and ships, and by canal raftsmen who floated their rafts from dawn to dusk. We once again have the opportunity to see the canal as its designer and builder, engineer Georg Jacob Steenke, envisioned it in the mid-19th century.
• Persevering, we navigate through or notice numerous hydraulic structures, such as two locks (Zielona and Miłomłyn), emergency gates (Miłomłyn and Buczyniec), aqueducts, weirs and culverts, numerous historic bridges, and above all, unique in the world slipways – powered solely by water power. Thanks to them, we will be able to “float over mountains and grass”!
• The trail will lead us past 11 lakes of varying sizes and lengths, such as Ruda Woda (12 km) and Rakówka (300 m). The entire trail is of natural value, as evidenced by the fact that both ends (Lake Druzno on the Elbląg side and Lake Drwęckie on the Ostróda side) are nature reserves, part of the Natura 2000 area.
• Thanks to five slipways, we overcome a total difference in water level of almost 99.5 meters, and thanks to two locks, a total difference of nearly 5.0 meters – so during the navigation, the total height difference (up and down) will amount to almost 105 meters!

That may be as much as 11 hours of sailing – but stories that will last a lifetime!

During the cruise, we invite you to enjoy the buffet and order dishes from the menu prepared by Szalona Gęś cocktail & restaurant.