Packrafting
Packrafting Silesia
Contributed by MROZY
Godów, Poland
Packrafting forgotten stram
- Hours
- 3
- On water
- 8
Also found on their site
The Szotkówka is a forgotten, semi-wild stream flowing through the shadow of Silesian coal heaps from Połomia through Mszana toward the Olza River, a waterway entirely abandoned by commercial kayakers due to its shallow depths, relentless meanders, and endless logjams, making it accessible only to an ultralight packraft. Launching from the bridge at Połomia, the river immediately folds into a dense green tunnel of alder trees and high clay banks where navigating means constantly reading the narrow flow, ducking under fallen trunks, and dragging the raft over beaver dams and sharp gravel bars. Out here in this quiet pocket of an industrial region, there are no manicured portages or tourists—only kingfishers darting across the water, the crunch of gravel under rubber boots, and a raw, uninterrupted wilderness run that settles into a smooth, quiet glide just before merging into the Olza near Godów.
Closing thoughts
We'll be back