Small groups, about 2.5 h, all year round | individual quote - booking form and programme below | 📍 Hucisko near Zawiercie
Forest bathing (from the Japanese shinrin-yoku) is an unhurried time in the forest where distance and destination do not matter. What matters is slowing down and feeling the forest with all your senses: the smell of resin and the damp forest floor, the sound of the trees, the coolness of the shade, the texture of bark under your fingers. We run it all year round in the forests of the Kraków-Częstochowa Jura, around our centre in Hucisko near Zawiercie.
For city adults who want to put their phone and their rush aside for a few hours. No fitness or experience needed: we walk slowly, on a short route, with stops. About 2.5 h in a small group. Price: individual quote.
Sounds like an ordinary walk? In a way, yes - and that is the point. The difference is the pace and the attention: the guide suggests simple sensory exercises and moments of silence, and the forest does the rest.
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Make a preliminary reservation
This form lets you make a preliminary reservation of classes for your group. You do not have to pay anything now. Fill in and send the form, we will contact you within 24 h and agree the date and details.
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If you are also interested in forest bathing combined with time with horses (City detox - one day), click here.
Who is it for?
- •City dwellers who want a break from noise, screens and rushing
- •People looking for a calm half-day trip, with no effort and no competition
- •Couples and friends who want to spend time together differently
- •Work teams who want to slow down on a company outing
What to expect
- •A slow pace: a short route (about 2-3 km), many stops, no rushing
- •Senses instead of kilometres: listening, looking, smelling, touching
- •Silence: phones on mute, talking only when someone feels like it
- •Simple suggestions from the guide - do each one your own way or skip it
- •A hot cup of tea at the end
Outline (about 2.5 h)
1. Welcome and settling in (about 15 min)
A few words about the session, phones on mute, a few calm breaths at the edge of the forest.
2. Into the forest, very slowly (about 30 min)
A short stretch at a much slower pace than usual: what can you hear, smell, see moving? On the way we stop by the two-level beaver dam next to the centre and the signs of the beavers' work (we cannot promise the beavers themselves - they are wild, shy animals).
3. Sensory invitations (about 60 min)
Simple suggestions to follow at your own pace, e.g. touch bark and moss, count the sounds, find your own spot and sit in silence.
4. Time for yourself (about 20 min)
Everyone in their own spot, within sight of the guide.
5. Closing (about 25 min)
A hot cup of tea, a short conversation for those who want it and a calm walk back to the centre.
We adjust the order and length of each part to the group and the weather. In winter we walk more and keep the stops shorter.
The forest all year round
Forest bathing has no season. Each time of year offers something different - we have highlighted the current one.
Spring
The forest wakes up.
- •The first green on the trees and the first flowers on the forest floor.
- •Birdsong at its loudest of the year - a good time to practise listening.
- •The smell of damp earth after rain.
- •Longer days - more light after a winter in the city.
Summer
Shade and coolness while the city swelters.
- •Under the trees it is cooler than on hot city concrete.
- •The smell of warm pine resin and ferns.
- •Mornings and early evenings are the quietest time in the forest.
- •If you like: a few barefoot steps on the soft forest floor.
Autumn
The forest at its most colourful and fragrant.
- •Autumn leaves, mushrooms and the smell of the damp forest floor.
- •Morning mist between the trees.
- •Leaves rustling underfoot - good practice for walking mindfully.
- •After the holidays the trails are quieter.
Winter
A silence you will not hear in the city.
- •Snow muffles sound - the forest is at its calmest.
- •Crisp air and animal tracks in the snow.
- •With the leaves gone, the beaver dam and the signs of the beavers' work are easiest to see.
- •More walking, shorter stops and a hot cup of tea at the end.
- •No crowds - you have the forest almost to yourself.
What forest bathing is not
It is not therapy or a medical treatment and it does not replace a doctor's advice. Nor is it a mountain hike or a workout. It is an unhurried, guided time in the forest - time to slow down, breathe and be in silence.
Other forms of city detox
- City detox - one day - Half a day (about 4 h): unhurried time with our horses from the ground and forest bathing. No riding and no experience needed.
- City detox - weekend - Two days with a night at OW Orle Gniazdo: horses, an evening without screens and forest bathing the next day.
Price
Individual quote - it depends on the number of people and the date. We give you the total cost before you book. Ask via the form above, by phone or by text message (buttons below). Payment methods.
Location and directions
We meet at our Horse Riding and Outdoor Activities Centre in Hucisko near Zawiercie, next to the Orle Gniazdo resort (where you can use - for a separate fee - the catering and hotel facilities). From there we walk into the forest. How to find us?