Halicz (1333 m a.s.l.) is the third highest peak in the Polish Bieszczady Mountains and the entire Western Bieszczady range — and arguably its most rewarding viewpoint. Its distinctive triangular silhouette rises above the Wołosatka valley, and the open alpine meadow at the top offers a 360-degree panorama that genuinely takes your breath away.
On a clear day the view stretches deep into the Ukrainian Bieszczady: you can spot Połonina Bukowska with Kińczyk Bukowski, Połonina Równa, Starostyna, Pikuj, Czorna Repa, and even the distant summits of Popadia and Velyka Syvulia in the Gorgany range. Closer to home, the upper San valley stretches towards the Uzhok Pass, and the Wołosatka valley below looks simply stunning. In autumn the polonyna grasslands glow with the warm colours of grasses and bilberries.
How to reach the summitOn 5 August 1953, a young priest named Karol Wojtyła — later Pope John Paul II — reached this summit on a hiking trip from Ustrzyki Górne. The slopes of Halicz are also home to the Carpathian spurge, an endemic plant species, and the unusual green alder which replaces the more typical dwarf pine found on other high Carpathian ridges.