WA-MA, the All-Poland Student Rally through Warmia and Masuria, is the biggest annual event of the Academic Tourist Club in Olsztyn (AKT Olsztyn). In 2025 I took part not only as a participant – I was also the leader of the “Explorers” route, the first hitchhiking-and-hiking route in the rally’s history. A year later, in May 2026, I chose the “Tough Ones” hiking route from Kętrzyn to Lake Mamry. In this post I describe both editions: Teutonic castles “conquered” by hitchhiking, a night march through the forest, a night in a tent, a boat trip to Wielka Żuława island, a hike along old railway tracks and a finale that ended with me in the lake.
Table of contents
- What is WA-MA?
- “Explorers” 2025 – a hitchhiking-and-hiking route
- Hitchhiking via Ostróda to Przezmark
- The hitchhiking finish on the beach in Przezmark
- A night march to Lake Gardzień
- Day two – to Iława and by boat to Wielka Żuława
- The WA-MA 2025 finale in hippie style
- “Tough Ones” 2026 – on foot from Kętrzyn to Lake Mamry
- The Masurian Canal, a finish in the rain and the Big Badge
- Practical information
What is WA-MA?
WA-MA is a rally whose shared finish you can reach in many ways. In 2025 the options included sailing, cycling, kayaking, hiking and even driving routes. Each of them heads at its own pace to a holiday centre where everyone meets for the finale: with a bonfire, competitions and partying until morning. Every year the rally also has its own theme – in 2025 it was hippies, and in 2026 the PRL (communist-era Poland).
AKT Olsztyn also organises hitchhiking races, so combining the rally with hitchhiking was no coincidence. One of them – the first Kortowo Hitchhiking Rally in 2018 – has its own post. I have also hitchhiked to Ukraine, around Scotland, across northern Spain and around the south of France, among other places.
“Explorers” 2025 – a hitchhiking-and-hiking route
The 66th edition of WA-MA took place on the weekend of 23–25 May 2025. The finish was the “Bosman” holiday centre on Wielka Żuława island on Lake Jeziorak, near Iława. I designed the “Explorers” route as a completely new format: it was meant to combine the spirit of adventure, discovery and independent travel. It had two stages – hitchhiking on Friday, followed straight away by a march that ended on Saturday at the rally finish.
At around 7:30 we met by the castle in Olsztyn. Everyone got pins, stickers and special inscriptions with information about the route, which had been published earlier on the event page. The aim was to draw attention to the castles along the way towards Iława. The motto of the stage was: “The peaceful conquest of Teutonic castles by hippie beavers” – a perfect fit for the rally’s hippie theme.
The rules were simple: 1 point for each castle visited from the list, up to a maximum of 6 points from 8 places. It was a “route of choices”, not a linear race – each pair decided for themselves which places to visit and which to skip. Reaching the finish of the hitchhiking stage, the beach in Przezmark, on time also counted. The full route meant about 3.5–4 hours of non-stop driving, and there were 8 hours to reach the finish. Because of a slight delay at the start we moved the closing time of the finish from 15:00 to 15:30.
Checkpoints on the hitchhiking route:
- Olsztyn (start)
- Olsztynek
- Ostróda
- Dzierzgoń
- Sztum
- Kwidzyn
- Prabuty
- Przezmark (finish)
Six pairs set off, 12 people in total: Stachu and Mikołaj, Liśka and Zgredek (Kacper), Paweł and Tomek, Oliwia and Blanka, Iga and Bartek, and me with Krzysiek.
Hitchhiking via Ostróda to Przezmark
Krzysiek and I weren’t competing. Our goal was to get to the finish as quickly as possible, eat something hot, prepare the prizes and welcome the pairs as they arrived. We took a city bus to the exit road and then stood by the roadside with a sign.
Hitchhiking can be fickle, though. At the start we made a mistake – we let a driver talk us into a lift to Tomaszkowo, and that road turned out to be little used, because Warszawska Street was closed. After that things went better.
We got to Ostróda, where we had time to walk up to the Teutonic castle and stroll along Lake Drwęckie.
From Ostróda we continued via Małdyty and Zalewo to Przezmark. In total, six different drivers gave us a lift.
The hitchhiking finish on the beach in Przezmark
We reached Przezmark in the early afternoon – we took a souvenir photo with our sign by the tower of the ruined local castle. The finish of the hitchhiking stage was on the beach, with covered benches, a barbecue area, portable toilets and plenty of good vibes.
The other pairs had a harder day. For some, Prabuty will be remembered as a place that is very hard to get out of. Some pairs ended up with long walks along the way, others got stuck for a while, and two pairs managed to travel together as a foursome. Many people were trying hitchhiking for the first time – and although it was sometimes tough, it’s always another experience. Those conversations with drivers and stories from the road are priceless. We also now know that you can even hitch a ride on a school bus.
Two pairs arrived on time: Liśka and Zgredek (2nd place, 3 points) and – with a slight “academic quarter-hour” delay – Oliwia and Blanka (1st place, 5 points). We passed the waiting time playing the guitar, a forehead guessing game and music. The other pairs arrived around 18:00 – all with 5 points, but being late ruled them out of the fight for the top two places. For the three best pairs we had prepared symbolic prizes – something for the throat and something for the skin.
A night march to Lake Gardzień
We set off on foot from the beach in Przezmark at around 18:30, already three and a half hours behind schedule. The beginning was magical: low sun, villages, singing, chatting and laughter.
After dark the harder part began – marching in the dark, in other words simply grinding out the kilometres. There were no more views, but there were stars – beautiful, although we didn’t always have time to admire them. The pace dropped, and so did morale. Krzysiek took on the role of moral support, and towards the end my back started to hurt from the heavy backpack.
After 1:00 a.m. we pitched our tents in the forest by Lake Gardzień. This place is officially registered in the “Stay the night in the forest” programme of the Polish State Forests, so we camped completely legally. The temperature dropped to 4–5°C, but we coped. On the first day we walked mainly along forest paths, with little asphalt. The whole stretch (23 km) took about 7 hours, of which 5.25 hours were actual walking – an average of about 4.4 km/h.
Day two – to Iława and by boat to Wielka Żuława
The night was cold and sleeping on uneven ground wasn’t the most comfortable, but the morning brought beautiful sunshine and much better spirits.
On the second day we covered about 19 km in just over 5 hours of walking (an average of 3.8 km/h). This time part of the route through the forest ran over more difficult terrain, and everyone could still feel the previous day in their legs. Line of the day? “It’s just behind this dune!” – which hardly ever turned out to be true. Even so, everyone bravely completed the whole route.
On the way we took a few longer breaks – at a petrol station, at a Lidl and at the marina in Iława.
We sailed to Wielka Żuława from the marina in Iława by boat, in two trips, as it had limited capacity. Running late, like several other routes, we reached the island at around 17:00 – just in time for the official opening of WA-MA, which had been pushed back by two hours.
The WA-MA 2025 finale in hippie style
The WA-MA finale is a big celebration. First, club awards were presented and the route leaders were thanked. Then came a contest for the best hippie-style costume, a flanki tournament (a Polish can-throwing drinking game – we, the “Explorers”, took 2nd place!) and a tug of war. On top of that, volleyball, singing, dancing and a bonfire until dawn.
Those were two intense days full of emotions – sometimes hard, sometimes funny, but definitely unforgettable. We walked 42 km and travelled much further by car. As the route leader I was proud of all the participants. Even then I knew I wanted to come back to the hitchhiking-and-hiking format.
“Tough Ones” 2026 – on foot from Kętrzyn to Lake Mamry
A year later, on the weekend of 15–17 May 2026, the rally finish was at “Kętrzyńska Przystań” near Węgorzewo. The options were sailing, cycling, kayaking and two hiking routes. This time I chose the “Tough Ones” hiking route. On Friday morning we took the train from Olsztyn to Kętrzyn and from there, 11 of us, we set off.
That day we walked 31 km – mostly along railway tracks, on pavements and through forests. On the way we passed, among other things, the Wolf’s Lair – although we only saw it from behind the fence.
We had planned a “wild” camp by Hans Lammers’ former headquarters, but it was a flop – the area was overgrown with dense thickets. So we walked an extra 6 km and joined the sailing crew for the night at the boat station in Kietlice on Lake Mamry. Proper bathrooms and a bonfire with a guitar made up for the distance!
The Masurian Canal, a finish in the rain and the Big Badge
Saturday was more relaxed – thanks to the extra distance the evening before, we had only about 9 km left to walk. We stopped by the Masurian Canal and an old railway bridge.
We walked into the finish at “Kętrzyńska Przystań” in the rain, but it didn’t spoil the rally. The WA-MA finale, this time dominated by the PRL theme, is the main part of the event. A bonfire, a flanki tournament and a tug of war were waiting for us, among other things.
For me this finale was special for one more reason: as one of four new people, I received the club’s badge of honour, the so-called Big Badge (Duża Blacha). For us, it ended with the traditional “flight” – we were thrown straight into the lake.
The photos of the finale were taken by the rally photographers: Adam Jadczak and Daniel Klach.
Practical information
- Organiser – the Academic Tourist Club in Olsztyn (AKT Olsztyn). WA-MA takes place every year in May: the 66th edition – 23–25 May 2025 (finish on Wielka Żuława near Iława), the next one – 15–17 May 2026 (finish at “Kętrzyńska Przystań” near Węgorzewo).
- Routes – several routes lead to the shared finish: sailing, cycling, kayaking, hiking, and in 2025 also a driving route and the hitchhiking-and-hiking “Explorers”.
- Cost – in 2025 the rental of the “Bosman” centre cost about €14 per person for the whole stay. The price included a bed in a cabin or a tent pitch, toilets and showers, a bonfire area and mooring.
- Distances – “Explorers” 2025: hitchhiking from Olsztyn to Przezmark, then 23 km on foot on the first day (partly at night) and about 19 km on the second day, 42 km in total (route recordings on AllTrails: day 1, day 2). “Tough Ones” 2026: 31 + 6 km on Friday and about 9 km on Saturday.
- Camping in the forest – in 2025 we slept at a site registered in the “Stay the night in the forest” programme, where you can legally pitch a tent. At the end of May the nights can be cold (we had 4–5°C), so a warm sleeping bag is a good idea.
- Hitchhiking – the hardest part was getting out of Prabuty. It’s worth checking whether the exit road is closed or little used – the lift to Tomaszkowo at the start cost us a lot of time.
Photo gallery
