A forest reserve on the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland with limestone hills, bat caves, the Trail of the Eagles' Nests and climbing rocks.
Sokole Góry Nature Reserve is a forest reserve on the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, between Olsztyn and the villages of Zrębice and Biskupice. It protects limestone hills with caves, small rock outcrops and forests.
The reserve was created in 1953 with an area of 333.27 hectares. In 1963 it was reduced to 215.95 hectares, which made it the second largest reserve on the Upland after the Racławka Valley. Since 1 June 2023 it has covered 222.92 hectares, because the neighbouring forest compartments with Jodłowa Góra were brought under protection.
The reserve includes several hills made of limestone covered with loess: Sokola Góra, Pustelnica, Puchacz, Donica, Karzełek and Setki. In many places bare rock is exposed, with karst forms, caves and rock shelters. The largest caves are Olsztyńska, Maurycego, Koralowa, Urwista, Fikuśna, Studnisko and Pod Sokolą Górą. Bats hibernate in many of them, and Studnisko has a breeding colony of greater mouse-eared bats, one of two in Poland located underground.
Two subspecies of beetles live in the Pod Sokolą Górą Cave, Ice Age relics that need only a temperature of about 3 degrees all year round. The slopes are covered with Sudeten beech woodland, orchid beech woodland and oak-hornbeam forest.
Two walking trails lead through the reserve: the red Trail of the Eagles' Nests and the black trail named after Barbara Rychlik. There is also a nature education path and the St Giles Path (Dróżka Świętego Idziego). Two rocks, Boniek and Pielgrzym, have been opened up for climbing. By the road from Olsztyn to Biskupice there are two car parks, shelters and information boards. About 2 kilometres from the reserve stands Olsztyn Castle.
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