A striking landscape accent is a high escarpment above the glacial valley of the Vistula River, which forms the reserve's eastern border.

The woods reserve has subsequently been named for Stefan Starzyński, Warsaw's patriotic mayor who in 1938 secured its purchase from private owners.

Despite the losses that the Kabaty Woods suffered during World War II, a unique multi-species vegetation and rich undergrowth survived.

The rich plant environment favors a wealth of animals — deer, wild boar, fox, badger, weasel, pine marten, hedgehog — and various birds: buzzard, Eurasian hobby, kestrel, sparrow hawk, tawny owl, long-eared owl, green woodpecker and black woodpecker, wilson, crossbill, bullfinch and others.

Southeast of the Woods is the Wilanów-district community of Powsin, with two popular attractions: a culture park, and a Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences.