The Tatra Mountains - Poland/Slovakia 6/25-7/1

Posted while waiting for my bus in Slovakia

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The Tatra Mountains, located on the border between Poland and Slovakia, are the highest part of the Carpathian Range, which stretches in an arc from Czechia to Romania. They are considered the smallest “high mountain range” in the world. The dramatic peaks and picturesque alpine lakes within the Tatras’ 785 square kilometers make it a popular destination for Polish and Slovakian hikers.

Day 1

Following a three-hour train ride from Kraków, I arrived in Zakopane, a charming alpine resort town in southern Poland’s Tatra Mountains and took a Bolt to my hostel, located in a cabin a 15-minute drive outside of town. After a brief introduction to the hostel rules from one of the hostel’s volunteers (no shoes allowed inside!), I set about studying a map of the nearby hiking trails to see if there were any short summits I could still complete that day. I was interrupted by a friendly Canadian who shared he was exploring some of Europe’s lesser-known mountain ranges after having visited his family in Slovenia. We decided on a short loop hike together and set off.

The trail began after a 25-minute walk along the main road toward Zakopane, where we were greeted by an immediate, almost vertical incline. We followed the rocky trail up to Nosal, a minor peak with great views of the surrounding mountains. The gentle decline back down took us through several forests and meadows and ended at the main road close to the hostel. The five miles took us about three hours and were a great warm-up for the following day. We got dinner and returned to the hostel.

By this point, I was starting to feel the first symptoms of travel burnout after three weeks of constant motion. All the new cities and new faces had left me in need of a break. This came quite a bit sooner than I had hoped. I resolved to plan a full rest day soon.

Day 2

Today, I would be following the trail recommended to me by the hostel receptionist in Kraków, who grew up not far from the area. I helped myself to whatever I could find in the kitchen cupboards (dry Cocoa Puffs and a handful of granola), as I was up too early for the hostel’s full breakfast spread.

A 30-minute bus took me to the trailhead and I was on the trail by 7:30. The day’s first destination was the Valley of the Five Lakes, a picturesque valley containing six (not five?) alpine lakes. From there, I continued along the steep, rocky trail up to Zawrat, a saddle between two peaks, where the trail forks. A 30 minute scramble, in some places aided by chains drilled into the rock, brought me to the summit of Świnica and spectacular views of the valley below. After a short break, I began the long descent along the ridge forming the border between Poland and Slovakia, with one foot in each country, and ended up not far from the hostel again. I took a Bolt back as the 13 miles over 9 hours of hiking had left me sunburned and exhausted. The Tatras may be “small,” but they sure are steep; I had climbed over 4,500 feet.

Back at the hostel, I enjoyed some free spaghetti cooked by the volunteers and conversed with a group of English guys on the cabin porch as someone strummed a guitar nearby.

Day 3

I woke up in desperate need of some after-sun lotion for my sunburns. Luckily, I was able to find some at the closest market before it was time to pack and check out of the hostel. I then took a two-hour Flix Bus over the border into Slovakia to spend the next few days exploring the other side of the Tatras. Here, several remote towns, connected to each other by an electric railway, each offers access to their own set of trailheads. I opted to stay at a hotel in Tatranská Lomnica. I checked in, grabbed some dinner (baked pork belly with dumplings and sauerkraut), and hit the maps again to plan a hike for the next day.

Day 4

After a slightly late start, I grabbed breakfast at the hotel and headed out for a short hike. A scenic gondola brought me up to Skalnaté Pleso, saving about three hours of hiking from the hotel, and was greeted at the top by a red fox. I stopped to watch it for a bit and then made my way along a boulder field and up a handful of switchbacks to Veľká Svišťovka, another minor peak with views of the nearby mountains towering over a small alpine lake below. I spent an hour enjoying the view and then made my way back down to the gondola and into town. I bought some snacks and extra water and had Slovakian sheep cheese Pirohy for dinner.

Day 5

With travel burnout lingering, the day’s weather forecast of clouds and rain on the peaks made this a perfect day to do absolutely nothing. I finalized my hiking route for the following day and spent the remainder of this much-needed rest day lounging around the hotel and watching clouds drift over the peaks from my balcony.

Day 6

I got an early start and snagged some sandwiches from the hotel’s breakfast spread for the day’s hike. One of the region’s electric trains brought me to the trailhead where my route began with a gradual incline along a paved section of trail to Popradské Pleso, a large alpine lake with a rustic chalet for overnighters. Here, the paved section ended as I continued up through a forest to reach a high valley with more lakes. A set of switchbacks led me out of the valley, and a final, fairly easy scramble revealed the mind-blowing panoramic views at my destination, Kôprovský štít. I spent some time enjoying the view from this peak before returning the way I came, and made a stop at Popradské Pleso, where I found a nice beach for a short nap. I then made my way back to the train station and returned to town for dinner. Today’s hike was 12 miles and 3,600 feet of climbing over about 7 hours.

Day 7

A lot of traveling is comprised of waiting. Today I had to check out of the hotel at 11 am, but my bus to Warsaw wasn’t until 5 pm. In a quiet town with few amenities, there really isn’t much to do for six hours.

The abundance of trails and accessible peaks on this side of the Tatras left me wishing I had a couple more days to bag some more summits here.

Notes

The trails in the Tatras are very popular among the locals and can get very crowded. This can make hiking less enjoyable and, sometimes, even dangerous. I was glad I hadn’t done much hiking during the weekend.

While Slovakia’s Tatras lack the proximity to any major city that Poland’s Tatras have, about three-quarters of the range is located on the Slovakian side. This gives you more choice for trails and slightly smaller crowds.

Due to its proximity to the border, and the similarity to Slovak, Polish is often spoken, or at least understood, by residents of the Slovakian Tatra region.

Accommodation

The Good Bye Lenin Hostel, a short drive from Zakopane, is located in a cozy cabin in a peaceful section of forest with a stream running next to the property. It is shared with a one-horned goat and two friendly cats. This is the perfect place to get trail recommendations and find hiking buddies. Although located too far from Zakopane to walk into town, its location is unbeatable for trail access. A nearby bus station also services each of the main trailheads in the region. There is a mini-mart and a couple of restaurants within a 10-minute walk.

Penzión Paula on the outskirts of Tatranská Lomnica is a very comfortable hotel with friendly staff and an absolutely delicious daily breakfast. Located in the shadow of Lomnický štít, the third highest peak in the Tatras, hiking trails are directly accessible through the hotel’s backyard. This was my first private room since I left the U.S. and was the perfect place to get some much-needed rest. I spent many hours enjoying the view from my balcony under near constant birdsong from the surrounding trees.