Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by overdrive_cz

Malá Fatra is located in the northern part of the country. Its tourist centre is Terchová village. Accommodation is offered mostly by private owners in their home areas or cottages. The prices are around €10 per night. There are also several hotels with prices around €35 per night. In every village around the park you can find local restaurants offering delicious meals for little money.

Charming small waterfalls and gorges in Vrátna Valley

One of the most interesting trips that can be undertaken in a national park, is a visit to two waterfalls. One of them is Šútovský waterfall which is set at the river Sut in Šútovská dolina valley. The stream is more than 2 meters wide and falls to 38 meters deep gorge.

Another one, which is one of the rarest Slovak falls, is 10 meters high Klacký waterfall, declared a national natural monument. There is stunning countryside around with wild rapids and a giant pots (holes carved by water).

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Petrusia1

Gorges in Vrátna valley and Terchová valley are popular hiking attractions thanks to a beautiful scenery of rocky formations but also to local folklore festivities. They are held here every year in honor of Juraj Jánošík, a native of Terchová village.

You can also visit Crystal cave in Malý Rozsutec or climb to the highest peak of Malá Fatra – Veľký Kriváň (1709 m). If you get tired you can relax in nearby thermal park Meander Park in Oravice featuring geothermal water with temperature ranging from 35 to 37°C, or in another thermal park Bešeňová.

If you wish to learn more about famous Juraj Jánošík you can visit museum in Terchová or another popular open air museum in the village Nová Bystrica – Vychylovce. It documents the local folk architecture and life in the past. An interesting exhibition is the historic forest railways from the early 20th century.

Malá Fatra National Park with the equally interesting surroundings is simply the perfect place for a nice and cheap holiday. If you want to save some money in these hectic days and enjoy great nature at the same time, come to Slovakia.

View Malá Fatra National Park – one of the most visited national parks in Slovakia in a larger map

The post Malá Fatra National Park – one of the most visited national parks in Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by DaLee_pl

Pieniny is spread in the northern part of the country called Spiš, in the region of Zamagurie. It is about 30 km long and belongs to Beskydy mountain range. In 1932, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk established here the first international natural park in Europe. It was formed by National park of Pieniny in Poland and Nature Reserve of Pieniny in Slovakia. In 1967 was declared a National Park. Most tourists to Slovakia often stop in the High Tatras Mountains only, without knowing how beautiful nature is hidden behind them.

Pieniny National Park is an area with unspoilt nature, where meadows blend with the forest, villages are subtly incorporated into the landscape. It is a country full of rock formations, amazing rivers and high-mountain streams. Although there are not any high rocky peaks, but anyway this park will enchant everyone who come here. It’s a place where you can still see freely grazing herds of sheep and remote villages where time has stopped tens years ago, both in terms of architectural and cultural. It is not unusual to see a wooden horse-drawn carriages carrying hay, as well as a hundred years ago, or old ladies sitting in traditional festive costumes in the front of their homes.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Emillie & Lloyd

The mountain range is composed of Jurassic and Cretaceous limestones with younger sandstones, shales and conglomerates, which together creates very impressive character. The rugged relief with deep valleys, gorges and remarkable rock formations was created mainly due to the activities of water, frost, erosion and climate fluctuations. There are also numerous cave systems.

Nature in Pieniny National Park is very diverse, with a number of plant and animal species. From the protected animals you can see here such as Goshawk, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, falcon, raven, crayfish or Eurasian Lynx. There are also rare and endemic species, such as springtails, several species of grasshoppers, centipedes and butterflies. The forests are mostly mixed (firs, pine, spruce, beech, maple, and European yew).

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by DaLee_pl

Pieniny National Park offers relatively dense network of well marked trails with the possibility to choose the optimal route according to your capabilities. Most famous and most visited area in the Pieniny is certainly Breakthrough of Dunajec, located between the towns Szczawnica and Červený Kláštor. Dunajec river created a wonderful valley and you can try rafting on the wooden rafts here, which is the biggest tourist attraction. When sailing, you can see beautiful surrounding scenery. If you do not like water very much, you can go through the Breakthrough of Dunajec on foot or ride a bike.

The highest peak of Pieniny is Vysoké skalky measuring 1050 meters above sea level and lying at the borders with Poland. The top is beautiful, offering panoramic view of the surroundings. Much better known and more significant, however, are dominant Tri Koruny with a height of 982 meters above sea level, located above the Dunajec river. It is formed by rocky towers, whose walls are about 100 meters high and have the form of a crown. The summit offers a magnificent view over the whole area of ​​Pieniny, Spisska Magura, Belianske Tatras and even the High Tatras.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by tokarcik.tomas

Very interesting is also well preserved folk architecture in the villages Osturňa, Havka, Veľká Lesná and Jezersko.

A large part of the Pieniny National Park is still a God forgotten region, which is accessible to the ordinary tourist, mostly in the summer. There are not any large hotel complexes or resorts. It is ideal for hikers, cyclists, lovers of traditional culture or history, climbers, adventurers or simply for people fleeing from everyday bustle of the city.

View Pieniny – the smallest and second oldest national park in Slovakia in a larger map

The post Pieniny – the smallest and second oldest national park in Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.

For those who might not know what is it, should be noted that it is a lake of glacial origin. In the Slovak High Tatras there are in a total of 87 glacial lakes, but the most famous one is certainly Štrbské Pleso. It is not the largest or deepest one, nor the highest situated, but it’s just typical.

It lies at the connected point of Furkotská and Mlynická valley at the altitude of 1346.6 metres above sea level. It covers an area of 19.76 hectares and its maximum depth reaches about 20 meters. The lake is almost half of the year covered by ice.

The lakes were created in the Pleistocene by the action of glaciers, which dug them into the valleys. Due to the remoteness and high altitude such lakes have very clean water and are often a home to quite specific types of plants and animals. Štrbské Pleso is home to a fish called European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus). This salmon-like fish is still widespread in many countries, but currently it can be found on the Red List of Threatened Species. It has been found yet, that whitefish from Štrbské Pleso is genetically purest of its kind in the world. The lake is also home to several other species of fish, some of them (especially perch and roach) are unfortunately direct food competitors to whitefish. The management of High Tatras national park therefore prepared a program to capture these fish, to save a rare population of whitefish.

In terms of nature is the human presence on the shores of lake negligibly short, but more intense. The first mention of a lake comes from David Frölich in 1644. Later there came hunters, loggers and miners. A lake has almost ceased to exist in 1860. It was due to the residents of nearby Štrba town, who tried to drain the lake and use that “useless puddle” for new pastures! Fortunately, they didn’t do it well …

The same-name settlement of Štrbské Pleso was founded in 1872, when there was a hunting lodge built by Jozef Szentiványi. Other buildings were then built at the instigation of Hungarian Carpathian Association. At present, a town of Štrbské Pleso is a popular winter and summer resort with many hotels and restaurants, and also serves as a climatic spa centre. With its altitude it is also the highest situated resort in Slovakia. There are lots of opportunities for hiking and skiing, including ski lifts and cable cars to Solisko peak.

Despite its mountainous location, you can get to Štrbské Pleso by both road and rail. The main gate to Štrbské Pleso and High Tatras is the city of Poprad where is an international airport as well.

Whether you come to Štrbské Pleso for hiking or skiing, you will be surely surprised with its beauty and surrounding nature. There are lots of hiking trails leading from this place to several important peaks – Kriváň (2,495 m) or Rysy (2,503 m) or you can visit the great 10 metres high waterfall Skok (1,725 m), or another popular lake Popradské pleso (1,494 m).

View Štrbské Pleso – a favorite ski, tourist, and health resort in the High Tatras mountains in Slovakia in a larger map

The post Štrbské Pleso – a favorite ski, tourist, and health resort in the High Tatras mountains in Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.

The cave has three surface holes. The inlet lies at an altitude of 740 m, 90 m above the flow Demänovka. The upper floors are ice-free, with weathered limestone ornamentation. You can see the ice only in the front part of the very bottom floor.

Demänovská Ice Cave is one of the first known caves in the world. It was mentioned already in a document Ostrihom Chapter of 5th December 1299. It was first explored and described by Juraj Buchholtz jr. in 1719. Since then, it was well-known and sought out by scholars in the whole world. In 80′s of the last century, the cave was open also to public.

The basic admission is €7. Cave is open from May to September every day except of Mondays, however the opening hours are changing. For further details please check the official website of Demänovská Ice Cave.

View Demänovská Ice Cave in Slovakia – one of the first known caves in the world in a larger map

The post Demänovská Ice Cave in Slovakia – one of the first known caves in the world appeared first on Europe Explored.

There were built routes and electric lighting. The total length of cave is 2811 meters, of which about 550 meters are available to the public. Jasovská cave has a rich sinter decoration. You can admire Virgin stalactites and waterfalls. At the top floor there is also interesting sign written in black letters in 1452 and which talks about the victory of the Hussites in Lučenec.

The cave is a home to 19 species of bats, which live in the cave especially during winter. Since 1995 Jasovská cave is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as a part of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst site.

The air temperature ranges between 8.8°C to 9.4°C, relative humidity from 90% to 98%. The cave is open daily – except of Mondays – from April 1 to October 30. Basic admission fee is €5.

See pictures of Jasovská Cave on flickr.com

For further information you can visit official website of Slovak caves www.ssj.sk.

View Jasovská cave – national natural monument of Slovakia in a larger map

The post Jasovská cave – national natural monument of Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.

Southwest ridge runs across two apparent elevations – i.e. Upper and Lower Priehyba – and ends in afforested Grunik. These routes belong to quite difficult and challenging hikes in the High Tatras and require some physical and technical prowess. The part of the route is fixed and secured with chains. Kriváň peak offers beautiful views. You can see almost the entire ridge of Low Tatras, West Tatras and the Red Hills to the northwest.

You can access Kriváň from several places:

• Tri studničky (following blue-green route, 2h10″/2h30″)
• Štrbské pleso lake (blue-red route, 3h00″/3h30″)
• Pod jamami (blue, 2h45″/3h30″)

Kriváň is not even among the 20 highest peaks in Slovakia (but 27th). But its magical silhouette with noticeably curved top, after which is named, attracted poets, painters and ordinary people since beginning. Lots of myths and legends exist about Kriváň. In the past, it was a symbol of strengthening of the national pride and identity, sometimes abused for political goals.

This massive peak became a symbol of Slovak national consciousness and in 2005 it was decided that it will be displayed on the back of the Slovak euro coins with a face value of 1, 2 and 5 cents.

View Kriváň Peak (2495m) – the symbol of Slovakia in a larger map

The post Kriváň Peak (2494,7m) – the symbol of Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.

Popradské pleso is also a good starting point for the tours around Mengusovská valley. To Popradské pleso you can get from Štrbské pleso following the marked trail which take approximately two hours of slow walking. Near Popradské pleso there is the symbolic cemetery. In this cemetery there is a monument to victims of the High Tatras. The cemetery is a good idea to show the number of victims who lost their lives in the mountains.

Popradské pleso covers an area of 6.88 hectares and it is 18 meters depth. In the past it was called Rybie pleso (Fish lake), as it was the only mountain-lake in the southern High Tatra Mountains with the natural occurrence of fish. The old name was first used in 1736 by Matej Bel, a prominent Slovak scholar of 18th century.

At the lake you can find Cottage of Popradské pleso where you can buy some refreshments, beer or try Slovak traditional meals (e.g. Bryndzové halušky). You can also book a room here and stay here for few nights. If so, I would recommend you to wake up very early and enjoy the sun-rise.

View Popradské pleso – one of the most popular place in Slovakia in a larger map

The post Popradské pleso – one of the most popular places in Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.

Vihorlat Mountain is a protected area since 1973 and with the area of 17480 ha it is the smallest protected area in Slovakia. Protected Landscape Area Vihorlat includes several natural reserves such as Lake Morské oko (Marine Eye) and the highest mountain peak – Vihorlat, which reaches an altitude of 1076 m. Then it includes Ďurova mláka which is a typical circular crater in the Vihorlat mountains. In this area you can find a protected peat bog.

One of the parts of Protected Landscape Area Vihorlat is also Popriečny peak, which is 1024 m high, and also natural structure Snina Stone (Sninský kameň), that was created by the lava. Snina stone is about 20 m high and offers wonderful views of the surrounding area. Vihorlat protects about 35 species of plants. The most valuable are the Spring Snowflake, Soldanella carpatica and Telekia speciosa. Vihorlat is also home to 2,000 kinds of vertebrates, 100 species of birds and several species of carnivores (eg wolves, lynx, wildcat, otter).

Protected Landscape Area Vihorlat offers lots of trails. The most popular is the trail that leads from the Lake Morské oko through the Snina stone and ends at Snina’s ponds. The trails are open to the public since 1984.

Kyjovský prales, a primeval beech forest in Vihorlat Mountains, was proclaimed in 2007 by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site due to its comprehensive and undisturbed ecological patterns and processes.

View Protected Landscape Area Vihorlat – a volcanic mountain range in Slovakia in a larger map

The post Protected Landscape Area Vihorlat – a volcanic mountain range in Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.

The main attraction of the cave is called Milky Way Hall, where you can see the white branches and clusters of aragonite shining like stars in the Milky Way. There are fantastic shapes of flowers and Aragonite crystalline formations.

Ochtinská Aragonite Cave was discovered accidentally in 1954 by Jan Bystricky and open later to the public in 1972. However its length is only 300 meters, and only 230 meters are accessible, it is famous for its rare aragonite filling. In 1995 Ochtinská Aragonite Cave has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List together with other caves in Slovak Karst.

The cave is open daily except of Mondays from April to October. Basic admission is €6.

View Ochtinská Aragonite Cave – the only Aragonite cave of that kind in the world Slovakia in a larger map

The post Ochtinská Aragonite Cave – the only Aragonite cave of that kind in the world | Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.

The first ascent to the summit took place in 1855, although it was reportedly done in 1834, when Ján Still (teacher in Catholic school in Nová Lesná) got here.

Gerlachovský štít is accessible by two major routes. The first comes from Velická valley from Sliezský dom (house of Silesia). The trip takes about 4 hours. Another route is recommended for the descent. It leads through Batizovská valley, back to Sliezský dom.

Hiking to Gerlachovský štít is permitted only with a mountain guide, who can be ordered in the Association of Mountain Guides in Slovakia.

View Gerlachovský štít – the highest peak of Slovakia in a larger map

The post Gerlachovský štít – the highest peak of Slovakia appeared first on Europe Explored.