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.

Keila Waterfall is 6.1 meters high and 60 meters wide. On its right bank there is the abandoned estate with a park, built in 1833. The adjacent park occupies an area of ​​25 hectares and there is growing over 80 species of trees and shrubs. Upstream of the waterfall you can see an interesting bridge, which symbolizes love. You can also visit here the small hydro power plant. Keila Waterfall is a popular tourist destination. You can use paid parking space near the waterfall.

View Keila Waterfall – a beautiful natural phenomena in Estonia in a larger map

The post Keila Waterfall – a beautiful natural phenomena in Estonia appeared first on Europe Explored.

Domica Cave, Slovakia by Jojo

Slovak Karst National Park is so far the second youngest National Park in Slovakia, established on 1 March 2002. This valuable territory with perfectly developed karst was a protected landscape area since 1973. Its significance is enhanced by the fact that it is included in the MaB (Man and Biosphere) network of biosphere reserves.

The caves and abysses in the Slovak karst and the area of the Aggteleki Karszt in neighbouring Hungary are inscribed in the UNESCO List of the Natural and Cultural Heritage. Stricter regime of conservation is applied to 10 Reserves, 16 National Natural Phenomena and 6 Natural Phenomena in the territory of the mountains Slovenský kras.

The most interesting places are the Zádielska tiesňava gorge and Domica cave – the biggest cave in Slovakia.

The post Slovak Karst National Park – largest karstic area in Central Europe appeared first on Europe Explored.

River bores or tidal waves are a rarity. There are only sixty known bores that occur around the world to date. Owing the formation of the Severn Bore to the shape of the river’s estuary, the tidal waves are able to form and flow down the river. The bore maintains an average roughly 14 knots as it makes its way down the river. People who visit the river banks during this even can hear the roar of the water as much as twenty two kilometers away from the head.

Severn Bore, UK by Audrey Hudson

In Avonmouth, the River Severn estuary is nearly 9 kilometers wide. By the time that the river reaches Sharpness, the estuary is a little more than 1.4 kilometers wide. Where the river passes Minsterworth, the estuary is less than a hundred meters in width and maintains roughly the same width until it reaches Gloucester.

People wanting to view the power of the Severn Bore, should visit the area during the spring time. Since the bore is caused by the tides, the Environment Agency is able to publish regular occurrences of the bore and its expected height.

One of the best viewing locations of the Severn Bore is on the eastern banks of the river in Stonebench. Some say that the best place to see the bore is from the Severn Bore Inn which is located in Minsterworth. Here there is a pub, food a car park as well as floodlights for nighttime viewing of the river bores. Some say that the best time to witness the bores is in the dark of night when you have to use a floodlight to see the water.

Countless people stop at the Over Bridge which crosses the River Severn. From this viewpoint, you can watch the tidal waves as it surges directly under your feet. You can feel the force of the water rushing under the bridge as the entire ground shakes. The feeling of having witnessed the Severn Bore “Over the River” is an amazing one.

The post Severn Bore – surfing on the river Severn in England, United Kingdom appeared first on Europe Explored.