This multi-activity holiday combines beautiful scenery with active adventures in the Slovakian Carpathian Mountains. You’ll cycle, raft and walk through three of Slovakia’s most popular National Parks, including the Tatra Mountains, Slovak Paradise and Pieniny, as well as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and lofty peaks. Come and explore Slovakia’s natural beauty in the most exciting way possible on an active, European adventure.
Over eight days, you´ll experience:
Welcome to Smokovec, located in the shadow of the beautiful High Tatra Mountains. This will be your base for the next six nights. Your tour leader will meet you at the hotel for an introductory briefing. Depending on your arrival time, the rest of the day is free to explore.
Meals included
none
Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)
This morning we’ll take a mountain tram to Tatranska Lomnica, one of the youngest and biggest settlements in the High Tatras. From here, we´ll take a cable car to Skalnate Pleso (1751m). Look out for Tatra chamois bouncing around on the rocks below!
Skalnate Pleso is home to one of the most important observatories in Slovakia and a small mountain lake. We´ll follow a circular route around the lake before heading to Hrebienok.
On the way to Hrebienok, you’ll visit some of the legendary mountain huts in the area with countless spectacular viewpoints. That includes Rainerova hut, the oldest hut in the Tatras, and the cascading waterfalls of Studeny Potok (Cold Creek).
In the late afternoon, we´ll head back to our hotel.
Meals included
Breakfast, packed lunch
Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)
After breakfast, we´ll drive to the national park of Pieniny, which forms a natural border with Poland. Here we’ll visit one of the most magical sites in Slovakia - Cerveny Klastor (the Red Monastery), which was home to the Cistercian monks. We´ll learn about the most famous monk, Cyprian, the inventor of a hang-glider and author of the oldest pharmacy in Central Europe.
The Pieninsky national park is also home to Dunajec Gorge. At 23km, it´s one of the longest gorges in Europe. A spectacular way to see it is from the water, so take to your rafts, grab an oar and head along the river surrounded by towering, forested peaks.
After our rafting adventure, it´s time for lunch in a traditional restaurant. Here we´ll meet our driver, who will drive us back to the High Tatras.
Meals included
Breakfast
Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)
A short drive takes us to one of the biggest castles in Central-Eastern Europe, 12th-Century Spissky Castle. It used to be the political, administrative, economic, and cultural centre of this region, and a local guide will walk you through all of the site’s interesting stories.
We´ll then take a 10-minute transfer to medieval Levoca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the world's highest wooden altar.
After a cultural morning and tasty lunch in medieval Levoca, it’s time again for something more active – a bike ride to the ancient town of Kezmarok. This is a modest 9km ride with spectacular views of the Tatras.
After returning our bikes to the rental shop, we’ll then transfer back to our hotel.
Meals included
Breakfast
Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)
This morning we´ll transfer half an hour to the heart of the Slovak Paradise National Park, where you’ll start your guided walking adventure with a hike through the 13km Prielom Hornádu canyon. A 13km-long section of the river cuts through a gorge, and ladders and bridges take you along and up it. The most visited part is the ´Tomasovsky Vyhlad´ rock gallery, where a 200m limestone rock rises from the Hornád River and provides stunning views of the park. In the late afternoon, you’ll head back to your hotel.
Meals included
Breakfast, packed lunch
Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)
This morning we´ll take a mountain tram to Strbske Pleso, Slovakia´s highest village. Famous for its beautiful tarn, or a mountain lake, the village is a popular destination for skiers during the winter season, while in the summer, it is a much sought-after stop for walkers and hikers. There is a wide range of trips and walks on offer to suit all tastes, from easy to demanding treks.
For today, we’ve picked an easy hike to Popradske Pleso hut, with one of the biggest mountain lakes in the Tatras right next to it. Here we´ll enjoy a lunch on the hut´s terrace with views of the lake and surrounding peaks before returning to Strbske Pleso, followed by a tram back to Smokovec.
Meals included
Breakfast
Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)
Today is a free day – and there’s plenty to do!
Choose from caves and castles, hot springs in the foothills of the Tatra Mountains. Walk to mountain huts, waterfalls and more.
This evening your tour leader will arrange a farewell dinner, so you can regale in tales of your trip before heading home.
Meals included
Breakfast
Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)
Your adventure comes to an end today. If you’d like to extend your trip with a city break, just let us know and we can help you to find good-value accommodation in many great destinations like Kosice, Krakow, Bratislava or Vienna.
Meals included
Breakfast
This trip operates daily, so you can pick a date that suits you. Choose a day between May and October, and we’ll make all the arrangements for you. Just let us know when you want to travel.
Available
to Saturday 29th October 2022
Guided Groups
Minimum 6 people. Smaller groups are welcome, but the price may be amended accordingly.
This well-thought-out trip is a great choice for people who like active holidays or would like to try something new. In general this summer multi-activity trip is designed so that it can be managed by active people with an average level of fitness.
Single room supplement: 95 EUR
Normally 16 max.
This holiday starts in Smokovec.
This holiday ends in Smokovec.
To enhance flexibility our holidays do not include flights. This gives you the freedom to choose a local airport that works for you and shop for the best deal.
List of airports with distances to the first hotel in Smokovec:
Once you have decided which airport works for you best you will need to choose the way how to get to the starting hotel / joining point. There are two options:
Public transport
You can reach Smokovec by public transport (bus, train). Using the public transport is another way of experiencing your destination, which puts you right in the centre of the action. If you prefer to travel by public transport we can help you find the best option.
Private transfers (door to door service)
Book your private airport transfers directly with us. Our fast, reliable and affordable private transfers are the best way to reach your starting hotel quickly and comfortably. For up-to-date prices of Airport private transfers click here.
During this tour you´ll stay in a three star hotel.
If you need to arrive or leave on a different date, please contact us and we’d be more than happy to arrange extra pre or post tour accommodation for you.
We recommend you pack as light as possible, with suitcases or backpacks that are easy for parents to lift and carry. A daypack for activities is also useful. Below you will find a recommended packing list. It is by no means exhaustive, so if you’re in any doubt, please contact us.
Please note, we want to run this trip following the day-to-day itinerary on the trip notes. However, sometimes operational circumstances may sometimes prevent us from doing this. Your tour leader will keep you fully informed of any alternative plans that are necessary on-the-ground. Also, based on feedbacks from past travellers, occasionally our itineraries are amended. Final version of your trip notes will be emailed to you prior to travel.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all. Our knowledgeable and helpful team is here to help, and we look forward to welcoming you to our spectacular country soon!
We were extremely pleased to have had the opportunity to visit the Tatras Mountains in Slovakia with Slovakia Explorer, they treated us really well, and they gave us such a personal experience in an incredibly beautiful place !
Download the detailed trip notes for everything you could possibly want to know about this trip, including detailed itinerary and full kit list.
To download trip notes, please submit your email address down below.
This holiday is operated by our expert, in-country team at Slovakia Explorer. By booking with us, you’ll benefit from our unrivalled local knowledge, and have 24/7 support during your trip.
Our holidays offer unique experiences, which give you an unparalleled insight into Slovakia. During the planning and booking process, we pay attention to every detail of your holiday to ensure your trip is perfect.
Slovakia Explorer offers great value, high quality holidays.
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