Walking the High Tatras and Slovak Paradise

Welcome to Smokovec, the heart of the High Tatras. Located in the shadow of Gerlachovsky Peak (2,655m) – the highest peak in Slovakia – Smokovec is considered the centre of the Tatra Mountains. Close to the popular tourist crossroads of Hrebienok, this village is one of the most popular starting points for hiking in the High Tatras.

When you get to the hotel you will be briefed about the week´s program and, depending on the time of your arrival, there might be time for a walk in Stary Smokovec – the oldest village in the Tatras.

Dinner on the day of arrival is included in the price of the holiday and will be served in the hotel´s restaurant with a choice of three dishes.

Meals included
Dinner

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

After breakfast, you take a cable car to the mountain lake of Skalnate Pleso (1751m). This glacial lake is surrounded by forested hills and towering granite peaks. At the top, you will find an astronomical and meteorological observatory, which we’ve allowed time to look around.

Next stop is Velka Svistovka (2,037m) mountain. Here is the chance to spot Tatra chamois, which are endemic to the High and Low Tatras. Tatra chamois are a rare subspecies of the chamois and experts say there are only around 600 left. This alpine terrain is their home, so you may see some as you’re walking.

The trail is secured by chains on a few of the more difficult sections, but the mountain provides an accessible and gratifying climb. From Velka Svistovka’s summit, you’ll descend to Zelene Pleso Hut, located at the glacier lake of the same name. It’s here that we will pause for lunch.

From Zelene Pleso you continue to Biela Voda from where it’s a 10-mintue bus ride back to Tatranska Lomnica.

Total walking
Distance: 13 km
Total ascent: 486 m
Total descent: 1140 m
Max elevation: 2003 m
Min elevation: 924 m

Note: according to the national park´s regulations a part of this route is closed until 15 Jun 2020. If you’ll be visiting before 15 Jun, this route will be tailored accordingly.

Meals included
Breakfast

Today you’ll hike through the Studena Dolina Valley. It starts off very narrow, gradually getting wider and opening out to the sight of colourful flowers, scent of pine trees and sound of rare birds singing in the mountains as you traverse the valley.

The valley leads you up to Zbojnicka, or ´Robbers´, Hut, where you can enjoy a traditional lunch of soup and dumplings. Its name harks back to the days when it was a hunters’ hut, and poachers used to stalk the valley.

Your hike ends where it started, at Hrebienok. From here, you take a cable car and tram back to your hotel and a well-earned dinner!

Total walking
Distance: 12 km
Total ascent: 979 m
Total descent: 979 m
Max elevation: 1960 m
Min elevation: 1265 m

Meals included
Breakfast

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

Today’s trek starts with a tram journey through the Tatras’ most famous settlements to Strbske Pleso (1,347m), Slovakia´s highest village and home to a beautiful glacial lake. The village is one of the most popular destinations in Slovakia as it provides many kilometres of hiking routes and the chance to admire the lake itself.

From here, you’ll follow a trail to Skok waterfall. The hiking trail is waymarked and leads you along a road to the peace and tranquillity of the pine-forested Mlynicka Valley. From here, a stony path squeezes you through hairpin turns to the foot of the waterfall, which drops 25m from the rocky ledge above. It’s easy to see why these are one of the High Tatras’ top ten attractions – the cascading waters are beautiful as they tumble down the mountain into the pools below. You can make a stop here, maybe dipping your feet into the refreshing water while enjoying a picnic!

Continuing through the valleys, and passing a number of smaller glacial lakes, you’ll reach Pod Soliskom Hut, one of the newer mountain chalets in the region. From here you can enjoy far-reaching views of the Low Tatras.

Descend to Strbske Pleso by cable car, and then by tram to your hotel at Smokovec.

Bear in mind that today’s route also involves trekking through sections that are secured with chains, and you’ll need a head for heights.

Total walking
Distance: 12 km
Total ascent: 1108 m
Total descent: 609 m
Max elevation: 2295 m
Min elevation: 1322 m

Note: according to the national park´s regulations a part of this route is closed until 15 Jun 2020. If you’ll be visiting before 15 Jun, this route will be tailored accordingly.

Meals included
Breakfast, packed lunch

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

This morning you’ll transfer 30 minutes to Levoca, a beautiful medieval town that’s UNESCO protected. Levoca is home to the cathedral of St. Jacob, where you can see the biggest wooden alter in the world. Levoca, with its beautifully preserved old town surrounded by city walls, will be the base for our walking adventure in the national park of Slovak Paradise. After check-in, there will be time for a stroll around the town and to visit the cathedral of St. Jacob or the Town Hall.

It’s also possible to visit the nearby thermal pools in Vrbov, where you can relax after the three walking days in the Tatras, and regain the energy for the next two days of adventurous walks in the Slovak Paradise.

Meals included
Breakfast

Accommodation
Hotel U Leva (or similar)

Slovak Paradise is one of Slovakia’s youngest national parks, as it has only been one since 1988. It is a true paradise for those in search of demanding walks in a stunning location. Packed to the brim with caves and canyons, the walks here use metal ladders and bridges to cross and climb the gaps.

This morning you drive into the national park, and head into the 13km Prielom Hornádu canyon. A section of the Hornád River slices through the gorge, and ladders and bridges allow you to walk and climb along and up it. Your aim today is the ´Tomasovsky Vyhlad´ rock gallery, where a 200m limestone rock rises up from the river and affords panoramic views of the park. In the late afternoon you return back to your hotel.

Total walking
Distance: 11km
Total ascent: 596 m
Total descent: 580 m
Min elevation: 498 m
Max elevation: 831

Meals included
Breakfast, packed lunch

Accommodation
Hotel U Leva (or similar)

Trekking through the Sucha Bela canyon via the ruins of a Courtesan monastery,´Klastorisko´. Today’s walk is a fairly adventurous circular route. Starting in a popular tourist centre Podlesok you’ll go through the most romantic gorge in Slovakia, Suchá Belá - a world of cascades, waterfalls and gorges. Walking through the canyon involves crossing exposed sections of the gorge on ladders, steps, bridges and chains. The descent back to Podlesok will be on a relatively easy terrain on comfortable forest roads and paths, and you will stop at the ruins of a Courtesan monastery, hidden in the heart of the National Park.

Total walking
Distance: 12,5 km
Total ascent: 553 m
Total descent: 563
Max elevation: 951 m
Min elevation: 540 m

Meals included
Breakfast, packed lunch

Accommodation
Hotel U Leva (or similar)

Your adventure comes to an end today.

Either straight after breakfast, or later in the day, transfer to the airport for your flight home. If you wish, we can help you to extend your stay to other places relatively close-by, including Krakow, Bratislava or Vienna.

Meals included
Breakfast

This is a trekking holiday for those who enjoy being outdoors and have a love of the mountains. The stones on some of the paths can be slippery if it has rained and, on day two, there is a section of the mountain climb from Velka Svistovka to Zelene Pleso that is secured by chains, so you must have a head for heights. In Slovak Paradise National Park, the walks also involve going over a series of metal ladders and bridges where some areas are exposed – these routes require a head for heights and confidence in different terrain; you’ll get lots out of it if you love adventurous walking!

• Seven nights in two three-star hotels
• Seven breakfasts, three packed lunches, one dinner
• Mountain trams in the Tatras
• Maps and detailed route descriptions, route for GPS devices
• Transfer from Smokovec to Levoca
• Daily transfers from Levoca to Slovak Paradise

• Flights
• Arrival and departure airport transfers
• Cable cars (approx. 30 EUR)
• Travel insurance
• Tour guide – this is a self-guided trip. For a supplement you can join a guided departure.

Single room supplement: 90 EUR

Solo traveller: 160 EUR (including single room supplement)

Normally 16 max.

This tour starts in Smokovec.

This tour 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:

• Poprad Airport – 17 km / 20 min
• Kosice Airport – 134 km / 1h:30min
• Krakow Airport – 144 km / 2h:30min
• Bratislava Airport – 329 km / 3h:40min
• Vienna Airport – 394 km / 4h:20min
• Budapest Airport – 328 km / 4h:30min

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 two three-star family run hotels with a restaurant and private facilities.

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 in many popular destinations including Krakow, Bratislava, Kosice, and Vienna.

We recommend you pack as light as possible, with a suitcase or backpack that are easy 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.

• Walking boots
• Trainers
• Shorts and t-shirts
• Walking trousers and tops
• Fleece or warm jumper
• Waterproofs
• Water bottle
• Small first-aid kit
• Sun cream, sunglasses and sunhat

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.

1. Check availability online or contact us by email or phone.
2. Secure your place/s online by clicking the BOOK NOW button or contact us by email/phone. Your place is secured with a 99 EUR deposit per person and you can pay by bank transfer.
3. Once the deposit is received a confirmation email will be sent to your email automatically, and your place/s will be officially confirmed.

Have a look at our detailed trip notes or please feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all. Trip Notes provide detailed information including visa info, how to get to your hotel, what to pack, money matters, climate – pretty much everything you need to know about this tour and more.
Our knowledgeable and helpful team is here to help, and we look forward to welcoming you to our spectacular country soon!