Hiking the Tatras

A trip to virgin Medvedie sedlo

There are only few places that offer such a magnificent view of Gerlach. Medvedie sedlo (or Bear Saddle) is hidden in the wilderness unspoiled by man’s hand. An experienced mountain guide will show you its beauties, letting you see our highest peak in all its greatness within the reach of your hand.

What you will see:

Gerlachovský štít within reach

Are you planning to climb Gerlach? Prepare for the trip by feasting your eyes on its majestic massif from Medvedie sedlo. Take an unbelievably high ascent from Velická dolina – the elevation difference is nearly two Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other. For a long time, people did not know Gerlach was the highest summit of the Tatras. The peaks our ancestors supposed were the highest included Kriváň, Lomnický štít (Lomnický Peak) and Ľadový štít (Ice Peak).  It was not before 1838 that Gerlach was officially confirmed as the highest mountain of the Tatras.

If you are not going to conquer Gerlach just yet, you may at least admire its grandness from this amazing scenic site. A guided tour there and back takes not more than four hours.

A sunrise to take your breath away

Set out for a hike with a mountain guide early in the morning and you will see an unforgettable performance staged by the nature – the sun rising from behind the summits and ridges of the Low Tatras, casting its light over the valley of Popradská kotlina that is just waking up to a new day. You will never see a more beautiful morning. Come here on a peaceful summer evening and watch the magic of the full moon setting over the crest of Končistá.

Slavkovský štít: a peak that lost its primacy

Some evidence suggests that Slavkovský štít (2,452 m) could once have been the highest peak of the Tatras. However, it lost its primacy following an 1813 massive rockslide. Today it is one of the highest Slovak summits you can access without climbing gear and equipment. People have been climbing to its top for more than 350 years, with the first officially recorded ascent dating back to 1664.

The splendid valley beneath Slavkovský štít has been fighting back man-made activities since time immemorial.  A mountain refuge was opened here in 1878, razed to the ground by a snow avalanche just four years later. After World War 2, sport enthusiasts from the town of Smokovec wanted to build a new lodge in a safer place, but their building material depot was swept away by yet another avalanche. The valley of Slavkovská dolina is closed to the public today, a hiking trail runs just beneath it.

Disappearing tarns

Look down from Medvedie sedlo and you will see Slavkovské pliesko, a glacial mountain lake lurking out of dwarf pines that cover the slopes of Slavkovská dolina. Slovak and Polish maps once called it “Tri plesá” (Three Tarns). A singular form Slavkovské pliesko is now enough to describe it, after two of the original three tarns dried up and now are just sporadically filled with a tiny amount of water. The one that has survived is 2.5 m deep, covering an area of 0.1 ha.

Bradavica

When you look from Medvedie sedlo to the far north, you will see the mighty Bradavica, or The Wart (2, 476 m), towering at the distant end of Slavkovská dolinka. This prominent peak separates three major valleys – Velická dolina, Slavkovská dolina and Veľká Studená dolina. The peak got its funny name after a rocky protuberance at the top that resembles a large wart. The summit of Bradavica can also be seen from your hotel room in Sliezsky dom.

Visit Sliezsky dom, take a hike to Medvedie Sedlo, and Bradavica will reward you with splendid sights of its giant walls falling all the way down to the small valley of Slavkovská dolinka.

HIKE INFO:

Good for: intermediate hikers
Length: 4 km
Elevation difference: 557 m
Total walking time (round trip): 4 hrs
Accessibility (SUMMER/WINTER): with a mountain guide only
No marked hiking trail leads to Medvedie sedlo

WHAT TO PACK WITH YOU:

Start your hike from Sliezsky dom. Arrange your transport to Sliezsky dom right now.

Call: +421 911 882 879, +421 911 988 309, or write to: recepcia@sliezskydom.sk.

Enjoy the silence of Batizovská dolina

Discover the true nature of the High Tatras, quiet and unspoiled by man, in a splendid wild valley just a couple of minutes away from our Sliezsky dom hotel. Enjoy the enchanting vistas during a three-hour walk through one of the most peaceful valleys in the Tatras, good even for hiking novices.
The Batizovské pleso tarn (1,884 m) lies at the foot of Gerlachovský štít in the Batizovská dolina valley. Spanning an area of 3.5 ha and 12 m deep, the tarn empties into the Batizovský potok stream.

The valley is accessible from Sliezsky dom via the Tatranská magistrála trail where you need to follow the red mark.

What you will see:

Chamois under Gerlach

When you take this pleasant walk from Velická dolina to Batizovská dolina you should not forget to bring binoculars or a camera with you. Passing around the massif of Gerlachovský štít from Sliezsky dom from east to west, you will not only admire breath-taking views of the valley of Popradská kotlina, but you may also get a chance to spot our four-legged neighbours – chamois grazing on the slopes of Gerlach. You just need to stay silent – they even venture close to our hotel in winter.

A granite-paved, red marked trail traverses beneath a kettle-shaped depression known as Gerlachovský kotol and chances are you may bump into a mountain guide in the valley of Batizovská dolina, leading a group of daring hikers who have just conquered the majestic Gerlach.

Everything you need to know about a hike to Gerlach can be found HERE >

Extraordinary Kostolík

The Tatras are abundant in extraordinary rocks, cliffs and crests. Kostolík (2,261 m) is a sharply pointed peak in the middle of Batizovská dolina, its silhouette resembling a Gothic cathedral.  It is a rare type of rock formation shaped by a glacier which has once surrounded it from all sides, also known as a nunatak.

Enjoy the view of this popular, but sometimes dangerous climbing site. One of the climbing routes cost the life of the well-known Tatra climber Wieslaw Stanislawski who was found dead under Kostolík along with his fellow climber Wojnar. The cause of their death remains unknown, but a story goes that it was an unfortunate accident. Most probably, they had made the first climb via an extremely difficult route, but when they were changing boots at the top of the mountain, Stanislawski slipped and, unfortunately, they both fell off the cliff. When they were found, Stanislawski only had one boot on.

Giant’s anvil at Končistá

Končistá (2,537 m) is the seventh highest peak of the Tatras. An oddly shaped rock dramatically dominates its crest, known by several names – Kovadlina or Nákova (both meaning Anvil), Konská hlava (Horse Head). A popular folk legend says the anvil belonged to a giant who wanted to crush the Tatras, jealous of the mountains challenging his height.

From Batizovská dolina, you can see a 400-meter-high eastern wall of Končistá. The crest of Končistá is said to be one of the most beautiful scenic spots in the Tatras. You can climb it with our mountain guides.

A tarn full of rivulets

The Batizovské pleso tarn is the prettiest section of Batizovská dolina.  The tarn and the valley are named after the village of Batizovce, founded by count Comes Batyza of Máriássy in the 13th century.

Batizovské pleso is a bigger brother of “our” Velické pleso. The tarn is 9 m deep (twice as much as Velické pleso) and covers an area of 3.5 ha. Take a short walk around its shore to an 11-metre-high rock threshold that dams its way from the valley, allowing only numerous small rapids of Batizovské vodopády to escape.

Interestingly, Batizovské pleso is a glacial lake with no visible permanent tributary. The tarn is fed by small rivulets flowing beneath the granite boulders. The silence here is so profound you will surely hear them gurgling.

HIKE INFO:

Good for:  beginners as well as experienced hikers
Length: 3.4 km
Elevation difference: 303 m
Total walking time (round trip): 3 hrs
Accessibility (SUMMER/WINTER): open during a period with no continuous snow cover
A mountain guide needed
Marked trail: follow the red mark from Sliezsky dom (Tatranská magistrála)

WHAT TO PACK WITH YOU:

Start your hike from Sliezsky dom. Arrange your transport to Sliezsky dom right now.

Call: +421 911 882 879, +421 911 988 309, or write to: recepcia@sliezskydom.sk

Visit Hrebienok with us

Hrebienok is a major tourist and hiking centre lying 1,285 meters above sea level above the village of Starý Smokovec at the foot of Slavkovský štít. Serving skiers and hikers alike, it is a starting point for hikes to the valleys of Malá Studená dolina and Veľká Studená dolina, as well as for hikers set to conquer Slavkovský štít.

HIKE INFO:

Good for: beginners as well as experienced hikers
Elevation difference: 385 m
Total walking time: 3 hrs 20 min
Accessibility (SUMMER/WINTER): open during a period with no continuous snow cover
No mountain guide needed

Route plan:

Hrebienok (1,285 m) –  Sliezsky dom (1,670 m, 2 h). Return the same way (1 hr 15 min), total time: 3 hrs 20 min.
Walk down from Sliezsky dom to Velické pleso, cross a small meadow. Continue along a straight stony trail that gets quite narrow at one point and can be dangerous when covered by ice! The trail starts slightly rising, traversing a huge lateral moraine called Senná kopa. Passing around this terrain elevation, you have the Slavkovské plieska tarns hidden among dwarf pines to your left. The dwarf pines are replaced by a forest as the trail starts steeply declining towards a junction on the Tatranská magistrála from where it continues down a moderate slope down to Hrebienok.

From Hrebienok to Sliezsky dom

We start the hike at Hrebienok and follow a clearly visible red-marked trail. The trail goes uphill most of the time, but the ascent is quite easy thanks to the forest pathway and stones. After an hour’s walk through the forest, the trees gradually give way to dwarf pines, and a beautiful view of the city of Poprad and surrounding villages and settlements down in the valley opens before us. After we enter the dwarf pine zone, we also get a good view of our destination – Sliezsky dom. The final section of the hike follows a rocky trail and requires firm hiking footwear. Approximately after two hours we have reached our destination – the Sliezsky dom mountain hotel.

WHAT TO PACK WITH YOU:

Nature’s unique masterpiece just around the corner

Kvetnicové pliesko is a tiny body of water in the Velická dolina valley. Lying 1,812 meters above sea level, just above the Velický vodopád waterfall, this glacial lake has for many years been not more than a periodically reappearing pool, depending on the prevailing weather conditions, and even dried completely in June 1958. Kvetnicové pliesko is a peaty pool, a tiny fraction of what geographers believe to have once been a large moraine-dammed lake.

HIKE INFO:

Good for: beginners as well as experienced hikers
Total walking time: 45 min
Accessibility (SUMMER/WINTER): open during a period with no continuous snow cover
No mountain guide needed

Route plan:

A green-marked hiking trail heading from Sliezsky dom to the crest of Poľský hrebeň will take you around Kvetnicové pliesko. 
Passing by Velické pleso (1,665.5 m) and a waterfall called Velický vodopád on the left, the trail rises uphill, crossing beneath a rock threshold called Večný dážď (Eternal Rain), until it reaches a terrace of the valley called Kvetnica. Up a moderate slope, the trail continues along Dlhé pleso (1,929 meters above sea level) to the end of the valley of Velická dolina.

Reveal the Fish Eye mystery!

Popradské pleso (previously also known as Rybie pleso (Fish Tarn) or Rybie oko (Fish Eye)) is a glacial mountain lake in the valley of Mengusovská dolina just before the mouth of the valley of Zlomiská under the steep slopes of Ostrva and Kôpky. Lying 1,494.3 meters above sea level, the tarn covers an area of 6,88 ha and has 17 m at its deepest point.

HIKE INFO:

Good for: intermediate and experienced hikers
Elevation difference: 405m
Total walking time: 4 hrs 45 min
Accessibility (SUMMER/WINTER): open during a period with no continuous snow cover
No mountain guide needed

Route plan:

After arriving at Sliezsky dom, head towards Batizovské pleso. The trail than goes steeply uphill, but after a few minutes the terrain levels off and the trail continues rising moderately. You will reach the tarn after an hour of walking. If you are lucky, you may also meet a couple of chamois.

The next part of the hike will take you up to Sedlo pod Ostrvou, quite a challenging ascent up a steep, rocky slope. You reach Sedlo after an hour and a half. The last stretch seems easy but involves a steep descent on a path full of small rocks to the chalet by the Popradské pleso tarn, requiring you to pay good attention. After an hour-long descent, you can enjoy the well-deserved refreshment in the Popradské pleso hotel.

Relish the beauty of the Tatras viewed from Poľský hrebeň

Poľský hrebeň is a prominent saddle on the main mountain ridge of the High Tatras. A green-marked hiking trail connecting Tatranská Polianka with Lysá Poľana crosses the saddle. Arrive at Sliezsky dom and set off for a hike to Poľský hrebeň.

HIKE INFO:

Good for: experienced hikers
Elevation difference: up 1,230 m, down: 1,195 m
Total walking time: 3 hrs 40 min
Accessibility (SUMMER/WINTER): open during a period with no continuous snow cover
No mountain guide needed

Route plan:

Sliezsky dom (1,670 m) – Poľský hrebeň (2,200 m; 2 hrs) – the intersection under Poľský hrebeň (15 min); return the same way (1 hr 25 min).

From Sliezsky dom, take a route on the eastern shore of Velické pleso, to the right from the tarn, up the serpentine path across a scree slope under a permanently wet rocky overhang called Večný dážď (Eternal Rain). The stony trail rises steeply above the rocks to the middle section of the valley of Velická dolina, so-called Kvetnica.

An impressive view of the monumental Granátová stena opens to your right, and the huge massif of Gerlachovský štít is to your left. The trail then continues along a grassy floor of the valley, rising moderately around the Guľatý kopec hill towards the Dlhé pleso tarn. Krčmárov žľab – one of the longest gullies in the Tatras – stretches to the left above the tarn. The trail goes up moderately to the closure of the valley towards a slope covered in rock debris, then continues in short sharp bends and through a rocky bridge crossing the face of the Východná Vysoká peak all the way to Poľský hrebeň. From the saddle, you take a sharp descent down a scree slope first, then directly through the gully to the junction under Poľský hrebeň. Return the same way.

Východná or Vysoká? Experience both!

Východná Vysoká (2,428 m) is a prominent scenic summit in the central ridge for the High Tatras. It towers above three valleys: Velická dolina, Veľká Studená dolina and Bielovodská dolina (above the section of the valley of Svišťová dolina called Zamrznutý kotol). The top of the summit offers beautiful vistas of the entire High Tatras.

HIKE INFO:

Good for: experienced hikers
Elevation difference: 759 m
Total walking time: 4 hrs 45 min
Accessibility (SUMMER/WINTER): open during a period with no continuous snow cover
No mountain guide needed

Route plan: 

Mountain hotel Sliezsky dom (1,670 m) – Poľský hrebeň (2,200 m) – Východná Vysoká (2,429 m)

Passing by Velické pleso (1,665.5 m) and Velický vodopád on the left, the trail rises uphill, crossing beneath a rock threshold called Večný dážď (Eternal Rain), until it reaches a terrace of the valley called Kvetnica. Up a moderate slope, the trail continues along Dlhé pleso (1,929 m) to the end of the valley of Velická dolina. This is followed by a technically more challenging ascent to the saddle of Poľský hrebeň, secured by chains (2 hrs).

From the saddle, the trail crosses Svišťová dolina, Litvorová dolina and Bielovodská dolina and continues to Lysá Poľana; alternatively, you may take a secured hiking trail from the valley of Svišťová dolina across Sedlo Prielom (2,288 m) to the valley of Veľká Studená dolina. From Poľský hrebeň, the ascent continues along a secured trail to the top of Východná Vysoká (45 min). Return the same way.

Gerlach (2,654 m) is the most sought-after scenic summit in the central ridge for the High Tatras.

HIKE INFO:

Good for: experienced hikers
Elevation difference: 1,000 m
Total walking time: 8 to 10 hrs
Accessibility (SUMMER/WINTER): open during a period with no continuous snow cover
A mountain guide needed

You can find more information HERE.