Agota Balnione The High Tatras mountains are located in the eastern Europe along the southern border of Poland and northern border of Slovakia. They are known to be the highest range of the Central Carpathians mountains.
In both Poland and Slovakia High Tatras mountains you can find many different hikes which can be easy and short ones or longer hikes that can take few days. So it’s up to you to decide what you would prefer.
If you find it hard to choose which hike to do, I would recommend to first decide how long you’d like it to be or how long distances you’d like to walk and for how many days. Have in mind that in the mountains distances can take more time than expected so prepare some extra time for it. Try to start early to have enough time to reach your destination.
Let me tell you about a 4 day hike we did in the High Tatras mountains in Slovakia!
Day 1
For the first day we chose to do a day hike to test our abilities and see how much we are capable of hiking.
During this hike we did I felt out of breath and physically tired almost all the way up the mountain. However it was such a great feeling to be in the mountains and feel the fresh air and spend time with friends. No matter how much you want to give up, it’s always worth it! It’s also important to hike at your own pace, if you feel like hiking slower, do that.
Me and my cousin were a bit slower in our group of friends and did a lot of stops to rest and take pictures. We accidentally got separated from our friends. We were hiking a bit slower, chatting about life and half way through the hike we accidentally went out of the trail and realized that we were lost! We couldn’t find the path markings anywhere around us. We hiked through huge rocks and tried to go different ways to see if we can find the right path.
Thankfully there was some phone connection and we could check on google maps which direction to go. Then we saw some tiny people below us and they were shouting to us and showing which direction is the right one for us to go. So eventually with some help from these people and google maps we found our way back onto the hiking track!
Day 2
On day 2 we started heading towards our first chata that we stayed at, it was by a Lake called Popradské pleso. Check out Popradské Pleso hotel website for availability. If you stay in the mountain huts along the trail don’t forget to book them in advance! Especially if going in the summer season.
There are a lot of different hikes you can do from this hotel. You can either ask for their advice at the reception or choose your own hike and get out there to explore.
When we reached the chata and checked in we decided to explore the area and split into two groups with the friends and did two different hikes. Some of our friends hiked the highest peak in Poland, Rysy. And the rest of us decided to explore another lake close by. Although after 3 hours of climbing up we realized we were going the wrong direction! Anyway we reached another top and were not disappointed because the view was so worth it. Just look at it!
Day 3
Day 3 was a bit more challenging since we had to get back to the cars and drive to another spot. The hike back to the cars was pretty chill, it was a sunny day and everyone was happy.
When we reached the next point which was the starting point of our next hike, we thought we only had a 3,5 hour long hike. However it turned out to be much longer than that!
Oh how beautiful this hike was! Although me and Vyte found the hike very difficult. Every time we reach the peak of a mountain we were hoping to see our accommodation. This hike was full of beautiful views and so much different nature. We walked through forests, through rocks, passed some beautiful lakes. Plus the sun was shinning so even though we were physically drained it was such a bliss for our eyes to see these views.
We reached the chata only by the time the sun was starting to set. Felt so good to see the little house with our own eyes! Don’t forget to always give yourself some extra time for these hikes. Leave early so you don’t have to hike in the dark. And if you do hike in the dark, don’t forget to bring a headlamp or a flashlight!
Day 4
After a good sleep we woke up early in the morning, had some breakfast and started to get ready to walk to our next destination. We spent another night in the High Tatras national park, in a chata called Zamkovského chata. Which was on the way from the hike wasn’t too hard. We took it slow and as we arrived we still had some time to relax in the beautiful nature. We ate some blueberries, walked around, explored the area and just hang out.
When we were eating lunch sitting in the forest. A little beautiful creature came to us, seems like it was hungry. The fox wasn’t that brave so it ran away when we tried to go photograph it. Although later on it came back and I had my camera ready! This is still one of my favorite photos I’ve taken. It was a perfect moment, the fox chose to sit right where the sun was shining.
