High Tatras – the Valley of the Five Lakes and Szpiglasowy Wierch

I was determined to get the most of out my last day in the Tatras by finally doing a proper, energetic hike. The most popular entry point for the Polish side of the park was a short drive away from my chalet, so I set off early……to find the place already heaving with people. I had pre-booked my parking space but I still had to stop around 1km away and take a shuttle bus to get to the park entrance. There, a large queue waited to buy entry permits, but with my e-ticket I could just walk straight in.

The busy entrance to the High Tatras park

From the entrance a long asphalted road provided the only option for walking deeper into the park. It seemed like half the population of Poland had decided to go hiking that day. Occasionally a horse drawn carriage would pass me, an option for those unable or too lazy to walk. Often the road was very pretty, but I got sick of the presence of so many other people and of walking on asphalt.

After a couple of kilometres, I was relieved when I saw my intended trail leading off to the right, away from the crowded road. It was great to get on to a proper hiking path, with dirt under my boots rather than bitumen. The trail was also much less busy, and I began to enjoy the scenery as it led upwards.

The views got more and more impressive, until finally I reached a pretty waterfall.

The path then continued up to the Valley of the Five Lakes – a justifiably famous highlight of the High Tatras. Five beautiful, perfectly clear lakes lay at the bottom of a broad valley, their water reflecting the surrounding mountains. It was a great place to stop for a bit.

There was a chalet by one of the lakes selling snacks and drinks, so I ordered a well-known Polish energy drink – beer.

Suitably refreshed, I continued my walk enjoying the wide, open countryside.

At first, I was puzzled; I could see the path stretching out ahead and then zigzagging up the base of a very steep mountain. But then it seemed to disappear, and from a distance I could see no obvious way of climbing the imposing peak that was blocking my way.

When I got closer however, I saw that my route went straight up a steep rock face, where chains had been set into the stone to help people clamber up.

Climbing with chains to Szpiglasowy Wierch

Bears are good at climbing, and this made a pleasant change to the increasingly steep walking I had been doing. Soon I was on top of the utterly unpronounceable peak “Szpiglasowy Wierch” and was rewarded with some of the most amazing mountain scenery I had ever seen, with a 360-degree view of the peaks and lakes of the High Tatras.

More amazing views – Szpiglasowy Wierch, High Tatras

Having invested so much effort to get up, I spent thirty minutes at the top, finding myself a nice little nook away from the steady stream of climbers arriving and descending. Invigorated by the view, I started the descent to another of the High Tatras’ famous attractions – the large mountain lake, Morskie Oko, or “the eye of the sea”. This part of the hike was less impressive – a steady, slow descent along a well-paved trail. The famously skilled Polish builders also seemed to have been busy in the park; the trails were often made of carefully laid mountain rocks, offering a flat staircase to walk up or down.

I arrived at Morskie Oko to find a mountain lake that was slightly bigger than the ones I had seen before, and a chalet selling food and drink, which was besieged by hundreds of visitors.

After the tranquil beauty of the Valley of the Five Lakes and the spectacular views from Szpiglasowy Wierch, it was a disappointment. Morskie Oko suffers hugely from its popularity and its accessibility – to get there is a 5km hike from the park entrance along a gently sloping asphalted road.

It was along this road that I had to hike back, accompanied by hundreds of other people – some with backpacks looking fit and serious, others in T-shirts carrying pints of beer – and the inevitable horse-drawn carriages. It was an anticlimactic way to end what had been until then a truly memorable hike, and I hurried to finish it as quickly as I could. Arriving back at my car park, I had covered around 26km, and was glad to be able to sit down.

It has been a strange walk – most of it was memorable, amongst the best hiking I had ever done, but the very last part was extremely boring and initially spoiled my enjoyment. However, after a few days, the memory of the dull plod back from Morskie Oko faded, leaving the happy memories of the Valley of the Five Lakes and the views from the top of Szpiglasowy Wierch. So, to end on a high note, here are a few more photos of the best of the Polish Tatras.

High Tatras scenery – Valley of the Five Lakes

Back at my chalet I cooked burgers and steak on my barbecue and had the pleasant task of finishing off the stocks of food and alcohol I bought for my stay in the mountains (perhaps deliberately, I had bought a little too much of each). The next day I was due to leave the Tatras for a completely different type of travel experience.

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21st September 2023 2

Hiking in Štrbské Pleso, Slovakia and rafting the Dunajec Gorge, Poland

The next day I decided to explore the Tatras from the Slovak side. The border was only 20km and soon I was in Slovakia enjoying a different perspective of the mountains. On this side they are higher and rise straight up from a flat green plane.

After an hour, I reached a town called Tatry-Štrbské Pleso. It looked a smart Alpine ski resort town in France or Switzerland. Since I had set off a bit late, nearly all of the usual parking spaces were already taken. The only place left was the car park of the Kempinski Hotel. A sign at the entrance announced that they charged a very steep 30 euros a day. With no other choice, I drove in and had a stroke of luck – the machine that issued timed entry tickets for the car park was broken, and the hotel’s reception said that I could park for free.

The town was located on a mountain lake. A path leading around the edge seemed to be a popular outing for visitors, and also offered some nice views of the mountains.

After strolling around for a bit, I set off on my main walk – out of the town and a short way into the mountains to another, smaller lake. It was pretty but not very demanding – which was fine, since I was feeling rather lazy. Maybe another day I will try one of the more strenuous routes from Štrbské Pleso, some of which go right up into the High Tatras – including the climb to Mount Rysy on the Polish border, the highest point in the Tatras mountains.

I ate my sandwiches by the side of the lake before heading back to the Kempinski, where I invested the saving I had made on parking by enjoying their special offer for a cocktail and an alcohol-infused cake. My editorial assistant had to sit and watch me eat and drink, since Slovakia has a zero mg/ml alcohol limit for driving. I don’t pity them too much though, since following me on my travels around the world is a pretty cool job.

Ordered for two but eaten by one – Kempinski Hotel, Strbske-Pleso

The following day I tried something different – rafting down the Dunajec River Gorge, a little way to the east from where I was staying. The road there took me through Slovakia again, with many neat and pretty mountain villages and some nice views of the Tatras.

More Slovak Tatras scenery near Štrbské Pleso

I stopped for lunch at a town on the river called Szczawnica back in Poland – don’t ask me how this pronounced, I am constantly amazed at the Polish language’s refusal to use vowels. This was the arrival point for the various rafting options and I ordered some more excellent local trout whilst watching the river traffic.

The most popular and famous option for visiting the gorge, recommended in all the guide books, is with a local rafting cooperative. Their rafts are large square constructions manned by two men dressed in traditional costume, who stand and steer the raft with poles. The raft has rows of seats for up to 25 tourists. These vessels move very slowly, and the people arriving looked rather bored, so instead I decided to hire a kayak and paddle myself.

I drove back to one of the hire companies I had seen at the approach to the town, and from there they took me in a mini-bus to a place 17km upstream where they kept their kayaks. I set off and paddled downstream, assisted by a gentle current.

The start of my rafting on the Dunajec Gorge

It was good fun, even if the scenery was pleasant rather than spectacular. I liked the way that cliffs closed in on both sides of the river, even if this meant that the gorge was in the shade and it was hard to take good pictures. There are no real rapids in the gorge, but you still have to navigate carefully to avoid getting grounded in the shallow parts of the river. After three hours I had arrived back at the kayak base, with tired arms. I was also a bit wet, but my fur helped me keep warmer than the human tourists making the trip.

It had been a another good, but slightly lazy day. Back at my chalet I had some steak and got an early night in anticipation of some rather more strenuous hiking the next day.

Next Post: High Tatras – the Valley of the Five Lakes and Szpiglasowy Wierch

Previous Post: The Tatras Mountains

20th September 2023 3

The Tatras Mountains – Zapokane and Hiking Mount Koscielec

The next day I picked up my hire car and drove south for about 2 hours to the Tatras mountains that lie on the border between Poland and Slovakia. I stopped on the way to buy supplies for a few days in the chalet I had booked… and wondered again at how cheap food and (especially) drink are in Poland. The area is hugely popular with local tourists, and the road was lined with lots of holiday homes, hotels and shops selling skiing and hiking gear. I was expecting a wild and rather poor part of Europe, but instead the region felt like Switzerland – green rolling hills and pretty, neat houses. I reached my own holiday home, which was in a small village – and spent the first afternoon settling in. It was a modern building fitted out to high standards – presumably by the famously skillful Polish builders.

The next day I set off to go hiking. The road to the town of Zapokane for start of my trail offered a brilliant view of the mountains.

The high Tatras mountains approaching Zapokane

As I approached the Zapokane, the road became busy. Every few metres there were places offering parking. At first the prices were reasonable – 10 zlotys (2 euros) – but as I approached the starting point of my walk they rose….20, 40, and finally, where the road ended, 50 zlotys. Despite the high prices demand was strong and I got the very last space.

From the car park in Zapokane I still had to walk about a kilometre to the park entry and pay my entrance fee. There were lots of other hikers, who nearly all seemed to be Polish. The first part of the trail went through a forest. It was pleasant but not exceptional and at first I wondered why the region has such a lofty reputation. But then the path emerged from the forest and a spectacular vista opened up of the High Tatras mountains rising steeply from the surrounding hills.

After a bit more walking my destination came into sight – Mount Koscielec, nicknamed the “Polish Matterhorn”. It is the second pointy peak in the middle of the next photo.

At the base of the mountain was a pretty lake, with perfectly clear water, in which I saw several trout swimming.

A pretty mountain lake with trout at the base of Mount Koscielec

From there it was a steep climb up to the first pointy peak located just below the Mount Koscielec. It was quite hard work involving scrambling up rocks, but the view at the top was worth it.

Hiking up Mount Koscielec – the view from the interim summit

I could see the main mountain ahead of me, but on my first day’s hiking I didn’t fancy another hour or so of scrambling over rocks, and I thought the view would be just as good were I was. So I enjoyed the spectacular scenery for half an hour and then headed back to Zapokane. Climbing Mount Koscielec will have to wait for when I return to the Tatras!

I was very happy with my walk, even if chickened out of the very last part of the climb up the mountain. I returned to my chalet to have a dinner of locally caught trout, with some Polish white wine. The trout was excellent, but although Poland does many things well, wine is not its strongest suite. For my next meal I will revert to their excellent beer and vodka!

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19th September 2023 5