High Tatras

Introducing High Tatras

When you first see the alpine, snow-strewn High Tatras jutting out of the valley floor north of Poprad, you may do a double take. This isn’t Switzerland after all. But Gerlachovský štít (2654m) is the highest peak in the entire Carpathian range, and the Tatras tower over most of Eastern Europe. Photo opportunities at higher elevations can get you fantasising about a career at National Geographic – pristine snowfields, ultramarine mountain lakes, crashing waterfalls. Sadly, a massive windstorm roared through in late 2004, uprooting much of the dense pine forest at mid-elevation, especially near the resort towns of Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica. Huge swaths will look barren – war ravaged even – for years to come. Tree trunks have been cleared and shipped off for building, leaving fields full of massive upturned stumps and clumps of dirt, but this hasn’t stopped the crowds from showing up.

Some five million people a year come to walk, climb, cycle or ski here. A 600km network of hiking trails, chairlifts and cable cars reach all the alpine valleys and some peaks, with chaty (mountain huts) to stop at along the way. In high summer and winter seasons, trails are densely crowded. You’ll need to climb further than in Slovakia’s other mountains to have some of it to yourself, but the rewards are breathtaking.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009