Lakes & Mountains Summer Holiday: Slovakia

Grade: easy to moderate
Time: 6-8 hours
Ascent: 968 m
Profile:

• Strbske Pleso: 1.355 m
• Skok waterfall: 1.700 m
• Bystre sedlo: 2.314 m
• Solisko: 1.950 m
• Strbske Pleso: 1.355 m

You will be walking through one of the most beautiful valeys of the West Tatra - Mlynicka Valey starting from Strbske Pleso - Strbske Tarn following the yeallow trail. After about 90 mins walking you can take a short break and enjoy the beauty of the Skok waterfall. After a further 120 mins you will reach the end of the valley and the dominant Strbsky Stit - Strbsky Peak will be right in front of you. After crossing the highest point of this hike - Bystre sedlo - Bystre Pass 2.314m you will enter Furtovska dolina- furtovska Valley where the trail starts to descend. From Wahlenberg lake follow the red marks which will bring you back to Strbske pleso - Strbske tarn.

Second option:
From the yellow trail join the blue trail and hike to the Solisko chalet which will take you about 20 mins. From there you can take the chair lift down to Strbske pleso - Strbske tarn

Grade: easy to moderate
Time: 6-8 hours
Colours of the trail marks: Red, Blue, Yellow, Blue
Profile:

• Strbske Pleso: 1.355 m
• Popradske Pleso: 1.500 m
• Hincova kotlina: 1.946 m
• Koprovsky stit: 2.363 m
• Strbske Pleso: 1.355 m

Take the red trail from Strbske pleso near Helios sanatorium and stroll along the easy start up to Popradske pleso - Popradske lake. You can have a little rest at the Moravka chalet located at the shore of Popradske pleso - Popradske lake. From here follow the blue trail passing through Hincova kotlina - Hincova Valley for about two hours when you will reach the largest and deepest lake Velke Hincovo pleso - Big Hincovo lake. From here you will see the summit of the walk - Koprovsky stit - Koprovsky peak, which you will reach in about 50 mins walking through Koprovske sedlo - Koprovske pass.

Second option:
When you reach Popradske pleso - Popradske Lake walk around the lake and enjoy the hills around, south of the lake about 15 mins away is Symbolic Cemetery of Tatras for the victims who have passed away in the mountains, where you can pay your respects to them. From the cemetery follow the yellow marks and then for about 10 mins the blue marks that will take you to the blue trail leading back to Strbske pleso - Strbske Tarn.

Grade: easy to moderate
Time: 2-3 hours
Ascent: 435 m
Profile:

• Stary Smokovec 1.010 m
• Hrebienok 1.285 m
• Studenovodske vodopady 1.233 m
• Tatranska Lomnica 850 m

Starting from the Hotel Grand an easy ascent on a path with firm surface takes us to Hrebienok. From here we will take a path to the first waterfall. This waterfall is called Giant Waterfall thanks to its hight of 20 meters. We will walk back for a few meters to the oldest chalet in the High Tatras - Reinerova Chata year 1863 which serves hot drinks. The next part of our walk will be along the river with Studenovodske Vodopady - Studenovodske waterfalls. Crossing the bridge over Studeny potok - Studeny mountain stream the rocky path changes into a stable trail in woodlands that ends in Tatranska Lomnica.

Second option:
From Studenovodske vodopady you can take the same trail back to Stary Smokovec

Grade: easy to moderate
Time: 3 hour
Ascent: 168 m
Profile:

• Strbske Pleso 1.355 m
• Popradske Pleso 1.494 m
• Symbolic Cementary 1.523
• Strbske Pleso 1.355 m

This easy hiking starts at Strbske Pleso and takes you across the forest to the second lake - Popradske Pleso. On the way you will pass Triganu hill (1.481 m altitude). After about ? hour walk the woodlands will clear and you will finish off walking in an open area with views of the mountains. At Popradske Pleso is a chalet where you can stop for a drink and food. This chalet also offers over night accommodation. From the chalet you will walk around the lake - Popradske Pleso with Ostrva hill above you. The pass will take you to the Symbolic cementary full of beautifully carved crosses and gravestones that are as bright as the lives of those who died in the mountains. After walking around the lake you can take the pass down to train stop Popradske pleso. Just before reaching the stop turn right and follow the pass back to Strbske Pleso.

Grade: easy to moderate
Time: 4-6 hours
Colours of the trail marks: Red, Green, Blue
Profile:

• Hrebienok (1.285 m)
• ZamkovskÈho hutt (1.475 m)
• TÈryho hutt (2.015 m)

From Stary Smokovec take the funicular to Hrebienok and walk to the Hotel Hrebienok. From the wooden information pillar in front of the hotel follow the red trail. After 30 mins you will reach the Giant waterfall and after another 30 mins Zamkovskeho chata - Zamkovskeho Chalet. From here on follow the green trail to Teryho chata - Teryho valley through Mala studena dolina - Small cold valley. From here return the same way back to hrebienok and then back to Stary Smokovec by funicular or you can walk down to Stary Smokovec along the sledging run.

Grade: moderate to difficult
Time: 6-8 hours
Ascent: 1187m
Profile:

• Tatransk· Lomnica (850 m)
• ZelenÈ pleso (1.500 m)
• Velka Svistovka (2.037 m)
• SkalnatÈ pleso (1.751 m)
• Start-T.Lomnica (850 m)

This hike starts in Tatranska Lomnica through the park along the green marks up the hill to Grand Hotel Praha. From here follow the yellow track to the village Tatranske Matliare for about 30-40 mins. Than change the colours and hike along the blue track up to Salviovy pramen and then return to the yellow track which takes you to the hut at Zelene pleso - Green Lake. The red serpentines up to the pass called Velka Svistovka and descending trail to Skalnate Pleso - Rocky Tarn should take you about 80-100 mins. From here you can take the cable car back to Tatranska Lomnica.

Grade: easy to moderate
Time: 3 hours
Ascent: 520 m
Profile:

Starting from the Hotel Grand an easy ascent on a path with firm surface takes us to Hrebienok. From this point we will follow the rocky path - Tatranska magistrala which leads across the High Tatras from East to West. After walking on a part of Tatranska Magistrala we will take the trail leading to Slavkovsky stit - Slavkovsky Peak. The pass reaches the altitude of 1.500 m where only the dwarf pine trees grow which allows us to have a good view of the scenery around. The end of our walk is at a plateau from which we will see Velka a Mala studena dolina - Velka a Mala studena Valley and Prostredny hreben. The same trail will take us back to Stary Smokovec.

Grade: moderate to difficult
Time: 6-8 hours
Colours of the trail marks: Red, Blue, (Green)
Profile:

• Strbske Pleso: 1.355 m
• Vazecka dolina - Krivan: 2.495 m
• Tatranska Magistrala - Strbske Pleso: 1.355 m

Krivan - national symbol of Slovakia with breathtaking views from the top, a must for every mountain hiker. You can begin the hike from south end of Strbske pleso - Strbske tarn or from Solisko sanatorium along the red trial through Furtovska dolina - Furtovska valley to Jamske pleso - Jamske Tarn. From here follow the blue trail for about 70-90 mins crossing Vazecka dolina - Vazecka valley to Daxnerove sedlo - Daxnerove pass under the summit of Maly Krivan - Little Krivan. After another 40 minutes you will reach the summit of Krivan (2495 m). You can return either following the blue route to Strbske pleso - Strbske Tarn or the green route to the bus stop ìtri studnickyî and then to Strbske pleso - Strbske Tarn by bus.

Grade: moderate to difficult
Time: 7-9 hours
Ascent: 1322m
Profile:

• Hrebienok: 1,285 m
• Zbojnicka Chata: 1,960 m
• Prielom: 2,288 m
• Litvorova kotlina: 1,580 m
• Lysa Polana: 966 m

This hike will take you to the most sceneric valleys in the tatras especially in fall season.
Start from Hrebienok and follow the red marks for about 20-30 mins to Studeny potok. From here on take the blue trail to Velka studena dolina - Big cold valley and to Zbojnicka chata - Zbojnicka chalet. From the chalet continue along the blue trail up to Prielom - Pass. The ascent will take about 60-80 minutes nad the descent from Prielom - Pass to Zamrznute pleso - Frozen Lake another 60-80 mins. Then you will be at the upper part of Bielovodska dolina - White-water valley. This valley will take you down to the Slovak site of Slovak-polish border in Lysa Polana and is about 120-180 mins long.

Grade: moderate to difficult
Time: 6 hours
Ascent: 975 m
Profile:

• Zdiar 896 m
• Siroke sedlo 1.825 m
• Kopske sedlo: 1.750 m
• Velke biele pleso: 1.615 m
• Zelene pleso: 1.551 m
• Tatranska Lomnica 850 m

The trail starts in village Zdiar and follows the green trail into one way path via Monkova dolina , Siroke sedlo and Kopske seldom. Itís a very ascending trail in woodlands passing number of waterfalls. After leaving the forest we will reach Siroke sedlo which splits Belinake Tatra into East and West part. The trails carries on in a very beautiful area in east part of High Tatras ìBelianske Tatryî that leads to Zelene pleso-Green tarn. The tarn has been named after its beautiful colour. Next to the tarn is Chata pri Zelenom pleso - chalet which serves food and drinks and has got overnight facilities. After a rest in the chalet we will return back to Tatranska Lomnica.

Grade: moderate to difficult
Time: 6-7 hours
Ascent: 1005 m
Profile:

• Stary Smokovec 1.010 m
• Hrebienok 1.285 m
• Zamkovskeho chata 1.475 m
• Teryho chata 2.015 m

Starting from the Hotel Grand an easy ascent on a path with firm surface takes us to Hrebienok. From Hrebienok we will take the red trail - Tatranska magistrala that takes us across the bridge over Studeny potok - Studeny mountain stream along Giant 20 m high waterfall to Zamkovskeho chata - Zamkovskeho chalet. Here you can stop for a drink and food. Zamkovskeho chata is at the beginning of Mala studena dolina where we will follow the greean trail inbetween the dwarf pine trees. The trail changes into very steep zick-zack pass all the way to Teryho chata - Teryho chalet opur final point of this hiking. Five Spis tarns are situated arount this chalet with has got overnight facilities and also serves food and drinks. The same track takes us back to Stary Smokovec.

Second option:
Grade: difficult
Time: 10 hours
Ascent: 1342 m
Hikers with better level of fitness can follow yellow path across Priecne sedlo -Priecne sadle with altitude of 2352 m and return back passing Zbojnicka chata - Zbojnicka chalet (1960m) via Velka studena dolina - Velka studena valley to Stary Smokovec.