Poland – The High Tatra Mountains

By Claire

Why Go?

If you love mountains, enjoy hiking and want to be able to stay in unforgettable mountain huts with scenes every landscape photographer dreams of just outside your door; this is for you.

About this Location:

The High Tatra are situated on the border between Slovakia and Poland. The majority of the peaks and valleys lie in Slovakia but out of the main ridge lead valleys and terraces where many mountain lakes (tarns) can be found. The three biggest are located within the Polish High Tatra and it is these lakes that make this a photographer’s wonderland.

The Tatra Mountains National Park is one of the largest parks in Poland and the most unique. Together with the Slovak Tatra Mountain National Park it forms a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. 11.5 thousand hectares of the park area is strictly protected. The rest of the park is accessible to tourists – walking, climbing, caving and winter sports are allowed. There are 250 km of mountain trails and routes varying in the level of difficulty but many are walking tracks.

The most characteristic plants of the Tatra Mountains are Swiss stone-pine and edelweiss. The animals most often associated with these mountains are: alpine marmot, bear and chamois (the only European species of antelope). I saw a chamois and bear spore and this in a restaurant ! (photo by Kaz).

Our Itinerary:

After a day in Krakow, worth a visit in itself, we headed for Zakopane and a beautiful wooden house that we used as a base. This popular skiing resort is just 2 hours drive from Krakow.

The second day took us along the Morskie Oko Valley and lake and its more elevated twin, the Czarny Staw Lake. Either walk or take a horse drawn carriage. The lake is the largest and fourth deepest in the Tatra Mountains. In the past, Morskie Oko was called “Rybie Jezioro” (“Fish Lake”) due to its natural stock of fish, which are uncommon in Tatra lakes and these were clearly visible in the clear, still water.

Czarny Staw pod Rysami is a mountain lake on the Polish side of Mount Rysy in the Tatra mountains. At 1,583 m above sea level, it overlooks the lake of Morskie Oko. A walking path circumnavigates the lake  and I’d certainly recommend taking this detour.

 

Two days and a night in the Gasienicowa Valley. An easy enough walk led us to the mountain hut. After a good meal we headed out to the lakes and valleys.  As the sun started to dip we got some good light, so much so we arrived back too late for supper!

Five Lakes Valley. Another two days and a night in the mountains with a walk that was a little more testing. It was worth it. The trail leads off from the track to Morskie Oko (use the horse and carriage and ask to be dropped off). We encountered a lot more snow and I’d recommend spending two nights here to really explore.

Highlights of my trip:

Waking at dawn, walking a few yards and being in the high alpine mountains and then watching the light arrive.

Lowlights:

The heatwave in Krakow in May on arrival – not really a lowlight but totally unexpected as I’d travelled expecting spring and got summer.

When to Go:

The lower level trails are open all year unless an avalanche alert is made.

In April thousands of tiny crocuses bloom on the Tatra clearings.

May is when spring arrives.

The high level trails had only just fully opened when we were there at the end of May, there was still quite a lot of snow in the high mountains and one trail demanded a bit of careful negotiation over snow and a head for heights (I just closed my eyes).

In June Zakopane gets quiet, the days are long and mostly sunny.

July and August can be very crowded as can weekend in the skiing season.

September is a very good month for hiking trips, the days are still long enough, the weather usually good, there are no more holiday crowds. October might both be very sunny and chilly and sees the first snowfalls in the mountains.

How to Get There:

Fly to Krakow – many budget flights from UK

Zakopane is easily accessible from Krakow. An easy 2 hour drive. Good bus and train services (the bus is more frequent and quicker). Taxis are relatively cheap.

Where we stayed:   (Note 10 Zloty = about £2.30.)

Zakopane: Book well in advance for major holidays and weekends. Our trip was in May half term and there was plenty of accommodation available. I’d happily turn up here without booking at this time of year if I just wanted a room.

There are 8 mountain hostels. We stayed in the two below and visited the one at the Morskie Oko Valley. They are delightful wooden buildings, warm and welcoming with food available and bedding to hire.

The Gasienicowa Valley Mountain Hostel You can book online. Prices about 35 Zloty. Food available.

Arrivals: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm.

The only way to reach the shelter is by foot. The route through Kasprowy requires the least effort, but the most popular trail is the one that leads through Bozcan. In winter, when there is not much snow, both trails are open for hikers. When avalanches threaten, hikers use the route from Brzeziny. Hania has used this route many times in winter.

Five Lakes Valley (Dolina Pieciu Stawow) mountain hostel.

Located at 1672 m on the edge of the Przedni Staw Lake, near Siklawa (the biggest waterfall in Poland).
30  Zloty in a room for 4. There are 68 beds. Food available. Only accessible by foot with a bit of a hard pull at the end.

This is like a British hostel so you may end up sharing with strangers but it was very quiet when we were there. Bedding is available to hire. Even if rooms are full you won’t be turned away but offered a space on the floor! Food is available.

Incredible value, a beautiful building and you can’t beat the location.

Advice for travelers:

Use the trails, visit the hostels.

Once in the mountains ensure you follow all sensible procedures and have the right gear for all conditions, the trails are very well marked but the weather unpredictable. If you hike in the Tatra Mountains, you may experience all four seasons in one day from Summer to Winter.  You need a reasonable level of fitness to get yourself, your kit for an overnight stay and your camera gear up to the huts. The Morskie Oko Valley hut however can be visted using the horse and carriages and the walk around the lake is easy. The down side is that it is a lot more crowded.

The whole of the Polish Tatras are a National Park and you have to keep to the trails.

This is a great trip if you are on a budget. Those used to hostelling will be very pleasantly surprised by the accommodation and knocked out by the locations.

No dogs allowed within the national park.

Equipment for this trip:

Tripod.

A good back pack that will take camera gear, water, rations and extra clothing for the nights in huts. I used my lowepro mini treker but only took my wide angle lens, Canon 5D, plenty of memory, 3 batteries and Lee ND grads on the overnight trips.

A microfibre towel was invaluable.

You can buy water bottle holders to loop onto your bag our belt and these save space in your backpack.

Research:

I was fortunate that my dear Polish friend Hania had organised this trip. One of the pleasures of photography is finding friends from all over the world and sharing your passions. I had met Hania and her cousin Kaz in Skye and they were kind enough to host this holiday. They have extensive knowledge of the Tatra Mountains so I had very little research to do, maybe I should have checked the temperature in Krakow before I’d left though!

When The Light is good:

Get up early enough to find yourself amongst the mountains and look for water for reflections. Predict where the early and late light will catch the peaks.

When the Light is Bad:

Walk the trails, shoot waterfalls and flowers.

Will I Go Again?

Yes. Without question.

UK insurance for your trip recommended by PTR:

Travel insurance and camera insurance.

Recommended links:

For guided tours. Bag Outdoor Agency.
Summit Post for information about huts, weather, guide books and maps.
Hiking – epswalks.
Mountain shelters

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