Hiking in the mountains

Where mountain goats dare...

The highest peaks of the Tatras, Europe’s easternmost alpine mountains located in southern Poland are populated with mountain goats. Zakopane is a good base to begin your great adventure in the Tatras and the Podhale region – the city is an attractive mountain resort and a popular centre of sports and tourism. It is also a convenient starting point for hikes along the 300 km long tourist trails, which are well-marked and represent different levels of difficulty. Everyone will find here something to suit them. Beginners will learn to enjoy and love the mountain adventure. More experienced hikers will certainly choose the more demanding trails along the ridges, sometimes reinforced with safety chains and iron steps.

All seasons are suitable for hikes in the Tatras. Regular hikers favour summer and early autumn. Skiers prefer February. The climate of the Tatras is very special – it may happen that you will experience the weather of all seasons during just one trip. One can always find shelter or overnight accommodation in one of those mountain refuges which have their own special homely and Spartan atmosphere.

On their way down the mountain, hikers can sample ewe’s milk cheese manufactured by mountain farmers and made to a recipe known for generations.

Mountains full of surprises

The first surprise of the Sudeten Mountains known as Sudety in Polish is the abundance and diversity of geological formations. Semiprecious stones can be found in the Sowie Mountains. Those interested in gold can try their luck in the Polish International Championship for Gold Prospectors at Złotoryja. If you are lucky you may encounter mouflons brought here in the 19th century from Corsica. Three different cultures were brought into contact in the foothills medieval defensive region of the Sudety: Polish, Czech and German. It is also here – where the Polish, German and Czech borders meet – that the first Euroregion was established: Nysa-Nisa-Neisse (ERN). It is worth to become acquainted with the rich cultural life of the region as well as with its natural attractions and military architecture. The latter includes the castle at Czocha near Leśna, or the 13th-century castle at Bolkowo. You will certainly be greatly surprised to find at Karpacz a curious architectural gem: a 12th-century Wang Chapel from Norway.

Exploring ancient caves is an attraction all in itself. Poland’s largest and the most spectacular cave is the “Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia” (Bear’s Cave) at Kletno. The Góry Stołowe, literally translated as “Table Mountains”, offer views of fantastic rock formations. The highest range in the Sudety Mountains, known as the Karkonosze, is very popular with winter sports enthusiasts.

Rafting through the mountains

Nature lovers maintain that the beauty of the Pieniny landscape is best appreciated while rafting down the Dunajec rapids in the company of local highlanders. Rafts are made from narrow canoes tied together. The trip takes a few hours, during which tourists can admire the majestic steep cliffs often over 300 meters high, looming over the shallow mountain rapids.

Breathtaking is the view of the Dunajec cutting through the mountains from the summit of the Trzy Korony and from the top of Mt Sokolica. If you are lucky you might also see some of the rare species of butterflies found in the local habitat. While visiting the castles at Czorsztyn and Niedzica one can start to think why it is here that the history of the Incas treasure ends.

The połoniny, or high mountain meadows, are characteristic for the Bieszczady Mountains, spreading across south-eastern Poland. This is the most thinly populated region in Poland. Large and picturesque expanses of land are practically uninhabited, constituting an ideal refuge for those seeking solitude, special moods, or traces of the past. The Carpathian beech stands look really beautiful in autumn. Fans of survival are at home here in any season. The Bieszczady tourist trails (over 300 km) welcome hikers, bicyclists, horse riders, and in winter – cross-country skiers and downhill runners. Many sailors come to enjoy the picturesque landscape of the Solina Lake, a huge artificial reservoir, artfully built into the landscape.