The beauty of the mountains

Poland's southern border is dominated by two big mountain ranges of the Carpathians and the Sudetens. Each of them is composed of a few smaller chains, representing different height, rock type, and landscape.

Alpine beauty of the Tatras

The Tatras are the highest and the only alpine type range of the Polish Carpathians. They are built of limestone and granite rocks, the latter ones forming the range known as the High Tatras. They are sometimes called the miniature Alps. On a relatively small area (176 sq km), there are many different ranges, which in the Alps are much more separated from each other. The beauty of the Polish mountains is enhanced by the mountain lakes – with the Morskie Oko (the Sea Eye), the most captivating of them all – streams and waterfalls. The Wielka Siklawa waterfall is the biggest one in the Polish mountains. The most popular with tourists is Mt Giewont, and the most frequented mountain pasture is the Hala Gąsienicowa. Mt Rysy (2499 metres) is the highest peak of the Polish Tatras. There are many scenic mountain refuges located on the high mountain pastures known as hale. Tourists are lifted to the top of Mt Kasprowy Wierch by the cable car.

Curiosities of the Sudeten mountains

They are quite different from the high and rocky Tatras – their slopes are much gentler, but they abound in strange rock formations and nature curiosities. The multiple Sudeten ranges differ much from each other. The Karkonosze range is known for its inselbergs and brooks. The Stołowe (Table) Mountains are full of mossy boulders and mushroom-like rock formations. Many natural curiosities – including mountain swamps – are found in other Sudeten ranges, for example, in the Sowie, Izerskie, or Kaczawskie Mountains.

The Bieszczady mountains - green and wild

The easternmost range of the Polish Carpathians, the Bieszczady are still considered to be the remotest and wildest corner of the country. Their gentle slopes are overgrown with beech, alder and sycamore trees, while their woodless ridges are covered with wild high-grass meadows known as połoniny. The largest and the best known are the Połonina Caryńska and Połonina Wetlińska.