High Tatras national park

The mountain range borders Belianske Tatras to the east, Podtatranská kotlina to the south and Western Tatras to the west. The major part and all the highest peaks of the mountains are situated in Slovakia. The highest peak is Gerlachovský štít, at 2,655 metres (8,711 ft).

A holiday spent in the High Tatras counts among the best experiences that you can have in Slovakia. The region of the High Tatras is located in a protected environment of the Tatra National park and formed by districts of Poprad and Kežmarok. The area under the Tatras is divided between two regions – Liptov and Spiš, offering many opportunities to spend free time effectively. The region under the Tatras is formed by the Tatra National Park (TANAP) and the National Parks Pieniny, Low Tatras and Slovak Paradise. The administrative unit of the town High Tatras is formed by 15 separate settlements. TANAP was declared a Biosphere reserve Tatras, which protects, develops and supports the ecosystem and landscape´s diversity.

The High Tatras (Vysoké Tatry), the tallest range in the Carpathian Mountains, tower over most of Eastern Europe. Some 25 peaks measure above 2500m, but the massif is only 25km wide and 78km long, with pristine snowfields, ultramarine mountain lakes, thundering waterfalls, undulating pine forests and shimmering alpine meadows. Most of this jagged range is part of the Tatra National Park (Tanap); not that this fact has arrested development on the Slovakian ski slopes. The Tatra National Park complements a similar park across the peaks in Poland.

A very specific small town called “High Tatras” consists of 13 separate settlements situated in an attractive dense-forested area. The town is thanks to the dimensions of its area 359,79 km2 (including the inhospitable rocky Tatra mountains) the largest town in Slovakia. The biggest settlements Štrbské pleso, Old Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica are at the same time the most visited by the tourists. The settlements are connected with each other by roads, most of them by rail-ways, too. They will attract your attention by their beautifully decorated balconies, towers or steep roofs. Beside of hotels and pensions, several demanded sanatoria were founded there.

The most visited attraction is a ride by a cable car up to the Lomnický Peak (2634 m) – not accessible on foot. It is the second highest peak of the High Tatras. A modern cable car with a capacity of 15 people will take you in a few minutes that you never forget from the busy Skalnaté pleso (Rocky Mountain Lake) up to the kingdom of silence. About 50 minutes of the limited stay at the cable car station on the top of the peak should suffice you to remember the breathtaking view of the majestic panorama of the Slovak and Polish landscape. Except of refreshment you will find there the highest situated Astronomic observatory of the Slovak Science Academy.

Many rare and endemic animals and plant species are native to the High Tatras. They include the Tatras’ endemic goat-antelope and critically endangered species. Predators include Eurasian brown bear, marten, wolf and fox. The Alpine marmot is common in the range.