Lindekaer

In October 2015 I went to Tatry Roháče with my friend Karel. In October the snow has already fallen in the valleys and totally claimed the peaks. The snow made the both beautiful and tranquil, but it greatly limited our possibilities for hiking - especially considering our inadequate gear. We agreed to return in the following season and go for the full hiking package.

Karel and I did as planned and I have just returned from a week of hiking in Tatry Roháče close to the city of Zuberec. We went in a group of 11 people in late August.

Tatry Roháče

First off a little information about the area we visited. The Tatra mountains are located in the borderlands between Poland and Slovakia and boast of many great peaks to visit. The highest peak of the entire range is Gerlach with its 2655 meters. We stayed in Tatry Roháče, which is a part of the western Tatras. From my experience, this region is not very crowded and provides a handful of good hikes for both beginners and more experienced hikers. I enjoyed being back a second time and could easily imagine myself visiting Tatry Roháče again.

Accommodation

There are a few of different options for accomodation in the area. I have personally stayed at Chata Zverovka and, most recently, Penzióne Šindľovec. Both hotels are very local, has a cozy atmosphere and serves good solid meals. Being forced to pick, I think Šindľovec offered slightly better rooms. We paid around 15 EUR per person every night. This included a huge breakfast with youghourt, eggs, fruit, bread and coffee. For an additional 3 EUR you could get a good lunch pack.

The hosts are very friendly and usually have in-depth knowledge about the trails in the area. We have relied heavily on the recommendations that we got from day to day. Our group benefited greatly from Karel's ability to speak Slovak; without such a luxury some things might be a bit more cumbersome, but don't worry too much.

Hiking opportunities

We did two major hikes in the Tatry Roháče region. The first hike started by taking the cable car next to Penzióne Šindľovec. We headed towards Salatin with the goal of ending by Banikovske sedlo before descending. All in all, we passed the peaks of: Brestova, Telaciarky, Salatin, Spalena, Pachol'a, and Banikov. The hike was easy and had plenty of good view points along the way. We kept a decent pace, but took many breaks resulting in a total hiking time of around 8 hours.

The second hike was planned according to a goal that Karel and I set during our last visit to the region. We wanted to hike the great ciruit going from Penzióne Šindľovec across Volovec, onto Ostry Roháč and several other peaks before ending at Banikov and descending down through the valley. This was a more challenging hike with quite a few sections with chains on the steep mountain sides. It took us 12 hours to complete the full circuit.

For more relaxing days, one may walk around the mountain lakes (Roháče plesa) for some good views of the entire range and a handful of idyllic spots for eating lunch. Keep in mind that you do not encounter any huts or cabins when you hike in Tatry Roháče. Therefore you have to bring your own supplies for the entire day - this is no problem as a lunch pack and 3 liters of water is usually sufficient.

Beyond hiking

The city of the Zuberec is located nearby and offers both a supermarket and a few restaurants. Our top pick is the restaurant Koliba Josu. They have quite an abundance of different local dishes. Most of them with the common denominator of cabbage, meat and dumplings. The dishes are pretty filling and does a great job of replenishing your energy after a long day in the mountains. Aside from beer, I recommend the grape soda Vinea (red is the best!).

A personal favorite - pancake with whipped cream and mountain blueberries

Only 20 minutes drive from Zuberec you find the city of Oravice, which has a few hot thermal springs. The entrance fee is only 5 EUR and provides a nice relaxing setting. Give it a try!

Ahhhhh, finally hitting the thermal pools

Next visit

For our last day we decided to visit the High Tatras, which is another part of the mountain range. This area is much larger and offers a great number of trails and peaks. The area was much more crowded and offered easier access for all kinds of tourists. However, as we started to gain altitude the majority of other hikers dropped off and we were left alone in the rocky landscape. I am really excited to get back to the Tatras and in particular to explore the High Tatras more.