Info on Slovakia Tatras end June (1 Viewer)

fdokykcu · Apr 4, 2018

Hello!

I have the opportunity of travelling to Liptovsky-Mykulas for a sport event at the end of June, and would like to spend four-five days after that walking & birding around the Tatras area (or others close to it)

I am from northern Spain and live in central Spain so fortunately I've seen several times some of the high mountain birds you can expect there (i.e. wallcreeper, alpine accentor, golden eagles, etc), so instead I'll be very happy to see other species not frequent or missing at Spain: nutcracker, fieldfare, central Europe picids & owls, maybe hazel grouse, as well as some passerines (willow tit, marsh tit, common rosefinch?, etc..)

Can anyone make some suggestions for that area or nearby ones? I'll probably move around on public transport, but can also hire a car

kb57 · Apr 13, 2018

I visited the High Tatras (vysoke tatry) a number of times in the early 2000s - I wasn't birding, just walking and looking at alpine flora, but did get a great view of a nutcracker in Pinus cembra forest on the trail between Hrebienok and Strbske Pleso. I really liked Slovakia.

Tatranska Lomnica and Stary Smocovec are good places to stay. You don't really need a car, as there is a good tram system along the side of the mountain with gondolas and funicular railway giving access to the hills, allowing one-way walking routes. From the Tatranska Lomnica gondola you can also walk through the limestone hills of the 'white tatras' (Belianske tatry) and catch a bus back from the road which leads to the Polish border.

The trails are very popular with walkers so this might be an issue for birding. I was there in May once and some of the higher trails were closed to protect wildlife / nesting birds - I'm not sure when they reopen, but it could be an issue in June. Also, since I last went there was a catastrophic storm which felled a lot of trees - my son returned to the area a few years ago and said it had completely changed, villages like Tatranska Lominica were surrounded by mature trees which had all gone. I'm sure its still a beautiful area though.

Hopefully others can supplement this with more information on birds and more up-to-date information on travel.

fdokykcu · Apr 16, 2018

Thanks a lot! This piece of info is very useful to me

kb57 said:
I visited the High Tatras (vysoke tatry) a number of times in the early 2000s - I wasn't birding, just walking and looking at alpine flora, but did get a great view of a nutcracker in Pinus cembra forest on the trail between Hrebienok and Strbske Pleso. I really liked Slovakia.

Tatranska Lomnica and Stary Smocovec are good places to stay. You don't really need a car, as there is a good tram system along the side of the mountain with gondolas and funicular railway giving access to the hills, allowing one-way walking routes. From the Tatranska Lomnica gondola you can also walk through the limestone hills of the 'white tatras' (Belianske tatry) and catch a bus back from the road which leads to the Polish border.

The trails are very popular with walkers so this might be an issue for birding. I was there in May once and some of the higher trails were closed to protect wildlife / nesting birds - I'm not sure when they reopen, but it could be an issue in June. Also, since I last went there was a catastrophic storm which felled a lot of trees - my son returned to the area a few years ago and said it had completely changed, villages like Tatranska Lominica were surrounded by mature trees which had all gone. I'm sure its still a beautiful area though.

Hopefully others can supplement this with more information on birds and more up-to-date information on travel.

Mono · Apr 16, 2018

The rail system is great for getting around the various drop off points for walking. There are lots of accommodation options in and around the rail network, plus there are high huts if you want to walk up and stay high.

The high routes open on June 15 or later if the snow is still abundant. I spent a few days there in late May 16 and although the high routes weren't open there was plenty to do. Bird wise there is little in the way of reserves with hides but we had no trouble seeing lots from the trails. Nutcracker was plentiful right down to the resorts.

Park rules http://www.tanap.org/national-park-rules/

Good online map https://mapy.hiking.sk/?ref=navigator

Where we stayed https://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/tatranska-strba/1774533

Info on Slovakia Tatras end June (1 Viewer)

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fdokykcu

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kb57

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fdokykcu

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Mono

Hi!

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