High Tatras Mountains, Slovakia (1 Viewer)

[Steve Babbs]

I have been told that next year's family holiday has to be a rather cheaper then last year's trip to Uganda, so looking at combining Slovakia with a hamster twitch to Vienna and a bit of time in Hungary. My wife is very keen on mountain walking so we will probably concentrate on the High Tatras. Any tips on where to stay, general wildlife watching etc. We would be there in late July or August. Due to the cost of car parking and the good train network, we are considering not hiring a car. Anyone done it without a car?

Thanks in advance

Steve

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

My post here might be helpful. From a while ago, so things might be different now:

Slovakia Birding

I'm off with some pals to Slovakia later in the year on a birding/wildlife trip. Going in to Bratislava and on from there. Will be heading for the Tatra mountains in the north east most likely. Has anyone been there and can give any advice on good sites or areas to head for?. All info...

www.birdforum.net

 

[Mono]

I went with some friends to the High Tartra in May 2016 for a walking/wildlife trip. The walking is fantastic, the infrastructure is great the paths are very well waymarked and there are high huts which offer food, drink and accommodation. One point to note is that you aren't allowed off the paths, if you want to leave the path you have to apply for a mountaineering permit. We did have a car, we drove up from Bratislava, but it is not necessary when in the High Tatra itself. There is a light rail loop that runs along all the access points into the park itself. The area is very popular with tourists and there is accommodation of all types from hostels to ski lodges. We stayed at Tatranská Štrba, in a lodge in the woods, great for birds. Birding-wise the area is heavily protected and as you ascend through the mountains there are a wide variety of habitats. We didn't find any sit and watch type nature reserves but whilst out walking there is much to see.

I would heartily recommend it, the scenery is spectacular with great, hassle-free access. I found it more a walking holiday with birds tagged on than a pure birding holiday, but great.

A useful site, if you haven't found it already, are the OS style online topo maps of Slovakia. The mapping is the same as the official paper maps.

TuristickaMapa.sk – turistická mapa Slovenska

Turistická mapa Slovenska v mierke až do 1:25.000. Topografický a satelitný podklad + ďalšie dynamické vrstvy: turistické chodníky, lavínová mapa, fotografie, chaty, hrady, geocaching, pralesy. Zobrazenie vlastných GPX súborov, ako aj trás služby Hikeplanner z HIKING.SK. Tvorba trás a ich export...

mapy.dennikn.sk

 

[Steve Babbs]

I went with some friends to the High Tartra in May 2016 for a walking/wildlife trip. The walking is fantastic, the infrastructure is great the paths are very well waymarked and there are high huts which of food, drink and accommodation. One point to not is that you aren't allowed off the paths, if you want to leave the path you have to apply for a mountaineering permit. We did have a car, we drove up from Bratislava, but it is not necessary when in the High Tatra itself. There is a light rail loop that runs along all the access points into the park itself. The area is very popular with tourists and there is accommodation of all types from hostels to ski lodges. We stayed at Tatranská Štrba, in a lodge in the woods, great for birds. Birding-wise the area is heavily protected and as you ascend through the mountains there are a wide variety of habitats. We didn't find any sit and watch type nature reserves but whilst out walking there is much to see.

I would heartily recommend it, the scenery is spectacular with great, hassle-free access. I found it more a walking holiday with birds tagged on than a pure birding holiday, but great.

A useful site, if you haven't found it already, are the OS style online topo maps of Slovakia. The mapping is the same as the official paper maps.

TuristickaMapa.sk – turistická mapa Slovenska

Turistická mapa Slovenska v mierke až do 1:25.000. Topografický a satelitný podklad + ďalšie dynamické vrstvy: turistické chodníky, lavínová mapa, fotografie, chaty, hrady, geocaching, pralesy. Zobrazenie vlastných GPX súborov, ako aj trás služby Hikeplanner z HIKING.SK. Tvorba trás a ich export...

mapy.dennikn.sk

Thanks Mono.

After an intense 5 week wildlife watching trip to Uganda for this summer's family holiday, a more laid back one is probably what the marriage counsellor would advise. Luckily I do very much enjoy walking in mountains and the fact that there is very little chance of any bird ticks - although I haven't had 'tickable' views of Ural Owl - or large mammal ticks - apart from a rather dodgy Chamois split will probably help.

 

[opisska]

High Tatras are spectacular - for me and for many Czechs and Slovaks it was the first high mountains we have ever seen and that leaves some impression! But the range is really small and thus quite packed with people in the summer. They also have a very specific weather pattern in the summer - there are extended periods of regular afternoon thunderstorms - you have completely nice weather all across the country and a thunderstorm in Tatras, every day for weeks on end. Once a local old man told us that we needed to learn to hike in "the Tatra Style", that is go up at 4 am to be down by 2 pm and avoid the thunderstorm... truth to be told I never really managed that, instead I came back in September when the weather is less .... electrifying. But there are also clear periods in the summer, it's a matter of luck.

For High Tatras themselves a car is absolutely pointless due to the train system - which also allows you to do trips that are not circular. If you start thinking about other areas, the balance is suddenly different - Orava in particular (around the artificial lake) is a prime birding area that is quite difficult on public transport. Don't forget also that we have the Schengen agreement and the border is fully open and thus it's possible to also visit the Polish side.

As for birds, it's nothing groundbreaking - I saw my first Nutcracker in the Tatras, just above the level where fully grown forest ends. I have seen a Golden Eagle from the train up and LSEs in the Polish foothills. I know there are Wallcreepers but don't know where and the sites don't seem to be public. There are Chamoix and Marmots very easy to see; reportedly also Snow Voles, but I have never one - and if you wanted to really join the mammalwatching crazies (like us) you can look for the endemic Tatra Vole, but since it's a relative of the Pine Vole and shares its heavily subterranean lifestyle, your chances would be slim (we also haven't found it). There are also Brown Bears, sometimes seen eating from the rubbish bins in villages apparently.

 

[Steve Babbs]

Sadly August is just not a great time for Europe generally. Being a teacher, I have little choice. I have one good week at the end of May, which I always spend in mainland Europe. I have spent a lot of time in the Alps and done a couple of trips to the Romanian Carpathians so the best I'm hoping for in the way of new stuff is maybe getting a butterfly tick or two, if I'm lucky. It will be a country tick for me though. I'm not thinking of other areas in Slovakia. apart from doing a bit of culture. I will be in Vienna for Hamsters and few days in Hungary.

 

[Arbu]

I walked from near Zakopane to Tatranska Lomnica in July 2008. I saw Alpine Accentor, Red-backed Shrike, Collared Flycatcher, Ring Ouzel, Golden Eagle, Crossbill, Nutcracker and Wallcreeper. It was good hiking and I don't recall any thunderstorms. The trails were rather crowded but I found a faint path that wasn't marked on my map, just on the Slovakian side, and decided to take that. That's where I saw the Wallcreeper. I walked on and met a park official who gave me a bit of telling off, but he didn't fine me. All-in, it was very pleasant (and cheap), but I didn't see anything amazing.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

I’ve been on the Polish side at least twice in summer; can’t remember anything better than field fare, but only casually birding while doing other things.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Sadly August is just not a great time for Europe generally.

the best I'm hoping for in the way of new stuff is maybe getting a butterfly tick or two, if I'm lucky. It will be a country tick for me though.

August is still good for mountain butterflies in Europe. Although you will see some new species for yourself in the Tatras, you'd likely do far better to head to the Alps for numbers and diversity of butterflies (even with you having been there before). Or Pyrenees, better for birding.

 

[Steve Babbs]

August is still good for mountain butterflies in Europe. Although you will see some new species for yourself in the Tatras, you'd likely do far better to head to the Alps for numbers and diversity of butterflies (even with you having been there before). Or Pyrenees, better for birding.

I have spent a lot of time in the Alps and quite a long time in the Pyrenees so it is partly to see somewhere new.

 

[01101001]

As for tourist maps, in the internet I've seen some people recommend mapy.cz app. I've been using it for some time (in Poland, but it works for every country), and it shows pretty much all available paths. A big benefit is that it works offline, and there are targeted packs available for download for each region.

 

[opisska]

I use mapy.cz everywhere, but it's particularly very good in Czech and Slovak Republics because they have fantastic map data for yhe "home" areas.