Tours and Vacations for Women - The Tatra Mountains

The Tatra Mountains

The Tatra Mountains are part of the Carpathian Range, located in the heart of Europe. This is the second highest mountain range in Europe, east of the Alps and west of the Ural and the Caucasus Mountains. They form a natural border between Poland and Slovakia, to the south of the Polish city of Krakow, and north of the Slovak towns Poprad and Liptovsky Mikulas. The Tatras make up in the natural beauty what they lack in height and in the area they cover. In the comparison with the highest mountains of the world, Tatra Mountains are a small range. The highest Tatra peak, Gerlach (in Slovakia) is 8,737 feet high. The highest Polish peak in the Tatra Mountains is Rysy at 8,199 feet. The range is divided into three parts, which differ in both landscapes and the geological structure: the Western Tatras, the High Tatras, and the Bielskie Tatras. The most interesting and the most visited section are The High Tatras in Poland, with the beautiful glen of Morskie Oko. The Western Tatra Mountains are not as steep, but have beautiful, wide views. The most spectacular valleys are the Koscieliska Valley and the Chocholowska Valley, each covered in millions of pink flowering crocuses in spring. The Bielskie Tatras are in part of a nature preserve in Slovakia with no tourist trails.

Kasprowy Wierch

Kasprowy Wierch rises from the main ridge of the Tatra Mountains on the Poland-Slovakia border almost in the very center of the Polish Tatras. It is surrounded by the valleys: Dolina Stawów Gasienicowych on the east, Dolina Goryczkowa on the west, Dolina Kasprowa on the north, and (in Slovakia) Dolina Cicha on the south. There is a meteorological observatory on the summit (1985 m), and slightly lower than the summit is the top station of the Kuznice-Kasprowy Wierch cable car. The station is the starting point for a number of mountain trails and climbs. In the winter it is the principal ski center, there are very fine runs from the summit in several directions.

Morskie Oko Lake

Morskie Oko (Eye of the Sea) is arguably the most beautiful of the Tatra Mountains lakes, and it is certainly the largest. It stretches some 860 meters in length, and 566 in breadth. The area around the lake is surrounded by mountains and can only be entered through a small pass. The lake itself is fifty meters deep and it is the only one with a natural stock of fish, in this case river trout. The prospect of the surrounding mountains is stunning. The most captivating peak is Mnich, translating to 'the Monk', which describes its sharply pointed peak which resembles that of a monks habit. Morskie Oko has delighted travelers since the region was first discovered 150 years ago, and it remains among the most popular places to visit in the Tatras. It is also one of the most easily accessible, with a swift route from Lysa Polana followed by a short walk or an easy horse-drawn carriage ride.