Slovak Paradise 2013

June 8th

By Watracz Is Traveling

With not a lot of free time between work and other duties, I decide to try to make a one-day trip to the Slovak Paradise (Slovak: Slovenský raj) – a small, but very picturesque mountain range in north-east Slovakia.

I pack all the necessary things the day before, and on the day of the trip, before dawn, I get on my motorbike and ride south, towards the mountains.

View route on Google Maps

Jurgów

On my way through Nowy Targ and Białka Tatrzańska I shop for breakfast groceries at a small local store, not far from Jurgów. I stop next to the Ski-Plus skiing school, a couple of kilometers beyond Jurgów, to take a photo with a vista of the Tatras, which are partially covered by the clouds.

Some kilometers later I cross the border and enter Slovakia. I ride along a forest at the foot of the Tatras; the mountains are wearing a mantle of dark, bubbling clouds, and I start to wonder if it’s not going to rain soon.

I pass through Veľká Lomnica, where I lose a good deal of time due to roadworks – and the inseparable traffic complications – in the middle of the town. It’s 10 am already, and I’m worried I won’t be able to hike the entire length of the trail and then get back home.

The Suchá Belá river valley

I reach the motorbike parking lot in the small town of Podlesok, I buy the ticket and park my bike. I open my trunk and try to stuff inside all the biker clothes I had on while riding: the armor, the kneepads, the helmet, the gloves, and the fleece jacket. Unfortunately, it doesn’t all fit in. I have to take the kneepads with me.

I take a pocket map of the area from the ticket booth and check out the trails marked on the map. There are a few of them, and I pick the one that’s the most interesting – considering the time I have left to sightsee.

From the very beginning of my walk towards Suchá Belá, the trail makes an amazing impression. The route takes me up the river, through rocks, fallen trees, ravines, and wooden ladders. The trail is not explicitly marked, so you can pick if you want to get across jumping from stone to stone (the harder option), or just walk along the river, choosing to walk around most of the obstacles.

I really like places like these. With every turn, every stone, every tight squeeze between the rocks, there’s another challenging attraction. It’s like an obstacle course, or a playground for a big child – you can jump, climb, and run on the rocks to your heart’s desire.

The Misové Vodopády waterfalls

I make pretty good time on the next parts of the trail, passing a number of tourists along the way. I stop by the waterfall for a sandwich break and a breather. I don’t have my tripod with me, so I ask one of the tourists to take a photo of me.

The waterfall is 30 meters high, and has two levels. Next to the fall, there’s a narrow, metal ladder fixed to the rocks. The ladder is wet and very slippery, so I have to be really careful as I climb.

When I’m already on the top, the school trip I passed earlier on comes up to the waterfall. They spend a long time wondering if they should climb the ladder and hike further, but in the end, they turn around and walk back. Not a bad decision, considering the dangerous terrain, the narrow and slippery ground, and the age of the kids.

I climb more ladders, and try to take photos in the meantime. It’s rather hard, since I hold on to the chain with one hand, and hold the camera with the other one. A moment of carelessness might cost me losing my balance or slipping.

The wooden ladders I’m walking on are slippery, old, and unstable. As I walk under fallen tree trunks, and climb further up, I come across a tight passage between the rocks. I need to take off my backpack to fit in there.

The Okienkový Vodopád waterfall

The waterfall is 15 meters high. On the left side, there’s a practically vertical ladder. When I’m climbing it, the ladder shakes quite a lot, making my heart beat so much faster. I just hope that nothing falls off!

Further on, the trail leads through a round hole in the rock, and I have to duck walk through it. I like it here more and more, and I can’t wait to see new surprises that the Slovak Paradise has in store.

The Korytový Vodopád waterfall

I reach a charming 10-meter waterfall, where I take another short break to get something to eat. Behind the waterfall, the trail leads under a fallen tree whose trunk lies just above my head. As I skip from stone to stone, my foot slips a couple times, and lands in the water, but luckily my shoes stay dry.

The Bočný Vodopád waterfall

This waterfall is 12 meters high and there’s just a narrow stream of water falling down. It’s a bit to the side from the main trail, but it’s easy to see and you can hear the noise of the water from far away.

I get to a clearing on a hilltop, and turn left at the fork in the road, towards the Hornád river. Unfortunately, the trail isn’t marked very well, and there are no tourists I could follow, so I lose my way and I’m not really sure if I’m going in the right direction. The dark clouds overhead are a sure sign of rain coming, and there’s no shelter in sight, so I know I’m getting wet soon.

Luckily, the rain passes to the side. From the trail, I can see the town of Hrabušice and the Tatras, which are some 40 kilometers further. I reach the Kláštorisko clearing, with its old Carthusian monastery ruins, a shelter, and some camping huts.

The Hornád River Gorge

Eventually, I get out of the forest and reach the Hornád river. I pass a bridge and come up on the Letanovský Mlyn clearing. A long time ago, there was a water mill here, but it was destroyed in a fire, and hasn’t been rebuilt.

The trail going along the river is pretty demanding: it makes you walk on small metal shelves attached to the rocks, several meters above the river, while you’re holding on to chains. Taking photos in these conditions is not very safe, so I put my camera in the backpack. I’m starting to run out of water, but I find a clean mountain stream on the way and fill up.

About an hour later, I leave the trail and reach a more “touristy” spot. Slovakia has a unique, local drink named “Kofola” – it’s kind of like Coke. I really wanted to try it, but 2.5 euros for a can was way too much, so I give up on the treat this time.

When I get to the parking lot I’m exhausted, and there’s still a long ride ahead of me. The sun’s setting fast, and I ride back in the dark, but it feels much faster this time. I’m home three hours later, around 9:30 pm. I managed to do 360 km on a single tank of gas, though for the last 50 kilometers I was running on reserve.