When I was invited to talk at a conference in Warsaw in late June 2022, one of my first thoughts was: “Is there anywhere good to hike in Poland?”. I am very pleased to report that the answer is “YES!”.

A quick google showed that most of Poland is quite flat, but in the far south of Poland, the border with Slovakia dips further south, giving Poland a portion of the Tatra Mountains, with many peaks over 2,000m.

After a little more research I found Helena, a guide who would take me on a 5-day hike, traversing the Polish Tatras from west to east. The proposed path was a zig-zag, sometimes following the Slovakian border, sometimes getting close to the town of Zakopane that guards the northern border of the Tatra national park, The daily distances were not too great, mostly about 16km (10 miles) but the height gain and loss was about 1,000m (3,000 ft) for each of three consecutive days. I said that I felt I could do that one day, but not three days in a row, and my guide said the route could be amended.

I took the Flixbus from Warsaw to Krakow, a comfortable 4-hr ride, and spent a couple of hours exploring the old town before riding another two hours to Zakopane. I met my guide in the lobby of the Stamery Grand Hotel. We went over the map and reviewed my equipment. She said that the snow had melted off the high trails and my icers (mini-crampons) could be added to the bag of stuff I was leaving at the hotel.

Day 1: Zakopane to Chocholowska Valley with ascent of Mt. Grzes 1,653m(Mt. Lucna in Slovakian)

13km, 834m ascent, 612 m descent 5hr:30min

At 9 am the next day we set off on foot, walking through the main street of the quaint ski town of Zakopane, admiring the church, graveyard and wooden houses in “Highlander” and “Zakopane” style, before hopping on a minibus to the trailhead. The hike was easy, with a small paved section, some logging trails and some well-made paths, We arrived at the hut, checked in, dropped our bags in a six-bed dorm room, then started the hike upwards to a pass and my first Polish mountain peak. This was followed a few seconds later by my first Slokvakian peak, as the hill marks the border. The weather was hot (about 28 C) and sunny, with a threat of rain later, so we made a good pace back to the hut for beer and dinner.

Day 2 Starorobocianska Valley , Siwa Pass, Ornak Ridge (1,854m), descent to Ornak Hut. Side trip to Srmczynski Lake.

13 km, 979m of accent, 1,010m descent, 6 hr (plus 1hr walk toSrmczynski Lake).

We began by heading back down the Chocholowska Valley about 1 km to the Starorobocianska Valley trailhead. The walk began easily on a wide logging trail but then got narrower and ascended more steeply to the Siwa Pass at 1,812m. I declined an offer of extending the hike by detouring to the 2,176m summit of Starorobocianski Wierch. The view from the pass was magnificent. Then there was about a 3km ridge walk, a bit like Cat Bells in the English Lake district but higher and longer. There was a little gentle scrambling to get to the peak of Ornak, but otherwise, it was easy travelling. Then there was then a long descent on a very well-made path through Dwarf Stone Pines to a wooded pass, then further down to Ornak Hut. After I had revived myself with a Ukrainian Cheesecake and a coffee, I headed to the small lake that we had seen on the way down.

Day 3: Tomanowa Valley, Czerwone Wierchy Ridge (2,122m), Kondratowa Valley, Kalatowki Hotel

14.4km, 1,302m ascent, 1,217m descent 7 hrs

Each day the hiking got harder higher and longer, but the views got better and the weather improved so we were hiking in shorts and T-shirts with a windbreaker handy for the higher areas. Once again the hike began with a gentle climb, this time through woodland, but then the path took a turn to the left and we started to ascend more steeply. We came to a ridge and began to walk along the Polish-Slovakian border, taking in four summits – Ciemniak (2,096m) (where a fox ate most of my lunch), Krzesanica (2,122m) Malolaczniak (2.096m), and Kopa Kondracka (2,005m). We then descended to a pass and walked down into the Kondrarowa Valley. This began as a steep and picturesque descent, became easier, then just continued for what seemed a very long time until we eventually got to a small hotel, the Hotel Gorski at Kalatowki. It was nice to have an ensuite shower and waitress service in the restaurant, but it was also an unwelcome break from the true wilderness experience.

Day 4 Cable car to Kasprowy (1,987m), descent to Schronisko Murowaniec hut, Kryzne Pass (2,112m) descent to Five Lakes hut

12km, 855m ascent, 1,164m descent 9 hrs

This seemed the hardest day, even though it began with a cable car ascent to 1,987m and the highest point was a pass at 2,112m.

After the trip up in a modern and rather crowded cable car, we took a quick look at the view and immediately started on a pleasant 855m descent, knowing that all that altitude would have to be gained later. We stopped for a coffee at the hut, then strolled through some Dwarf Stone Pine. We took a right turn into the Pansienicowa (Caterpillar) valley, stopped for a while at the small Red Lake, then started the steep ascent to the Ktyznze Pass. Fortunately, the trail stayed to thel eft of the scree, and was mostly well made, but there were a few awkward sections where large rocks required careful scrambling, with both hands needed, It was hard work, but on getting to the pass we were met with one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. We could look down over a series of lakes, and spot our hut on the near shore of the left-hand lake, We could also look down the heavily wooded Roztoki Valley. In the distance were many huge mountains including Rysy, the tallest in Poland.

I gathered my breath, took many photos, and prepared for the hike down. The first 100m were easy, then it rapidly became apparent we had to descend directly down a steep gully. In some places there were switchbacks, in other cases large rock faces needed very careful scrambling, sometimes turning to face the rock for better control. Eventually, we reached the level of the traverse, but even this had a few scary areas where a careful scramble across an exposed rock was required. I was relieved when the path finally became less steep. We arrived at the lakeside and had to walk a few more minutes to reach the Five Lakes hut. I lay down on my bed, shut my eyes and did nothing for an hour until I had recovered. No blisters, no sprains, no damage done anywhere. After a delicious dinner of potato and sausage soup (Zorek), and breaded chicken with new potatoes and dill, I bought myself a can of cider and strolled around part of the lake. It was a truly magical spot. In the morning we saw a bride and groom having their wedding photos taken, apparently a local tradition.

This was one of the hardest and most technically difficult hikes I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. A very satisfying culmination of the trip.

Day 5 Five Lakes Hut to Swistowka Roztocka (1,850m) Morskie Oko and then horse cart to down to Palenica and minibus back to Zakopane

6km, Ascent 288m descent 540m 4 hours

I took a few last pictures of the lake Przedni Staw, and studied the route we had taken down from Krzyzne the day before. There was also a spectacular view back down the valley towards Zakopane. Eventually, we turned to the right and began a descent to Morskie Oko, rated as one of the world’s most spectacular lakes. It certainly attracted a huge number of tourists. There was an option to walk around the lake and even ascend to a smaller lake with views of Rysy, at 2,499m the highest mountain in Poland. But by then I was hiked out, ready to get a horse cart and bus back to Zakopane, wander the shopping district, have dinner and get organized for the bus back to Warsaw the next day.

LOGISTICS:

There are international airports in Warsaw and Krakow. Both cities are worth at least a day of exploring. Flixbus runs a regular and comfortable service to Zakopane. If you book in advance you can reserve the two front seats for a panoramic view. Zakopane has some large parks, some museums, and a touristy pedestrian main street. It has lots of hiking stores if you forgot to pack anything.

There are a variety of hotels in Zakopane but the Stamery Grand was well worth the $CAN 100 I paid for bed and breakfast, and it is conveniently situated near the bus station, a park, and downtown.

I would not recommend solo hiking in the High Tatras, as the paths are sometimes very exposed and involve scrambling. Just because a route is marked on the map does not mean it is suitable for hikers with no scrambling experience. There are some guided group tours but my itinerary was inflexible, I just had five specific days I could hike, so that did not work out. I contemplated doing day hikes from Zakopane into the lower Western Tatras, but that would have been difficult to arrange. I would have spent a lot of time trying to figure out buses and then hiking along approach roads into valleys, never making it to the peaks. None of my regular hiking buddies were available, so hiring a guide was my only good option.

I found my guide, Helena, on the Explore-Share website, after looking at some other options. She is a certified guide and speaks English, but there were few reviews on the website and only one picture of the proposed hike. In the end, I took a risk, paid for the tour, and exchanged a few emails with her as I packed for the trip. It seemed a big gamble to pay to spend five days hiking with a stranger, but in fact, it worked out very well. The fee (681 Euros) covered the guide and a cable car ticket, but not my own food or accommodation, and I was also expected to pay for the guide’s food and accommodation. I thought that this was a weird arrangement, but the food and accommodation in the huts are not expensive. Helena would translate the menu, we would discuss what we wanted, she would order and I would get out my debit card, like an old married couple!

Language

Polish is a Slavic language, written using the familiar latin alphabet, but it is very unlike western European languages. Many words are long and full of unusual combinations of letters. “Dobry dzień” means “Good day”, “Tak” means “Yes”, “Dobre” menas “Good”, and Wyjście” means “Exit”, for example. About 95% of the information in the huts was in Polish only, and it was troubling to see warning messages or instructions (like which garbage can is for recycling) and not have any clue what was meant.

Most Polish people seemed to have some English, but few were fluent, They do not expect tourists to be able to speak Polish and do their best to understand what you want. Without a guide, there would have been times when I would have ordered food without knowing what I was going to get. It was noticeable that people who spoke other European languages would communicate in broken English as they would not expect Poles to understand their native language, so as a native English speaker you do have a head start!

Navigation

I bought the “Tatra Mountains Tourist Map 1:50,000” by Eko-Graf. This gives a good general overview of the mountains, but not every trail marked is a regular hiking route, some require technical experience. It lacks detail in some of the more mountainous areas. However, on the whole, the trails are well marked, wide and popular. There is a colour coding system and each trail is marked by a stripe of the correct colour, with a white stripe above and below. There are signposts at most trail intersections. In decent weather, it would be hard to get lost.

I used All-Trails on my phone, but it was not always reliable. Sometimes we were on trails that the app did not show. There are very few documented All-Trail routes in this area. My guide used Locus, as this is apparently popular and reliable in this area.

Accomodation

Camping is not allowed in the Polish Tatrasm so, if you want to do more than day trips, you have to stay in huts. These provide dormitory accommodation, including some rooms for four or six people. The huts all have restuarants and bars, and a gift shop for some basics including cold drinks, chocalate and other treats to take for lunch. They are solid and functional, and provide the necessities for hiking, including warm showers, but they are not luxurious. If you are on a budget or the hut is booked out, you can spread a sleeping bag on the floor.

The huts all had electricity, but sometimes you had to leave your phone plugged into a socket in a washroom or corridor. I bought a spare external battery pack and found it useful. All the huts except Ornak had free WiFi. My guide seemed to have a cell phone signal about 75% of the time.

Hiking Season

I travelled in the last two weeks of June. This was ideal, as the snow had mostly melted from the paths, the wildflowers were in bloom, and the weather was pleasnt but not too hot. Popular sections of the hike were quite busy but not actually crowded. I can imagine that July and August would be hot and overly busy, but September might be nice.

Polish or Slovakian Tatras?

I chose the Polish Tatras because they were convenient for me after my conference in Warsaw, It was neat that I was able to traverse the whole range, and see most of the highlights, in the five days I had available. I am sure that there is a lot of great hiking to be had on the Slovakian side as well.

CONCLUSION

Wow, that was a lot of hiking! Only 60 km (37 miles) but 4,258m (14,000 ft) of ascent. Some of the hardest and also the most spectacular hiking I have ever done. The weather was close to perfect, never too hot or cold, with no rain and clear visibility. It was my sort of hiking, with a lot of time on bare hillsides where you could see yesterday’s route and maybe work out where you would be going the next day. However, there was a good variety with some sections in forests. There were many times when I plodded uphill thinking that I was too old and too unfit to do this. I felt empathy for all the times that I led hikes and made people hike further or in more difficult conditions than they were comfortable with.

At least once every day, and sometimes many times, I thought: “Wow, this is SO AMAZINGLY GOOD! It will be a sad day when I am no longer able to get to places like this.” So, in the end, kudos to my guide for ignoring my apprehension and challenging me to do more hiking than I thought I was capable of!