Making tours in mountains is different from tours in the low land. It is said that High Tatras are the smallest giant mountains in the world. Despite the fact that the whole ridge of the mountains is only 25.6 km long they can be for unprepared people as dangerous as big mountains.
The most important hints are:
You need to have convenient, solid, closed leather boots with good pattern on the soles.
ALWAYS, even in the warmest summer take a spare shirt and warm sweatshirt. There may be even a snowstorm on the top. Raincoat, spare socks, eventually gloves will do a good service to you as well. Take some food (bread, conserves, chocolate), drinks (mineral water, tea) and first aid box, eventually also small torch. Pack all things to backpack, you need to have both hands free.
Packages and other garbage take with you back to the settlement.
Buy a map and study your route in advance. In Tatras the routes are marked with different colors (band labels - a horizontal stripe of appropriate color with a white stripes above and under). At the access points and crossings you will find guide-posts showing directions and the distances. The distances are shown in time units, counted for an average tourist. Do not expect that you are faster than this, it is better to count with delay.
Do not leave the marked route.
Choose a tour suitable for your physical and health condition. Do not overrate your condition. Do not underrate the pretension of terrain. Ask at the Mountain Service or in mountain chalets about current status of your trail.
Leave in the early morning to save some time of daylight. It is very dangerous to walk in the mountain terrain in the dark.
Don't hike alone.
Follow weather forecasts.
The third day in the high mountain area is critical, therefore plan smaller tour for this day.
When going to the mountain hike, always make a note to tour book in your hotel or camp, saying where are you going and when you will come back. After return confirm your presence. If you change your plan and decide to stay at another place overnight, call your hotel or camp and let them know that you are at safe place. Think how you would feel lost in the mountains knowing that searchers are looking somewhere for people who returned successfully, but did not confirmed their return.
Avoid snowfields.
Do not throw stones from the mountains.
Help people who are in emergency.
Trails
Over nearly 600 kilometers of marked trails are in the whole area of TANAP - Tatransky Narodny Park. Pretentious places are equipped with steps or strings.
All hiking trails are marked by red, blue, green or yellow signs sided with white strips.
The main trail is the red marked Magistrala, leading from Podbanske, Strbske Pleso, Hrebienok, Skalnate Pleso to the former chalet Chata pri Zelenonom plese. Magistrala leads on the southern slopes of the mountains. The trails to valleys and peaks are connected to Magistrala.
Types of trails:
Short walks, hikes through valleys, higher-altitude tours: passes to saddles and ascents to peaks.
Horsky vodca - Mountain guide
Persons in good physical condition can hire mountain guide for tours on unmarked routes, for example a route to highest place of Carpathian bow - Gerlachovsky stit (2655 meters), to Lomnicky stit (2632 m) and other peaks.
You can order Tatras' mountain guides services here.
Mountain chalets
They were built on frequent routes. They offer basic service for tourists: drinks tea, coffee, some food (soups), possibility of overnight stay and also first aid and rescue service. Mountain hotels offer also normal hotel-type accommodation. Chalets have its rubber stamp, which can be stamped on postcards. The following is a list of chalets, where overnight stay is available:
Majlathova chata, Popradske Pleso (1500 m). Open in 2011.
Chata Popradske pleso (1500 m) - former Chata kapitana Moravka. A mountain hotel in Mengusovska Dolina valley.
Chata pod Rysmi - Chalet under Rysy peak (2250 m), in Vahy saddle.
Mountain hotel Sliezsky dom (1670 m) in Velicka Dolina valley.
Zbojnicka chata (1960 m) in Velka Studena Dolina valley. More...
Zamkovskeho chata (1475 m) in Mala Studena dolina valley.
Teryho chata (2015 m) in Mala Studena Dolina valley.
Chata pri Zelenom plese (1551 m above sea level), former Brncalova chata chalet.
Some of Trails
From Strbske Pleso:
From Stary Smokovec:
From Tatranska Lomnica:
The Tatras' Mountain Rescue Service
The Tatras' Mountain Rescue Service - Tatranska horska sluzba operates in the High Tatras from the year 1950.
People in emergency should signalise with sound or light 6 times per minute. Emergency signal to helicopter is hands raised to "V".
Phone numbers
Phone: +421-(0)52-4422820, +421-(0)52-4422855
Fax: +421-(0)52-4422855
Mobile: +421-903-624 869, EUROTEL *100
E-mail: ths@tanap.sk
Rescue stations
Podbanske, phone: 052 449 01 36
Solisko, upper station of funicular
Popradske Pleso, mountain hotel, phone: 052 449 21 77
Chalet Rysy, in Summer only, phone: 0903 181 051
Hotel Sliezsky dom, phone: 052 442 52 61
Zbojnicka chata, phone: 0903 638 000,
Teryho chata, phone: 052 - 442 52 45
Zamkovskeho chata, phone: 052 442 26 36
Skalnate Pleso, phone: 052 446 70 61
Lomnicky stit, phone: 052 446 70 70
Chata Plesnivec, phone: 0905 256 722
Chata pri Zelenom plese, phone: 052 446 74 20
Useful sources
Vysoke Tatry - The High Tatras - Guidebooks and Maps
Pozvánka do fotosúťaže na Camere Slovakia - BUBO Bále
Published: 2011-03-28
Updated: 2011-03-28
Categories: Tourist Guidebooks - except Slovakia - Hiking, Trekking - Slovakia - guidebooks
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