4.9
Hike Slovakia’s High Tatras Mountains in a Weekend
- Slovakia
- 3 nights
Trek across the scenic peaks and awesome valleys of Slovakia’s highest mountain range – a UNESCO protected reserve
What's Included?
- Activities & Certified GuidesAll itinerary activities with expert, local, English-speaking guides
- Hotel3 nights in a family-run hotel
- MealsAll your breakfasts and dinners
- TransfersTo and from the airport and everything in between
- PermitsAll permits and entry fees
- Small Like-minded GroupsSolo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 16 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people
From…excluding flights
Highlights
Spend three days in the High Tatras – one of the wildest and most beautiful mountain ranges in Europe
Experience a hiker's paradise of forested valleys, hidden waterfalls and alpine lakes all nestled beneath 2500m+ peaks
Follow the epic but little-known route of the Tatranská Magistrala trail – remote, quiet and insanely beautiful
Looking for a longer adventure? See our alternative trip Adventure Hiking in Slovakia in a Week (opens in new tab)
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrival
HotelTwin shareDinner includedShow Day 1 detailHide detail
Meet your host and take a scenic drive over the border into Slovakia to your friendly family-run hotel in the lovely village of Stary Smokovec. Check-in, unwind and then meet the rest of your group for dinner and a chance to discuss the plan for the days ahead.
Day 2
Green Lake
Hiking7-8hrs · 18km · 535m up · 1350m downHotelTwin shareBreakfast and dinner includedShow Day 2 detailHide detail
Catch the cable car part way up Lomnicky Peak, the second-highest mountain in Slovakia. Hike to the summit of this 2000+m peak and then descend through a rugged valley to the serene Green Lake. Enjoy lunch at a lakeside hut and then walk through a dwarf pine forest to White Lake. Spend the evening unwinding in a jacuzzi or sauna and then grab some dinner before a well-deserved night’s sleep.
Day 3
The Velicka Valley
Hiking5-6hrs · 15km · 850m up · 900m downHotelTwin shareBreakfast and dinner includedShow Day 3 detailHide detail
Hike to the beautiful Velicka Valley, located at the foot of the highest mountain in Slovakia, Gerlachovsky Peak (2655m). Enjoy the incredible scenery and then trek to a pretty mountain lake for lunch with a waterfall view. Explore the famous Tatranska Magistrala trail as it winds its way through a labyrinth of dwarf pines and spruces and then follow a pristine mountain stream back to your the hotel for your last night in the mountains.
Day 4
Strbske Lake and home
Hiking4hrs · 10km · 350m up · 350m downBreakfast includedShow Day 4 detailHide detail
Pack up and head to Strbske Lake, one of the most scenic and photographed in Slovakia. Enjoy a hike through some stunning scenery on the way to Popradske Lake, then grab some lunch and return to Krakow in time for your flight home.
Practical Stuff
Getting There
- Nearest airport
- Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK)
- Pick up
- Krakow John Paul II International Airport, Poland
17:00 - Drop off
- Krakow John Paul II International Airport, Poland
17:30
This Trip is Graded Level 3
- Level 3
Moderate
For active people who want to explore more wild and adventurous places
High Altitude Factors To Consider + 1 other factor - How much activity is involved?
Multiple days of steady activity, four to five hours long
On a typical day you’ll cover 18km of uneven terrain with as much as 1000m of ascent, so a moderate level of fitness is needed to enjoy it to the full. Some hikes also include...
- Right level, wrong trip?
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What is and isn't Included?
What's included
- Cable car part way up Lomnicky Peak
- Guided hike to White Lake
- Relax in a jacuzzi or sauna
- Guided hike to Velicka Valley
- Guided hike to Strbske Lake
- Expert, local, English-speaking guides
- 3 nights in a family-run hotel
- 3 breakfasts
- 3 tasty Slovakian dinners
- Group arrival transfers from Krakow John Paul II International Airport on Day 1
- Group departure transfers to Krakow John Paul II International Airport on Day 4
- Transfers during the trip
- All permits and entry fees
What's not included
Our trips do not include flights, trains or other travel to the start point and back from the end point.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness. Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine (opens in new tab), as their insurance offers all of the above.
Visa requirements often change, and you are responsible for obtaining any required visas for this trip. Please check with your nearest embassy or consulate for up-to-date advice.
You know your own spending habits best, so please budget an appropriate amount for things like optional meals and drinks, shopping, optional activities, and laundry.
Optional Extras
Upgrades
- Private Room Upgrade
- …/per person
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
Ratings & Reviews
4.9137 reviews
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Category rating
- Food
- 4.0
- Guides & crew
- 5.0
- Accommodation
- 5.0
- Itinerary
- 5.0
Latest Reviews
Customer Photos
Before You Travel
What to Pack
Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
FAQs
Can I leave my excess luggage somewhere?
You'll need to bring all your luggage with you, however on each day of hiking your main luggage can be left in the hotel in Novy Smokovec. You will only need to have a daypack for each day of hiking.
What do I do about drinking water?
The local tap water is safe to drink. Please bring along your own reusable water bottles (at least 1.5L) to fill up to avoid buying single-use plastic bottles.
High altitude (over 2500m): what factors should I consider?
This trip visits locations at or above 2500m, where some people may experience symptoms of Altitude Sickness, also known as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).
Previous experience at altitude doesn’t guarantee the same response again – your body can react differently on each trip. However, having been at altitude before is still valuable: it gives you a better understanding of how your body might respond, what symptoms to look out for, and how to manage your pace and energy levels.
Your guide is trained to manage the risk of altitude sickness by controlling the rate of ascent, monitoring group wellbeing, and responding appropriately if anyone feels unwell.
Before booking, we recommend considering your personal health, particularly if you have any pre-existing conditions, and consulting a medical professional if you’re unsure. Arriving early to allow your body to acclimatise can also make a big difference.
Your travel insurance must cover the maximum altitude reached on this trip and include emergency evacuation.
Can I book on my own?
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Who is running the trip?
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
What is the official travel advice?
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
What vaccinations do I need?
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
How are the trips priced?
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
Why are your adventures only for adults?
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
Who else will be on my trip?
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
What's the weather like?
The High Tatras in summer are beautiful and relatively warm. From June to August the average daytime temperature on a sunny day can be 20-30 °C. It rains approximately 12 days each month, totalling 80mm monthly.
Spring and autumn temperatures are cooler, ranging from 4 – 13 °C, but it is also drier (just 60mm monthly) and the colours are beautiful.
Make sure to pack for occasional rainfall and cooler evenings.
What's the carbon footprint for this trip?
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 122kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000 miles/1609km would be approximately 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person, if there were two of you in it).
- A return economy class flight between London and New York would be approximately 1619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approximately 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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Departure dates
Thursday 25th June 2026
to Sunday 28th June 2026
Last minute - Host approval required
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