Hiking the main ridge of the Low Tatras in Slovakia
In October 2018 I took a bus from Budapest to the mountain town of Donovaly. From there, I undertook a 3 day hike of the main ridge of the Low Tatras in Slovakia. Coming from the US, it’s a bit strange not to carry a tent, but there was no need because there is shelter of some kind at regular intervals along the route. I did carry a pad and sleeping bag, however, which is necessary.
I arrived in Donovaly in the afternoon and being October, I didn’t have too many hours before dark. So the first days hike was relatively short, and the night was spent in the attic of the shelter at Hiadelské sedlo. It’s an unmanned building with a water spring a few minutes walk down a steep hill.
It was the last chance of the year to comfortably do a trek at this altitude. The mountains aren’t that high (the highest peak, Chopok is 2024 meters) but the days were getting short and the first snow wouldn’t be far off, so I was happy to get the chance to spend some last days in the mountains for the year.
There isn’t a whole lot of information about hiking in Slovakia to be found online in English, and I relied heavily on this blog post which gave me all the essential information about the accommodation options and other basic necessities.
The second night was spent at the wonderful Chata M.R.Štefánika where I was able to eat a fantastic mountain dinner and eggy breakfast. The evening entertainment was glorious, in the form of a multihued sunset extravaganza.
The next day I started early as it was due to be a long one. I should mention that I was probably pushing it on distances, and the trip could be made a day or so longer with less mileage.
At one point I lost the trail and spend a good 30 minutes retracing my steps until I found it. If I had a chance to make it to the final night’s shelter before dark, I lost it with that little hiccup. But the trail was wide and clear and I rolled into camp (or rather, the free unmanned shelter called Útulňa Andrejcová ) safely with the help of my headlamp.
On the final day I had another early start, and after bagging my final peak at Kráľova hoľa, descended to the valley and the quaint village of Telgárt, from where regular buses connect with Poprad. From Poprad, there was another bus heading directly for Budapest just 20 minutes later - just enough time to scarf a dodgy bus station kebab!
The mountains are stunning and the start and end points super accessible from Budapest. There was a direct Flixbus from Budapest to Donovaly, and another from Poprad all the way back to Budapest. A highly recommended trek for mountain enthusiasts, and with a hiking season that extends a bit beyond what you’d get in the higher altitude Alps!