from€745£645
Albania & Montenegro
Peaks of the Balkans Highlights
Albania's Accursed Mountains into Montenegro: wild limestone, farmhouse beds, tiny prices.
- 8 days
- Max 10
- Difficulty 3/5
- Family guesthouses
- Duration
- 6 days
- Group size
- Max 10
- Difficulty
- Sleeps
- Mountain chalets + guesthouse
- Season
- Late June to late September
- Start / end
- Poprad → Poprad
- Per day
- €91£78
Overview
What this trip is
The High Tatras are only 26 km long, but they're the real thing: granite spires over 2,600 m, tarns, chamois and a chain of characterful mountain chalets, some still supplied by porters carrying 60 kg loads on wooden frames.
They're also the best-value big mountains in Europe. A hut dinner with a beer costs what a sandwich does in the Alps, and an electric railway links the trailheads.
Our route follows the Tatranská magistrála along the southern flank, then cuts up and over the chained Priečne sedlo pass between two of the finest huts in the range.
Highlights
- The emerald tarn and rock amphitheatre at Zelené pleso
- Veľká Svišťovka (2,037 m) and the traverse to Skalnaté pleso
- Priečne sedlo (2,352 m): chains, staples and a big grin
- Téryho and Zbojnícka chalets, high in the Studená valleys
Day by day
Itinerary
Day 1Arrive Poprad
Meet at Poprad-Tatry station and take the Tatra Electric Railway up to Tatranská Lomnica. Briefing and dinner at the guesthouse.
Day 2To Zelené pleso11 km · ↑ 750 m · ↓ 50 m
From Tatranská Lomnica up the Kežmarská Biela voda valley to the chalet beside the green lake, ringed by 900 m walls.
Day 3Veľká Svišťovka to Zamkovského9 km · ↑ 600 m · ↓ 680 m
Zigzag up to Veľká Svišťovka, traverse to Skalnaté pleso under Lomnický štít, and follow the magistrála to the forest chalet of Zamkovského.
Day 4Over Priečne sedlo8 km · ↑ 950 m · ↓ 470 m
Up Malá Studená dolina to Téryho chata (2,015 m) for soup, then the chains to Priečne sedlo and down to Zbojnícka chata (1,960 m).
Day 5Veľká Studená dolina10 km · ↑ 50 m · ↓ 1,000 m
A long, lovely descent past tarns and waterfalls to Hrebienok and Starý Smokovec. Celebration dinner in town.
Day 6Depart
Railway back down to Poprad. Trip ends after breakfast.
The deal
What’s included, and what isn’t
Included
- UIMLA-certified mountain leader
- 3 nights mountain chalets (dorm), 2 nights guesthouse (twin/triple)
- Breakfast and dinner every day
- Tatra Electric Railway tickets, national park and rescue-fund fees
Not included
- Travel to Poprad (Kraków and Bratislava both connect by train/bus)
- Lunches and drinks (about €10 a day)
- Travel insurance with mountain rescue cover — rescue is chargeable in Slovakia (required)
- Sleeping bag liner
The honest box
What’s basic about this trip
- Day 4 has a steep, chain-protected scramble. It's one-way and well equipped, but it is exposed.
- Huts are dorms; washing is a cold tap. The food, however, is excellent.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August. We start early.
Nothing hidden
Where your money goes
- Guides 38%
- Beds 24%
- Food 20%
- Transport 5%
- Us 13%
Indicative split for this trip. "Us" covers planning, insurance, this website and keeping the lights on.
When
Dates and availability
Pack
Kit list highlights
- Stiff-soled boots
- 30–35 L pack
- Full waterproofs
- Warm layer, hat, gloves
- Thin gloves for chains
- Sleeping bag liner
- Trekking poles
Good to know
Trip FAQs
How scary is Priečne sedlo?
It's about 40 minutes of steep ground with chains and iron steps. If you've done Striding Edge, Crib Goch or a grade-1 scramble, you'll enjoy it. If that sentence worried you, call us first.
Why only late June to September?
The high trails in the Slovak Tatras are closed over winter and spring to protect wildlife, and the passes hold snow into June.
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Questions about this trip?
Ask about fitness, kit, the huts, the dogs, the weather. We’d rather you asked than guessed.