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Baraniec (Baranec)

The third-highest peak in the Western Tatras. A challenging scenic loop above the Żarska Valley, offering a 360-degree panorama and... a scooter ride back down.

Difficulty: difficult (very steep gradient!)

Czarny Staw pod Rysami

Czarny Staw pod Rysami is Morskie Oko’s wilder brother. Almost 200 metres higher, hidden in a deep glacial cirque, it offers scenery straight out of Alaska.

Difficulty: moderate

Jarząbczy Wierch

Jarząbczy Wierch is the second-highest summit in the Polish Western Tatras (after Starorobociański Wierch). It is a mountain with two faces: from the Polish side it presents itself as a gentle, though steep, slope, while on the Slovak side (towards Jamnicka Valley) it drops away in huge rocky cliffs.

Difficulty: difficult (fitness-wise)

Jaskinia Raptawicka

Jaskinia Raptawicka is an option for hikers looking for a thrill, but not necessarily wanting to crawl in mud (as in Mylna Cave). It is a vertical, spacious cave and... rather noisy, because entering it requires climbing a steel ladder.

Difficulty: medium (ladder!)

Koprowy Wierch (Kôprovský štít)

A quiet alternative to Rysy. A striking summit with a view of the largest lake in the Slovak Tatras - Wielki Hińczowy Staw.

Difficulty: difficult (fitness + exposure)

Ornak Ridge

Ornak is a massive massif in the Western Tatras, often confused with the mountain hut of the same name (which lies at its foot). Crossing the Ornak ridge is one of the most pleasant scenic hikes in this part of the mountains.

Difficulty: medium

Siwy Wierch (Sivý vrch)

The Dolomite Tatras! A hike to a limestone summit full of rock cities (Radové skaly). An exciting trail secured with chains at the very edge of the Western Tatras.

Difficulty: medium / difficult (chains, exposure)

Wielka Siklawa

Wielka Siklawa is the **largest, highest and most powerful waterfall in Poland**. Water from the entire system of the Valley of Five Polish Lakes falls here from the edge of the lake basin in two or three streams (depending on the water level), over a height of about 70 metres.

Difficulty: medium (slippery rocks!)

Wielka Świstówka (Veľká Svišťovka)

A spectacular traverse between two of the most famous valleys. The trail links Zeleny Staw with Skalnaté Pleso, offering an exciting chain-assisted section and a bird’s-eye view of the Kežmarok Valley.

Difficulty: medium / difficult (chain section)

Wołowiec

Wołowiec (2064 m a.s.l.) is the "Guardian of the Chochołów Valley". It is one of the safest 2,000-metre peaks in the Tatras, ideal for your first higher-mountain hike.

Difficulty: medium / difficult (fitness-wise)

Why are your Tatra photos boring? 5 simple smartphone photo tricks

You’re standing on Szpiglasowy Wierch, the view takes your breath away, you take a photo... and on your screen it’s a flat, grey blob. See how to take smartphone photos in the Tatras so your friends on Instagram drop their jaws.

Quick picks: 5 short Tatras trails when you only have half a day

You arrived Friday afternoon? You’re leaving in the morning, but you still want to feel the mountains? Or you just overslept? Here are 5 short but spectacular Tatras trails you can do “in one go”.

Autumn in the Tatra Mountains

Red grasses, no sweltering heat and a sea of mist. September and October are the ‘golden season’ in the Tatra Mountains. But be warned – the days are short and the evenings are freezing.