The High Tatras Mountains with 24 peaks higher than 2,500 metres are the king of Slovakia’s skyline. The mountain range runs 25 kilometres from east to west, collectively forming the Tatra National Park. Established in 1949, it is the largest national park in the Slovak Republic: there are 110 lakes and mountain tarns, as well as numerous waterfalls and caves. In terms of commercial tourism, the High Tatras is the most visited and developed region in Slovakia with the widest range of facilities for downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, and year-round recreation. It is a real paradise for both summer and winter tourist activities. There are health resorts and the popular holiday resorts of Štrbské Pleso, Starý Smokovec, and Tatranská Lomnica.

 

Downhill skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts can choose from a large number of ski resorts in the High Tatras, with a wide range of pistes for skiers of all abilities. Parents will appreciate the ski school services for children, on offer throughout the winter season at all ski resorts.

 

The High Tatras has a dense network of well-marked hiking trails of various difficulties winding through the beautiful Tatra valleys. The Tatras also provide bountiful opportunities for rock climbers and mountaineers. There are also many marked, maintained, and dedicated trails for mountain biking.

 

The unique natural environment of the Tatras offers year-round outdoor activities for visitors of all ages and fitness levels: active sportspeople, senior citizens, or families with small children. That’s why the High Tatras resort was the location for the 1970 World Nordic Skiing Championship and a candidate for the 2014 Winter Olympics. As well as the aforementioned activities, bungee jumping, horse riding, paragliding, swimming and rafting are also well catered for to the highest level. Now a 27 hole golf course and a future aquapark is in the planning stage .

 

 The High Tatras form a natural border with Poland. The biggest city in this area is Poprad with its international airport just 5 km away from the major ski resorts. Poland has a population of 40 million yet only one major ski resort to satisfy demand for winter sports. There is no ski resort in Hungary. The prosperity which has been boosted by EU integration has fuelled the huge demand for winter sports, and the High Tatras being only a short drive from the major population centres of Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Krakow, has become one of most sought after investment destinations in Slovakia. The High Tatras holiday resort is of increasing interest to affluent tourists from both Russia and the Ukraine. The High Tatras region lies at axis of the Berlin-Moscow trans-European motorway and train corridor, and will be fully motorway-accessible from all western European countries by 2009.