Today’s going to be a little different. If you’re looking for a practical guide on how to cross the Tatras, head over to our other article. Today I want to talk about the very real Tatras dangers lurking in the mountains of Slovakia, why we went there, and what actually happened to us. I’ll also talk about my love for Slovakia and why you should love it too.
How Mission Slovakia Began
Slovakia holds a special place in my heart. My dad always made sure we never forgot the shared history between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. So I spent my summer holidays in Slovakia or with Slovak friends who in turn made it their mission to teach me all the quirky Slovak words and make sure I could pronounce them properly.
Thanks to that, I understand Slovak without much trouble. I read books in Slovak, and even the thick eastern Slovak accent doesn’t throw me off.
I make an effort to keep my Slovak friendships alive — I feel like I need their wilder, more carefree energy in my life. So you can imagine my shock when, a year ago, Lukáš admitted he’d never been to Slovakia. He sometimes couldn’t understand our Slovak friend and had never even tasted proper halušky (Slovak potato dumplings).
And so Mission Slovakia began. At the first opportunity, I dragged Lukáš to Bratislava, introduced him to most of my Slovak friends, and put Slovak books in his hands. He read and read, then listened and listened, until the day we stood together in the Slovak Tatras and he declared we were moving here.
The very same words I’d spoken 15 years earlier while listening to my Bratislava friends chat away. Back then I was convinced I’d marry a Slovak (that won’t be happening, given our upcoming wedding). But living in Slovakia? That dream isn’t fading — if anything, it’s getting closer.
A Bomb Scare on the Train
Getting to the Tatras from the UK is easiest by flying into Kraków or Poprad. From there, you can take a train or rent a car. We were travelling from the Czech Republic and planned to catch the last connection to Štrba (the village of Tatranská Štrba), then hop on the connecting train to Štrba station (the village of Štrba — yes, the naming is confusing), where we had our budget accommodation booked.
Someone had called in a bomb threat on a train, though, and our connection was delayed by over 40 minutes. Since it was ten in the evening, we decided to grab a taxi — after all, it was only about 5 kilometres to our accommodation.
Two spoiled city dwellers (that’s us) miscalculated, though. Getting a taxi on a Saturday night in a tiny mountain village? Not as simple as you’d think. One driver said he couldn’t come for at least an hour. The other said he was already going to bed. No other numbers to be found.
What I Love About Slovaks
The warmth and friendliness I adore about Slovaks showed itself the moment we set off on foot into the night with 10 kg backpacks. The owner of our apartment declared there was no way we were walking and drove out to pick us up.
Accommodation for Just 10 € per Person
Our accommodation cost only about 10 € per person per night, so we were a little worried about what we were walking into. We found ourselves in a house straight out of a retro film — the staircase smelled like my grandmother’s attic, and the apartments were furnished with genuine, unapologetic socialist-era furniture. But everything was spotless and sparkling clean — you could’ve eaten off the floor.
Being in the Slovak Tatras at the end of May has its pros and cons. Let me start with the good stuff: there are virtually no tourists. Most people you’ll encounter are Slovaks — school trips, team-building groups, or locals on a day out from the cities.
Now the downside: most trails don’t open until mid-June. And we didn’t know that, because of course we hadn’t bothered to check.
Tatras Dangers: Why You MUST Look UP
Luckily, our first stop was the information centre. We marched in confidently, announced we were heading to Koprovský Štít and demanded a map. They crushed our plans before we even reached the counter, telling us the trail was closed.
They suggested we hike from Štrbské Pleso to Popradské Pleso and then on to Sliezsky Dom. “When you reach Popradské Pleso, check the clouds and decide whether to continue. You don’t want to get caught in a storm up on the ridge,” the young man at the info centre warned us. We nodded obediently. Then we walked to Popradské Pleso, looked up at the ominous storm clouds, shrugged, and climbed the hill anyway (it’s called Ostrva).
And then it hit. This was no gentle drizzle. It was a full-blown thunderstorm — the kind that makes you truly understand why mountains deserve your respect.
How We Nearly Died
I’ve always loved thunderstorms. But I was rapidly rethinking that relationship as we pushed on through torrential rain towards Sliezsky Dom. We had no rain jackets, not even a jumper. Lightning bolts crashed around us, splitting against the surrounding peaks.
“If lightning strikes me, please delete all my texts. Otherwise my girlfriend will kill me a second time,” joked a Slovak hiker walking beside us. We didn’t find it quite as funny. After all, we were Czechs — and Czechs in the Tatras have a reputation for getting into trouble (as we’d been reminded multiple times before the trip).
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
Thunder roared from every direction. The rain was so heavy we couldn’t see the trail ahead, and we were starting to count our blessings — or rather, our remaining minutes.
BOOM.
I dropped to the ground and shielded my head. Lightning had just struck a few steps away from us. My heart was pounding in my stomach, my temples, my lungs, my head — everywhere. I could feel it pumping blood with furious intensity. We were officially in the middle of the storm.
You Have to Keep Going, Even When Lightning Rages Around You
There was nothing else to do but press on. So all three of us — plus our joke-cracking Slovak — walked on trembling legs around the ridge. We were less hikers at this point and more moving masses of flowing water. Not a dry stitch on us. But it didn’t matter. Water mixed with adrenaline was surprisingly warm, and our only thought was getting down as fast as possible.
After an hour in the storm, the rain finally eased and we found ourselves (at last!) on a trail leading down through the forest. Our Slovak friend treated us to Tatra tea and halušky. After 23 km, 900 m of elevation gain, being soaked to the bone and with a dash of alcohol in our veins, we finally felt properly baptised by the Slovak Tatras. And we immediately bought rain jackets.
The Beauty of Not Planning (When You’ve Got Rain Gear)
The next day we were completely useless — our fitness had gone into hibernation over winter and hadn’t returned since. Everything ached, but we didn’t want to waste a day doing nothing. So we set off on a relatively easy hike to Skok Waterfall.
It’s a gorgeous walk that takes around 2–3 hours (depending on how long you linger at the waterfalls), covering about 10 km with 400 m of elevation gain. With good weather and rain jackets safely in the bag, it was a joy — and totally doable for families with kids too.
The beauty of not having a fixed plan is that when someone recommends a truly amazing place, you can just go the next day. And that’s exactly what we did.
Our Slovak friend from the storm insisted we absolutely MUST NOT leave the Tatras without spending a night in one of the mountain huts. We deliberated between Téryho Chata and Chata pri Zelenom Plese.
You Must Sleep in a Mountain Hut
In the end, we chose the less popular but (as you can see from the photos) absolutely stunning Chata pri Zelenom Plese, which you reach from Tatranská Lomnica. It’s a little miracle tucked away in the Tatras. The hut has stood here since the late 19th century and has burned down twice. Its name changed with every regime — Friedrich’s Hut under the Habsburgs, Brnčálova Chata during the communist era.
Today it sits beside a gorgeous emerald lake, guarded by an enormous fluffy dog. The best view of it comes when you hike uphill from the hut towards Skalnaté Pleso.
The price is 29 € per person including dinner and breakfast. We even got a private room for two, and they have lovely new showers (yes, we appreciate a good shower). If you’re planning to go, book well in advance and let them know your food preferences. They’re happy to prepare vegan meals and can likely accommodate other dietary needs too. You can find great accommodation options in the area on Booking.com.
The view from the dining room over the emerald lake surrounded by mountains is almost impossible to describe. If our photos make you think it’s beautiful, trust me — in real life, it’s infinitely, breathtakingly more so.
After a night in the hut, something shifted inside us. An indescribable calm settled right down to our fingertips. We descended with a lightness and deep contentment, heading back to the train. We left with stars in our eyes, exchanging unspoken glances that said just one thing: when are we coming back?
And we did come back — very soon. Then we crossed the entire Tatras end to end.
Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation
Don’t Overpay for Flights
Search for flights on Kayak. It’s our favorite search engine because it scans the websites of all airlines and always finds the cheapest connection.
Book Your Accommodation Smartly
The best experiences we’ve had when looking for accommodation (from Alaska to Morocco) are with Booking.com, where hotels, apartments, and entire houses are usually the cheapest and most widely available.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Good travel insurance will protect you against illness, accidents, theft, or flight cancellations. We’ve had a few hospital visits abroad, so we know how important it is to have proper insurance arranged.
Where we insure ourselves: SafetyWing (best for everyone) and TrueTraveller (for extra-long trips).
Why don’t we recommend any Czech insurance company? Because they have too many restrictions. They set limits on the number of days abroad, travel insurance via a credit card often requires you to pay medical expenses only with that card, and they frequently limit the number of returns to the Czech Republic.
Find the Best Experiences
Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can book guided walks, trips, skip-the-line tickets, tours, and much more. We always find some extra fun there!
