ON FOOT THROUGH BESKID SADECKI, PIENINY AND TATRA
ACTIVITY TOUR - On some days the itinerary is obviously a fixed one but there will be days when you can choose to relax or walk on your own. Of course, you can obtain advice from your leader about where you can and cannot walk. The days which offer the most flexibility are Four, Nine, Ten, Twelve and Thirteen.
ITINERARY
DAY ONE
Arrival in Krakow. Transfer to hotel. In the evening - welcome supper.
DAY TWO
Travel to Stary Sacz about one hundred kilometres south-east of Krakow in the Beskid Sadecki Mountains. Introduction to the area in the office of the Popradzki Landscape Park, followed by a visit to a medieval nunnery. You then travel down to Milik, a further forty km, through the Poprad Gorge which marks the boundary between Poland and Czecho-Slovakia. Ascend from Milik (on foot!) through the magnificent nature reserve to Jaworzyna Krynicka (1114 m) and an overnight stay in the mountain hut just below the summit.
DAY THREE
Full day walk along the Jaworzyna Range, including the summits of Runek (1080 m) and Pisana Hala (1038 m) before descending to the small holiday resort Rytro-on-Poprad (400 m) for an overnight stay. Total walking distance for the day = twenty-two km.
DAY FOUR
In the morning ascend to Radziejowa (1262 m) the highest peak in this part of the Beskidy Mts. It takes about six hours then a further two easy hours to reach Przehyba mountain hut (1175 m) for the next overnight stay.
DAY FIVE
Leave Przehyba for a half-day walk to Beresnik mountain hut (843 m) in the hills above Szczawnica, a health resort on the edge of the Pieniny National Park. The chosen route on this day will be dependent on the weather and how fit you are feeling. Three nights will be spent at Beresnik
DAY SIX AND SEVEN
An opportunity to explore the spectacularly beautiful Pieniny National Park, immensely rich in flora and fauna, in the company of National Park staff. There will be a raft trip through the inspiring Dunajec Gorge and walks to summits such as Trzy Korony (Three Crowns, 982 m), a limestone pinnacle with an exhilarating view.
DAY EIGHT
You depart in the morning for a coach journey to Zakopane (about two hours) then transfer to a mountain hut in the Western Tatra for a three night stay. This is an exceptionally beautiful area of soaring limestone cliffs and deep, exciting gorges.
DAY NINE AND TEN
Mountain walks based on the Koscieliska and Chocholowska Valleys and, given good weather, the opportunity to ascend peaks such as Ornak (1853 m), Wolowiec (2096m), Ciemniak (2063m) and Starobocianski (2176 m).
DAY ELEVEN
Transfer, partly by bus but mainly on foot (about ten miles walking), to the other half of the Tatra National Park, the granite High Tatra. Here you will spend three nights in the Roztoka mountain hut, beautifully situated in the Biala Woda Valley, not far from famous Morskie Oko lake.
DAY TWELVE AND THIRTEEN
Walks amongst the mountains of Morskie Oko and the Valley of the Five Polish Lakes, and, if the weather is good, the chance to ascend Rysy (2499 m, Poland's highest mountain), or Kozi Wierch (2291 m) and Szpiglasowy Wierch (2172 m).
DAY FOURTEEN
Early morning departure for Krakow, visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine en route which, like Krakow, is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. There will be free time in the late afternoon and evening to sightsee and enjoy the atmosphere of one of Europe's finest historic cities. Try and find time to visit the renowned 'Jama Michalika' cafe, on Florianska Street. Farewell supper.
DAY FIFTEEN
If you wish there will be time in the morning for you to be shown the Castle, Cathedral, Towers and Walls of Wawel Hill, once the residence of Polish kings. Departure.
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
ACCOMMODATION
You stay in comfortable, indigenous hotels in Krakow, sharing two or three-bedded rooms with adjacent shower and toilet. Mountain huts, often places of great character, normally include communal sleeping areas and basic facilities.
MEALS
Same meals will be provided but in the main these will be prepared by the group but using ingredients supplied locally by the tour escort. It will be necessary for you to carry supplies of food on certain days.
GROUP SIZE and STAFF
Maximum fifteen participants accompanied by licensed Tatra guide.
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
During the tour there will be several full day walks amongst high mountains, following routes which are well within the capabilities of any reasonably fit person who enjoys walking and is used to carrying a full rucksack. The hardest walking routes in the Tatra use exposed ridges, involving some scrambling and the use of fixed chains or ladders. The choice of these routes will be governed by the discretion of the mountain guide and the preferences of participants. On some days it will be possible to opt out of the walk if you prefer a more restful alternative.
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