Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Mountain chalets in Slovakia

Simple mountain chalets are popular type of accomodation in Slovakian mountains – Low Tatras, Greater Fatra, Little Fatra, Polana or even the Tatras.

Mountain chalet in the Greater Fatra
In the Choc Mountains
Some of the shelters are newly built in order to host hikers. These are small solid wooden buildings with well arranged interior - sleeping place, heater and cooking stuff (pots, cups, etc.). Latrine is a real luxury there :) However, there are also many chalets which are former shepherds' huts modified for tourism purposes. Some were solidly renovated, the others are in poor condition.

Most of the chalets are free of charge. After spending a night in such a place we are obliged to leave it in the previous condition. What does it mean in practice? Clean up after yourself, take your garbage, keep the latrine clean (if one exists) or chopp the wooace for the fireple. In fact, it is very important to comply with these rules in every place ;)

In the Greater Fatra
Most chalets have access to the fresh water but you should not expected the tap and sink inside ;) It means that there is a spring near the cottage. Sometimes the sign shows the way to the spring, however in most cases we have to rely on a good map with marked waters. Some shelters are located in a considerable distance from the water (even several kilometers) or the closest springs are seasonal – be prepared for that.

Planning accommodation in a particular shelter check if the place is open to public. A part of the huts is under the supervision of some tourism organizations which hold the keys to the buildings. You need to get the key before you set off on the trail.

Hiking with an overnight in mountain huts is a great adventure. Sleeping in simple conditions (sometimes being squeezed like sardines in a can), chopping wood, drying wet clothes on the strings stretched inside, shared cooking and finally a conversation with casual roommates have unforgetable charm :)

Enjoy!


Tatra Mountains
Low Tatras
Low Tatras
Choc Mountains
Low Tatras
Greater Fatra

Low Tatras
Greater Fatra
Polana Mountains

3 comments:

  1. Hi,

    Thanks for the great blog on hiking and staying in the Chalets. I'm interested in planning a week-long hike in this region around the Fatras using such accommodation or sleeping in a tent. Are there any resources or guides you would recommend that would have up-to-date information on trails and accommodation in the area?

    Thanks,
    Ryan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ryan,
      Sorry for such a big delay. I suppouse you've already got this information. Nevertheless, here you'll find something about mountain chalets in Slovakia (and Fatra too): http://www.boudy.info/hledat.php?txt=cz&zeme=sk and http://hiking.sk.
      Cheers,
      Monika

      Delete

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