High Tatra: The Finest Valley and Mountain Walks (Rother Walking Guides - Europe)

The political events over the past years have rendered access to the High Tatra significantly easier. In this wild mountainous land bordering between Slovakia and Poland the most prominent peaks of the Carpathians spread up to 2655 metres high (Gerlachovsky stit). In 1949 this area was declared a national park and has since been subject to extremely strict protective regulations. Stanislav Samuhel, mountain guide from the Tatra village of Tatranská Lomnica and at the same time an authority on this smallest of European mountain ranges, introduces to the moderate, but also to the experienced mountaineer 55 tours of his home mountains. All hiking routes are described extensively and in great detail so that orientation is easy for all readers. The guide offers a plethora of tours: from a simple walk by the foothills of the large rock mountains, over picturesque lake tours to difficult and fatiguing summit trips where the occasional "hands on" approach is called for. A new addition to the thoroughly revised 2nd edition includes seven tours which now also explore the Polish part of the High Tatra, i.e. the area around the Zakapane holiday resort, which has a rich tradition. A brief description of the tours, illustrated Freytag & Berndt hiking maps at a scale of 1:50,000 including routes, a short yet thorough route portrayal for all of the 50 suggested tours as well as an overview map help the hiker with planning as well as performing his excursions. When selecting the individual hiking routes the coloured pictures prove to be helpful, which convey a first impression of the spectacular landscape that the mountaineering friend intends to explore.