This tour will take you in a relatively small but highly varied, wild and interesting mountain – Mala Fatra Mountains and the national park of the same name. This is an area seldom visited by tourists, one of Slovakia’s best kept secrets, offering challenging hiking and spectacular scenery.You will hike up on the open main ridge covered with alpine meadows, dwarf pine and white rocks with splendid panoramic views, go through stunning wild gorges on steel ladders and footbridges, follow up and down clear mountain rivers in beautiful valleys and enjoy the shade of nice pine-wood and beech forests. All this natural experience combined with the charm of visiting some historical and cultural sights of interests like medieval castles, churches, small mountain villages and others make this trip an entertaining and adventurous experience, worth trying.
The daily walks range between 10 and 20 km with uphill/downhill walks up to 900m.
Tour highlights
• Rich flora and fauna of Mala Fatra National Park
• The well preserved Castle of Strecno
• The remains of Stary Hrad castle
• Terchova – the tourist center of Mala Fatra National Park
• Velky Krivan – the highest peak of Mala Fatra Mountains
• Diery canyons - stunning gorges and canyons
• The nature reserve of Rozsutec
Trip plan:
Day 1: Sightseeing tour of the village including visit of the medieval Strecno castle and the memory monument of French soldiers from World War II on the Zvonica Peak. Possibility of relaxation in the aqua center in Strecno or go rafting with a wooden raft on Vah river.
Day 2: Todays route will take you through the Lucianska Part of Mala Fatra mountains. You will walk mainly on dirt roads and some paths in pine – wood forests. Great views of the main ridge of Krivanska part of Mala Fatra and its highest peak Velky Krivan (1703m) will open up from Mincol peak (1369m). The trek ends with a downhill walk in Piatrova Valley to Vrytky village. From there you take the train to Strecno. Overnight in the hotel in Strecno. Walking time: 6hrs; uphill/downhill: 1020/1000m
Day 3: Today’s trek takes you in the Eatsern parts of Krivanska part of Mala Fatra. You start walking in Starohradska valley. Reaching Javorina saddle you can choose from 2 options. The first leads you directly down to Kur valley and then to Krasnany village. The other option that is to climb Suchy peak and then trek for an hour and so on the main ridge surrounded by nice panoramic views. Walking time: 6hrs/7.30hrs; uphill/downhill 765/745m.
Day 4: Sightseeing tour of Terchova. Hiking trip trough Tiesnavy canyons. You will walk up on stone ladders surrounded by stunning rock walls, follow the rocky ridge of Sokolie and then reach Prislop saddle. From there you will go down to Stary Dvor, climb up to Grun peak and descend to Stefanova village. Walking time: 4.30hrs; uphill/downhill: 1200/1100
Day 5: Today’s trek will take you to the highest peak of Mala Fatra mountains – Velky Fatransky Krivan Peak (1703m). You take the lift to Snilovske sedlo. After that you will climb up to the main ridge and Velky Fatransky Krivan Peak (1703m) and continue following the ridge going up and down on few more peaks. Walking time: 7hrs; uphill/downhill 730/1600m
Day 6: Today’s hike is probably the most exciting of the whole tour. The first part will take you up and down on steel ladders and footbridges in the stunning canyons and gorges of Nove, Dolne, Horne Diery and Tesna Rizna. The second part of the hike will take you up in the open in the area of Rozsutec reserve and the rocky peaks Maly and Velky Rozsutec. You will then climb the most interesting peak of the mountains– the alpine Velky Rozsutec peak (1609m). After spending some time admiring the great views from above you descend steeply down to Medziholie saddle and then back to Stefanova village. Walking time: 6.30hrs; uphill/downhill: 1060/1055m
Day 7: Check-out of the hotel and transportation (by public transport) to Bratislava airport for departure.
Included in the price: accommodation in 3*** hotels and pensions with en-suite facilities on bed and breakfast basis; public transportation by train or bus from Bratislava to Strecno (the starting point) and from Zilina to Bratislava Airport; pick up at Bratislava airport and transfer to the bus/train station in Bratislava; luggage transfers; cabin lift ticket (one way); detailed roadbook and map in English; 24 hrs phone assistance
The price does not include: tips, entrance fees, alcohol drinks, transfers by local public transport and other personal expenses.
Price of extra services: Private transportation Bratislava - Strecno/Stefanova and vice versa: car (1-3 pax) - 205 EUR/transfer; van (4-8 pax) - 250 EUR/transfer. Single room supplement: 100 Euro
Accomodation and food: You stay in 3*** family-run hotels and pensions with en-suite facilities on bed & breakfast basis.
Luggage transport: Luggage is taken care of throughout the whole trip. A small rucksack (35l) for carrying personal items during the day is necessary.
Practical information: Most of the paths and dirt roads are steep and take you to a higher altitude directly and very fast (without making serpentines to avoid overtax). The terrain is versatile: from even forest paths and dirt roads, through steep stony paths, ladders and footbridges in gorges and alpine rocky paths above the tree line. WATER – although the mountain is full with rivers and springs there are not many drinking fountains on the routes. You can drink from the upper streams of the springs and small rivers but it is more advisable to carry at least 1.5l of water during the treks. MARKING – the routes are very well marked with paint marks (white-colour-white stripes) and signs (of places, saddles, peaks, etc.). PUBLIC TRANSPORT SCHEDULE: www.idos.cz
Necessary equipment: daypack (35 l); 3-season walking waterproof boots with suitable ankle support; waterproof/windproof outer shell garment (breathable if possible!); fleece, sunglasses with UV protection; sunscreen lotion; bottle of water. For the full list with recommended items see the detailed trip dossier.
Group size: Min. 2
