Trekking weekend in Slovakia: Choč Mountains

Day 1 (Saturday)

6:00 – departure from Krakow (Salwator), drive for approx. 2 – 2.5 hours to Slovakia to the town of Jasenová near Dolny Kubin at the foot of the Choč Mountains (approx. 540 m above sea level) with historic houses from the mid-19th century.

8:30 – 12:30 – ascent, with rests along the way, along the red trail to the highest peak of the Choč Mountains, Velky Choč (1611 m above sea level)

12:40 – 13:00 – descent along the green trail among picturesque rocks to Stredna Polana

13:00 – 13:30 – break for rest or eating food at the shepherd’s hut jokingly called “Hotel Choč “

13:30 – 14:30 – descent along the blue trail to the Spuštiak pass and further along the red trail to the cross on Predny Choč.

14:30 – 14:50 – for those who want, an ascent to the viewpoint at the cross on Predny Choč (1160 m above sea level) and return, the rest of the group can wait and rest at the trail junction.

14:50 – 15:05 – descent to Pod Prednym Choč em Saddle (1132 m above sea level)

15:05 – 15:30 – for those want, an ascent to the viewpoint below the relic of the stronghold on Predny Choč (1181 m above sea level) and return, the rest of the group can wait and rest on the pass.

15:30 – 16:20 – descent, still along the red trail, to the ruins of the Likava castle from 1335, partially reconstructed in the 1970s (621 m above sea level)

16:20 – `17:00 – free time for photos, optional entry to the castle (additionally paid: full ticket 4EUR, reduced 2EUR) and joint sightseeing

17:00 – 17:15 – descent to the parking lot in Likavka

17:15 – 17:30 – bus transfer to the student dormitory in Ružomberok (or, another nearby facility of a similar standard) Accommodation, time for shopping.

18:30 – dinner and evening free time. If you want, you can explore the center of Ružomberok together with a guide in the evening. Accommodation in a student dormitory or other facility.

Day 2 (Sunday)

7:00 – breakfast

7:45 – 8:15 – transfer to the parking lot at the starting point of the Kwačanska Valley behind the village of Kwačany (approx. approx. 650 m above sea level)

8:15 – 9:45 – ascent along the red trail and then the blue trail along the picturesque Kwačanska Valley, separating the Choč Mountains from the Western Tatras and constituting a nature reserve since 1967, to the historic Oblazy water mill. On the way, a break at the Rohač viewpoint (817 m above sea level) with a historic 19th-century roadside cross.

9:45 – 10:15 – free time at the mill, which still operates as a tourist attraction

10:15 – 10:40 – a hike along a picturesque section of the valley, first of the Kwačanka and then Borovianka rivers, with waterfalls and ladders to the parting of the trails above the village of Velke Borove, famous for the fall of a meteorite at the end of the 19th century.

10:40 – 14:10 – crossing the green trail through the ridge of Čierna Hora (1094 m above sea level) and Prosečné (1372 m above sea level) to the intersection of the green and blue trails on the Svorad plateau (940 m above sea level)

14:10 – 14:40 – descent along the blue trail to the Vidova hut (837 m above sea level), then a break to eat lunch

14:40 – 15:20 – for those who want, an ascent to the Červené Piesky (Red Sands) waterfall and return, the rest of the group can wait and rest at the hut

15:20 – 16:20 – descent along the blue trail through the charming Prosiecka Valley to the parking lot above the town of Prosiek, where the bus will pick us up. 16:30 – start of the return to Krakow. Arrival, depending on traffic jams, approx. 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m