Outdoor Pursuits
With the snow all but gone, Zakopane is as popular during the rest of the year as an outdoor activity resort.
As one of the few mountain resorts with year round appeal, Zakopane is a haven for walkers, mountain bikers and climbers alike. It really is possible to do as much or as little as you like from exploring the many spectacular mountain trails to relaxing in the thermal spas.
There are many local walks, maps are available in all the apartments which give routes for a variety of walks. These are colour coded to enable you to choose a walk to suit your level of fitness and time available.
Visiting Morskie Oko (The Eye of the Sea) is a must and is considered to be one of Polands natural wonders. It will take a full day if you intend to complete the full walk but usually there are horse drawn carriages, or sledges in winter, taking passengers to and from the lake. If you are not a seasoned walker, take the carriage to the lake and walk back as this is down hill most of the way, and it is “do-able” with a baby buggy, as we discovered on one occasion.
The walk through the famous Koscielsko Valley, in the western Tatras, takes you through a mixture of beautiful meadows and stunning limestone gorges. After 6.5kms there is a mountain shelter providing food and drink and a further 2kms brings you to a stunning lake which is well worth the effort. It is also possible to travel two thirds of the way by horse and carriage.
There is a wide range of Climbing available to suit all abilities and we can recommend a guide, Joanna to show you the best climbs.
The Mountain Biking here is fantastic and an amazing way to take in the spectacular scenery. There are a variety of routes for all abilities both in and around Zakopane and some more adventurous, extreme rides through the Tatra National Park.
Horse riding can be arranged in and around Zakopane and is a wonderful way to see the best of the stunning countryside.
Rafting trips on the Bialy Dunajec is fun for the whole family. This 2 hour gentle raft ride down these mountain gorges is very relaxing and enables you to completely soak up the amazing scenery. For those of you that enjoy something a bit more extreme, white water rafting is available too.