Where are the Tatra Mountains ?

The Tatras form the central, highest and most beautiful section of the Carpathian mountain range. They are ringed by four broad basins: Podhale, Orawa, Liptow and Spisz. The main Tatra ridge runs from west to east, about 51.5 kilometers as the crow flies. In width, this whole chain is barely 15 km. It occupies an area of about 795 sq. km.

The highest mountain in the Tatras is Gierlach (2655 m), and there are dozens of other rising to over 2000 m. The highest peak in the Polish Tatras is Rysy (2499 m).

As regards type of landscape, geological structure and type of rock, the Tatras may be divided into three parts: the Western Tatras (Tatry Zachodnie), the High Tatras (Tatry Wysokie) and the Bielskie Tatras (Tatry Bielskie). The most interesting part and the most frequented by tourist, is the High Tatras. One fifth of the entire Tatras area lies in Poland, Dolina Rybiego Potoku, the most beautiful nook in the High Tatras, and the Dolina Koscieliska, the most lovely valley in the Western Tatras, are both situated in the Polish section of the Tatras.

The whole Polish Tatras area now constitues the Tatra National Park (TPN), whose equivalent on the Slovak side is the Tatransky narodny park (TANAP). They are covered by special regulations govering the behaviour of tourist in order to preserve the original fauna and flora of the Tatras.

MM - Sep 30, 1995