Walking holidays in the Gorce mountains

The National Park : This is the oldest as well as one of the smallest Polish National Parks, laying in the southern most part of the country, on the border with Slovakia. It was established in 1932 along with its Slovak counterpart and it was the first protected area in Europe! In Poland the Pieniny National Park covers 2,346 ha.

Fauna : So far around 6500 animal species have been proven to live in the Pieniny. It is supposed that the area is even more abundant - with up to 15 000 species. There are about 170 species of birds, numerous fish, reptiles and amphibians as well as mammals. The most numerous among fauna are insects, icluding over 1600 species of butterflies. This is nearly half of all species in Poland!

Flora : Even though the Park is small in size, there are hundreds of species of plants, including 1260 kinds of mushrooms and over 1100 species of vascular plants grow here. Sometimes, on the same rock, grow plants with opposite means of survival. The Park's meadows, which are the result of human activity, are some of the richest plant ecosystems of Poland (30 to 40 species of flowers for every square meter).

How to get there : There are few options how to get to the starting points, from where you can walk to the most beautiful parts of these mountains. You can walk from our village or get a bus to one of the villages or towns from where numerous trails start. This mountain range starts about 5km away from our village and stretches for about 40 km east.

National Park fees : There are no charges for entering The Pieniny National Park, but if you want to climb one of its famous peaks, like Three Crowns or Sokolica or enter one of its gorges, you have to get a ticket. Such a ticket costs about 3 zl/person. If you decide to go for the river rafting on the Dunajec River you will be charged 38zl for the actual rafting plus 2,50zl for entering the national park.




		The Pieniny Mountains are a very unique mountain range. Many say that they are the most picturesque mountains in Poland. The whole chain is characterized by very rich vegetation and exceptionally splendid rock formations, built mostly of Jurassic limestone. The Pieniny Mountains are very famous for the gorge that cuts throw the mountains with the winding Dunajec River. The Pieniny National Park is the oldest polish national park (created in 1930) and is also the first boarder land national park in Europe (it lays on the Polish/Slovakian border). The best way to admire the mountains is to do one of many tourist trails that are very well prepared for different walkers. You can choose from the options of gentle walks up to long distance ones that very often require more effort and sometimes even some rock climbing.

	Recommended walks, trips and maps for The Pieniny Mountain Range.

	The highest peak : Wysoka (1050m.) The National Park : This is the oldest as well as one of the smallest Polish National Parks, laying in the southern most part of the country, on the border with Slovakia. It was established in 1932 along with its Slovak counterpart and it was the first protected area in Europe! In Poland the Pieniny National Park covers 2,346 ha. Fauna : So far around 6500 animal species have been proven to live in the Pieniny. It is supposed that the area is even more abundant - with up to 15 000 species. There are about 170 species of birds, numerous fish, reptiles and amphibians as well as mammals. The most numerous among fauna are insects, icluding over 1600 species of butterflies. This is nearly half of all species in Poland! Flora : Even though the Park is small in size, there are hundreds of species of plants, including 1260 kinds of mushrooms and over 1100 species of vascular plants grow here. Sometimes, on the same rock, grow plants with opposite means of survival. The Park's meadows, which are the result of human activity, are some of the richest plant ecosystems of Poland (30 to 40 species of flowers for every square meter). How to get there : There are few options how to get to the starting points, from where you can walk to the most beautiful parts of these mountains. You can walk from our village or get a bus to one of the villages or towns from where numerous trails start. This mountain range starts about 5km away from our village and stretches for about 40 km east. National Park fees : There are no charges for entering The Pieniny National Park, but if you want to climb one of its famous peaks, like Three Crowns or Sokolica or enter one of its gorges, you have to get a ticket. Such a ticket costs about 3 zl/person. If you decide to go for the river rafting on the Dunajec River you will be charged 38zl for the actual rafting plus 2,50zl for entering the national park. <<Back>>