Tatra Mountains winter holiday
| country: | Poland, Slovakia |
| location: | Carpathian Mountains |
| departures: | 2009: 20 Dec, 27 Dec 2010: 31 Jan, 14 Feb, 28 Mar, 19 Dec, 26 Dec 2011: 23 Jan, 20 Feb, 20 Mar, 19 Dec, 26 Dec |
| price: | From £799 - £1129 (8 days) per adult and from £769 per child including flights from the UK. From £649 - £999 per adult and from £669 per child excluding flights. Local payment 50 EUR. |
| late availability: | Late availability on 27th December departures. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A week of snow and winter activities in the tatra Mountains
The Tatras in Winter
The snow-clad mountains of the Tatras are the perfect base for an invigorating week of winter activities. From Krakow you cross the Polish/Slovakian border to reach the small mountain village of Zuberec/Habovka and your comfortable pension. The village has access to ski areas, each equipped with lifts and downhill pistes – ideal for learning or further developing your skills.
Snowshoeing, skiing & dog-sledding
Around the village a network of prepared trails provide excellent opportunities for a day’s snowshoeing higher up the mountain. Additional activities you’ll enjoy include dog-sledding, lunch with a Slovak family, sledging and relaxing in a hot thermal pool. If you’ve any energy left you can even try night skiing!
The Tatras in Winter
The snow-clad mountains of the Tatras are the perfect base for an invigorating week of winter activities. From Krakow you cross the Polish/Slovakian border to reach the small mountain village of Zuberec/Habovka and your comfortable pension. The village has access to ski areas, each equipped with lifts and downhill pistes – ideal for learning or further developing your skills.
Snowshoeing, skiing & dog-sledding
Around the village a network of prepared trails provide excellent opportunities for a day’s snowshoeing higher up the mountain. Additional activities you’ll enjoy include dog-sledding, lunch with a Slovak family, sledging and relaxing in a hot thermal pool. If you’ve any energy left you can even try night skiing!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart London After your flight to Krakow, you transfer by charter bus (2 ½ - 3 hours drive) to your pension in the small mountain village of Zuberec/Habovka where you check in. Situated on the western edge of the High Tatras, Zuberec was originally an agricultural settlement. Today the village lies at the centre of three downhill skiing areas and has developed to offer a range of facilities for tourists. There are a number of small guesthouses and pensions and a growing range of organised activities on offer to visitors in both the winter and summer months. Most pensions in this area are built in chalet style, with wooden furniture, offering simple but clean and comfortable accommodation. Breakfast is served in your pension each morning and you’ll be able to choose from a selection of mountain restaurants and village cafes for your lunches and dinners. Hotel /pension - 7 nights |
| Day 2: | Downhill Skiing Or Snowboarding Today you’ll take to the powdery Slovakian snow for the first time, with a choice of either a day on skis, or a day snowboarding. Downhill skiing has long been the most popular form of skiing; in fact it was first taken up as a leisure activity by the British in Victorian times. However in recent years snowboarding has become the fastest growing winter sport. Both of these activities require different equipment so your first stop will be to get kitted out with the correct boots and then either skis or a board. As well as experienced ski technicians, your leader will be on hand to make sure everything fits properly and to show you how it all works. Then it’s off to the slopes. The village offers tracks (pistes) for all categories of skiers or snowboarders. Shorter slopes of 400m and 860m are for beginners whilst a longer slope of 1490m is for more competent skiers. The main ski area is situated in the Pod Salatinmi Valley, 1090m above sea level. Here you’ll find a self-service restaurant and artificial snow-making machines to ensure good skiing. If you’re a beginner, you’ll join a three-hour lesson, aimed at your level of ability/experience, while proficient skiers are free to ski! For the remainder of the day you’re then free to practice your new skills or explore the area, before returning to your pension. (B) |
| Day 3: | Skiing & Thermal Pools Having kept your skiing equipment overnight, this morning you are free to take to the slopes again. Your leader will ensure you have the appropriate pass to use the ski lifts and will help you to book and pay for a lesson should you decide you want another one today. This afternoon, you’ll rendezvous with your leader and board hired transport for the short 11km journey to the nearby village of Oravice. Here you’ll visit one of the region’s open-air thermal pools. Such pools are found in many parts of Slovakia and are popular for their restorative properties. As well as offering general health benefits, the waters of Oravice are reputed to have beneficial cosmetic properties - but they also make a great place to recharge weary ski-legs. Oravice also has cafes where you can enjoy a drink after your invigorating soak, and then you’ll return to your pension. (B) |
| Day 4: | Snowshoeing Today you’ll head off into the hills on a snowshoeing expedition. After breakfast you’ll need to pack a small rucksack (daypack) with a picnic lunch, some snacks, a spare fleece, perhaps a vacuum flask and of course your camera. Your Group Leader will give a quick lesson on how to put on your snowshoes and how to use them, along with a set of poles, to move around. It really isn’t difficult at all and although you might feel a little ungainly at first, you’ll soon discover that you can climb even a fairly steep slope with ease. With snowshoes you can go almost anywhere - which means you can get to places that skiers cannot. You may set off along a prepared forest trail but if a glorious view or interesting diversion presents itself you have the freedom to get off the beaten track – literally! The group’s ability will dictate how far you go but your destination is one of the highest peaks in the Western Tatras, Brestova, at a height of 1902m. At first you will trek through forest but as you get higher, the trees gradually disappear and the terrain becomes more challenging. However, snowshoeing along this mountain’s broad ridges will reward you with some magnificent views! (BL) |
| Day 5: | Dog-Sledding & Cultural Evening After a good breakfast to set you up for the day, you’ll leave the pension to meet up with the dog team handlers and their dogs – the dogs come from the Lower Tatras to meet you, and you’ll get to know them in the fields around the village. Upon arrival the handlers will show you how to handle the sled and brief you before setting off. The dogs are always excited as they see the sleds coming out and it’s often a struggle to hold them back, so the sleds have a snow anchor just for that purpose. Each sled carries two people - a driver (or musher) and a passenger - pulled by a team of 2-6 dogs. It takes a while to get everything ready but eventually you’ll set off in crocodile file, with the dogs tugging hard at their harnesses before they break into a smooth rhythm. All you can hear are the runners of the sled fizzing over the frozen snow and the odd bark or yelp from the dogs. While you’re waiting your turn, there’ll be tea, snacks and your leader and dog handlers will make a warming fire (if possible). There’s also likely to be the offer to try some of the traditional home-made Slovakian spirit called Slivovica, which will definitely warm you up! After an early dinner a short bus ride will take you to the village of Brestova and its celebrated open-air museum of local life. There are many interesting artefacts and displays here but your visit will be timed to make the most of the cultural evening that the museum organises each week. You’ll have the chance to try a local honey drink and to enjoy some local folk music and dance. NB for SM 20th December 2008 there will be no evening program at the museum. Instead you will visit the museum followed by a traditional restaurant in the village to watch a folk group performance whilst enjoying a complimentary drink. (B) |
| Day 6: | Lunch With A Local Family & Sledding This morning you’re free to relax in the pension or explore the village before joining up with your leader for lunch with a local family. The main dish will be a specially prepared Halusky. This is a traditional mountain dish of hot potato dumplings served with melted cheese and sprinkled with bacon. Over lunch you’ll discover more about Slovakian life and see how families live today. After lunch you’ll head to the slopes for a fun afternoon on sleds! (BL) |
| Day 7: | Free Day Today is free for you to choose from the many activities on offer in and around the village. You may wish to head back to the slopes for more downhill skiing or snow boarding (in which case you’ll need to purchase a lift pass). You may decide to try cross-country skiing, along one of the specially prepared circuits on the edge of the village. Alternatively why not strap on some snowshoes and walk amongst the snow covered forests. Your leader will of course be on hand for advice, should you decide to explore further afield and to help arrange a celebration meal on everyone’s last night together in Slovakia. (B) |
| Day 8: | Depart Krakow This morning, you transfer by bus (2 ½ - 3 hours) to Krakow where the trip ends for Land Only clients and those on group flights to the UK fly to London. (B) NB: in the event of some activities not being possible due to weather conditions e.g. lack of snow, we reserve the right to substitute other activities and/or change the location of the trip in order to try and provide those activities. Depending on numbers, on some departures it may also be necessary to change the order of activities or divide into smaller groups, so that different activities can take place simultaneously. Your Group Leader will co-ordinate this. On most days there is a choice of café/bar/restaurants for meals and refreshments near the areas where the activities take place. Your leader will advise accordingly. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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On this trip: This trip provides income for a variety of local business, from our ground agents and local Group Leaders, to the owners of the small, family operated pensions we stay in and the local restaurants we use. All of the activities on this trip are operated by local companies ensuring the money spent by our groups directly benefits the local economy and provides vital employment. Activities have also been devised to cause minimum environmental impact on the region being explored. During the trip we have included a visit to a museum of culture and folklore and this is timed to coincide with activities demonstrating Slovakian traditions, eg music and dance. The group will also visit a local family in the village for lunch, providing an opportunity to gain an insight into modern day Slovakian life and culture.
Our Responsible Travel Code: Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. If you would like a copy in advance of travel please contact us. Charity Partnerships: We work in partnership with Plan International. Plan works with some of the world’s poorest communities where three out of four children die before the age of five. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. Other charities that we work closely with include Born Free Foundation and The Travel Foundation, a UK charity that has been established to promote responsible travel practises throughout the whole of the travel industry. Carbon Balancing: Global warming is a real issue and is a direct result of your travel. We have teamed up with Climate Care to give you the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. You’ll be asked upon booking if you want to donate – with set amounts from £5. As a company we offset the carbon emissions from all staff travel in full. Our Foundation: We’ve highlighted a few of the ways in which we offer our support, financially or otherwise, and now you can, too. We have set up our own foundation, which will administer funds donated by you. A small donation of £1 per person will be taken when booking a holiday and that money will be put to good use by one of our carefully selected projects. If you don’t want to make the donation, just tell us when you book. |
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