Mountains. I get a nostalgic dewy-eyed gleam to my eyes just thinking about them: those I have visited and those yet to be visited. The High Tatras are a mountain range which have, somehow, evaded international attention, but this year I am glad to have given the one of Europe’s most significant Alpine massifs outside of the actual Alps the publicity it deserves. During four years living in Slovakia, I regularly made the four-hour trip east of a weekend to spend time trekking in these mesmeric uplands. And no wonder. With an amazing 25 peaks exceeding 2500m in height, the High Tatras is rightly a paradise for outdoor lovers – and a bastion for some of the continent’s rarest animals such as the brown bear. In 2019, the national park (Národný park) protecting it turns 60. If you get acquainted with one new hiking region this year, make it this one…

This piece just out for Lonely Planet.

Categories: Adventure Travel, Articles, Eastern Europe TravelTags: Articles, high tatras, lonely planet, mountains, slovakia