Slovakia’s national parks centre on the country’s greatest natural resource: its mountains. From the alpine High Tatras down to the hilly Poloniny in the secluded northeast, this wide variety of mountains provides the lifeblood of the nation, supplying the purest water and air, hosting its richest forests and inspiring most of its folklore. All of this is easy to find in and around the parks.
Although mountains and hills stretch from one end of Slovakia to the other, it is the ranges in the eastern half of the country that have been granted the strictest protection afforded by national park status (though other categories of protected areas abound throughout the country).
All of the parks are accessible by road or by public transportation, although the quietest areas require more effort to get to. Each offers a variety of hiking for tourists at all levels, from novice to expert, through deep and extensive forests.
