1. Travelling ecologically by the Summer Tourist Train
Special summer tourist trains
What does a true tourist travel like when discovering tourist destinations? After all, it is logical that travelling to Paradise is ecoLogical. Here, in the Paradise, tourists would recognise tourists just by taking a look from the train. The latter will guide them and lead them through the routes, logically and ecologically leading to the source of Paradise locations.
Well now, board the train and pass the route without any loss of energy, fluids or time. You may only melt away in the enchantment by nature, imbude with the sounds and splashing of the Strateník Stream or the silence of the world-famous Dobšiná Ice Cave. All things beautiful feather away here in the underground in one place and re-appear in the form of otherworldly beautiful places.
More information on summer tourist trains HERE.
2. Cooling off in the Dobšiná Ice Cave
Dobšiná Ice Cave
From a smiling sunny day, come down to cool down just a few tens of metres below the earth’s surface and you will find yourself in the icy realm of chill and perfect creations of the hands of mother nature. The world-famous Dobšiná Ice Cave is a natural gem – the most magical of the sites of the Slovak Paradise, which you may literally fall in love with at any time of the year. It is a real karst unique formation among ice caves and our largest ice cave.
Its location allows the cave to maintain a temperature below the freezing point all year round, and this factor played a key role in the creation of the ice decoration in the long term. Icing occurs in areas where falling cold air accumulates in winter. It cools the cave and keeps the temperature below the freezing point. It’s up to you to see the state of icing, so climb down and find out for yourself. A thick ice filling occurs in the cave in the form of floor ice, ice falls, ice stalagnites and columns. The thickness of the ice in some places exceeds 25 metres. The interesting thing about the cave is the fact that skating was allowed in it for the public throughout the year until 1946. In the 1950s, the well-known and successful Czechoslovak figure skater Karol Divín and a company of military speed skaters were still training there. It is not just the interior decoration of the cave that is glittering; this cave is also associated with the glittering silver screen and one of the famous movie fairy tales – Good for Nothing – the Bravest Knight. The cave was visited by many significant personalities – the Serbian King Milan I, P. O. Hviezdoslav, S. H. Vajanský, an expedition of French artists with F. Lessep, the builder of the Suez Canal, the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I, the polar explorer F. Nansen, and others. In 1890, a concert was held in the Great Hall in honour of Charles Ludwig Habsburg. So, it is now you missing here!
More information HERE.
3. Taking the cable car from Dedinky to Geravy
Cable car to Geravy
Back to earth from the underground. Or have higher ambitions and reach the clouds! The cable car to Geravy is a major attraction for tourists and visitors. The cable car that leads through the mountain environment from Dedinky to the Geravy Plateau is unique in Slovakia. It was the last functional single-seater cable car. It was manufactured at the end of the 1960s, having been set up in operation in the Slovak Paradise in 1970. It was an attraction for tourists, but it hasn’t moved for a decade. The cable car that led from Dedinky to the Geravy Plateau was called one of the most beautiful ones in the country. This cable car renders the visitors the opportunity to make a comfortable transfer from Dediniky to the Geravy Plateau and complete still another tourist programme in that location. The length of this single-seat cable car with 146 seats is shorter than two kilometres with an elevation of approximately 220 metres. It is an experiential site of the Slovak Paradise, which has its irresistible charm in the bosom of beautiful nature in every season.
4. Water sports at Palcmanská Maša
Paddleboard, water bike, boat on Palcmanská Maša
Take advantage of the good weather, pack your swimsuit, rose-coloured sunglasses, or if you want to go racing with it, rent a water bike or hire a motorboat. Just be careful, it must have an electric drive, and then – drive on the water level of Palcmanská Maša to the bay, a picturesque body of water that looks so harmoniously with the surrounding landscape. During the summer season, there are attractive boats, water bikes, or paddleboards at Palcmanská Maša. You will get your fill of Dedinky and no matter how much you look and look for more villages, you will only see one near the dam. There was once a village Štefanovce where miners had settled. They searched for, mined and processed mainly copper and iron ores in the surrounding mountains. Lumberjacks and charcoal burners moved in with the miners. Around the mid-18th century, the property of the Čáky family from Spiš in the upper valley of the Hnilec River was divided between the brothers Štefan and Imrich. The village was divided into two separate parts, Štefanovce and Imrichovce. When the development of the villages stagnated, Imrichovce and Štefanovce merged in 1933 and created a new village – Dedinky. And who was Palcman? Palcmannská Maša earned its name thanks to the brothers Leopold and Samuel Paltzmann, who became famous for their business in the field of metallurgy and ironworks. Palcmanská Maša is the largest water reservoir in the Slovak Paradise, it covers an area of up to 85 hectares, and is also the coldest dam in Slovakia. Today, in addition to power production the water reservoir has an increasingly important recreational and environmental significance.
More information HERE.
5. Stepping up to Ondrejisko and enjoying the view from a huge bench
Ondrejisko bench
Come and have a look at the entire Palcman beauty from the height of history as well as from the above-sea-level height. Look at the world from above, which you cannot resist, you will have it as if on the palm of your hand and after passing through it, you will literally take away an eternal memory of the beauty of paradise. Wow, what a magnificent sight! Right here, you may feel like a king who owns a piece of the world, the edge of which you can hardly see; it is a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape with the dominant Kráľova Hoľa grassy uplands in the Low Tatras. The lookout-point of Ondrejisko, a massif on the southern border of Slovak Paradise National Park, is one of the best vantage points of the Slovak Paradise. It is also named in the field as Borovniak with a stated height of 1,271.8 metres above sea level. A new wooden cross and three wooden rest benches have been constructed on top of Ondrejisko. The shortest access to Ondrejisko is from the Besník Saddle above the upper-Horehron village of Telgárt, the next starting point for the hike being the Dobšiná Ice Cave and the village of Stratená in the district of Rožňava. In the past, the turn of the path to Ondrejisko was not marked, so this tourist route is missing in older maps. The red-marked long-distance hiking route of the Slovak National Uprising Heroes Route passes under Ondrejisko from the south. You may start your hike in Telgárt near the ski resort, if you arrive by car, you may park it up in the Besník Saddle and save about 3 km. Follow the red sign on your way. From the Besník Saddle, you will go towards Čuntava. Turn left and follow the red, royal colour of the sign, until the turn to Borovniak (Ondrejisko). The ascent leads alternately through meadows and forest to a rocky peak among stunted wind-twisted trees. Here, however, there is already a beautiful view of the ridges of the Low Tatras, the High Tatras, and above the Slovak Paradise you can see as far as the Spiš Castle and Mariánska Hora Hill above Levoča. This majestic peak is the highest peak in the Slovak Paradise. As it was inaccessible to tourists in the past, few people know about this place. The peak offers a truly unforgettable view, thanks to the bare and wide peak, you won’t know where to look first.
More information HERE.
6. Finding out the intensity of the Občasný Prameň Occasional Spring under the Havrania Skala Raven Rock
Occasional Spring
Tiež sa držíš hesla „Občas, ale poriadne“? Nuž, to je výzva pre teba – zistiť, aká je intenzita Občasného prameňa. Tvoje objaviteľské kroky bude sledovať miestny havran z výšky Havranej skaly, ktorá má veľmi strmé skalné zrázy padajúce na juh a juhovýchod do doliny Veľkého Zajfu. Toto miesto zanechá v tebe stopu a intenzívny zážitok intenzity jeho prameňa plného osvieženia, bude ti odpočinkom a načerpaním nových síl, aký sa naskytá nielen havranom. Práve tu je najpodstatnejšia časť Slovenského raja s jej dolinami, roklinami a samotnými vrchmi. Ich čaro je ukryté v lesnom poraste a v dolinách. Určite každý turista nejaké miesto zo Slovenského raja pozná a z tejto skaly ho môže skúsiť aj nájsť. Vydaj sa trasou náučný chodník Občasný prameň – Havrania skala, ktorý sa začína 3 km od Stratenej v doline Veľké Zajfy, prechádza žltou turistickou značkou a okrem krásnej vyhliadky z Havranej skaly poskytuje zvedavým turistom aj 7 náučných informačných panelov. Ponúka informácie o výrobe dreveného uhlia, živočíšstve, rastlinách a stromoch nachádzajúcich sa v okolí Občasného prameňa a Jaskyne v Havranej skale. Ide o verejnosti voľne prístupnú jaskyňu s mohutným tunelovým vchodom. Po zostupe si ešte relaxačne začlnkuj na Palcmanskej Maši alebo sa môžeš trochu schladiť v neďalekej Dobšinskej ľadovej jaskyni.
Site on the map HERE.
7. Walking through the Stratená Canyon
Stratená Canyon
Walk through the Stratená Canyon and don’t worry, you won’t get lost here. This short, romantic canyon section of the upper course of the Hnilec River near the village of Stratená is an ideal tourist attraction even for the physically challenged. There is a paved road leading through the canyon, passable as a hiking trail and cycle path, along which an educational trail of the same name has been established. The whole canyon is 1.1 km long, you may walk it in about 25 minutes. The boards of the Stratená Canyon Educational Trail are about the history, caves, fauna, flora, and geology of the area. It is the first educational trail in Slovakia built also for wheelchair users, so all the boards are set into the rock at a height where they are primarily legible for them. The road is bridged by eight, mostly wooden bridges under 80-metre high cliffs. The impressive vertical slopes of the canyon, full of interesting rock cavities, openings and caves, await you here. The territory is classified in the 5th, i. e. the highest level of nature protection. It passes through the beautiful gorge of the upper course of the Hnilec River, between the Dobšiná Ice Cave and the village of Stratená. The educational trail of Stratenská Tiesňava Gorge has a total of 8 stops (educational boards) with a minimum elevation of only around 11 metres. Please note that the Stratená Canyon is a nature preserve and walking here is only allowed along the marked hiking trail. Some edges of the road are unpaved and the railings on the bridges are missing.
More information HERE.
8. Snoring on the bank of the Stratenská Píla Sawmill and taking a nap in the grass
Stratenská Píla Sawmill
Has the sane fatigue of a true tourist overcome you? It’s time for the most pleasant way to relax. Taking a nap, you may also snore in a deep sleep right on the bank of the Stratenská Píla Sawmill. It was created by the expansion of the Palcmanská Maša dam, which was completed in 1954. Before that, as the name suggests, there was a sawmill and service facilities for the processing of ore in Stratená. But those have already vanished from the face of the earth. They were flooded during the construction of Palcmanská Maša. However, you will find a beautiful cottage area here, which belongs to the preserved areas and protects the spirit of the past. In addition to the sawmill, there was even a bell tower. The water is quite shallow near the shore, but after a few metres this is no longer the case. It flows from the Hnilec River and the bay is actually a long arm of Palcmanská Maša. Due to the fact that the water is clean, there are a large number of crayfish and trout. Sometimes they emerge from below the surface and take you from your nap in the grass with a peck, so that you may awake from your dreaming again and plan to explore other sites unknown to you so far.
Sites on the map HERE.
