Slovak Paradise - Hiking through the Sucha Belá Gorge

During our Slovakia tour, we spent most of our time outdoors. Our excursion to the Mala Fatra National Park and the Strbske Pleso was particularly beautiful. One evening, we sat in front of the map, looking for another adventure for the next day. We stumbled upon the Slovak Paradise National Park (Slovensky Raj). We discovered many different hiking trails and were introduced to the Sucha Belá Gorge in forums. This hike was apparently one of the most popular in the park. And so, full of anticipation, we set off the next morning. What we experienced there, our best tips and information, you’ll find in today’s post. Enjoy browsing!

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Getting to Slovak Paradise
Slovak Paradise National Park
Hikes in the park
Hike through the Suchá Belá Gorge
Other highlights in the park
Dobšiná Ice Cave
Accommodations in the region

Slovak Paradise National Park Map Sucha-Bela

Arrival to Slovak Paradise

From our accommodation in Stara Lesna, we drove towards Poprad and then to Podlesok. The drive took about 40 minutes. There, you’ll find the relatively large “Parkovisko Hrabušice Podlesok” parking lot, where you can park your car. We paid €3 for the entire day. Unfortunately, there was a cycling race there that day, so it was quite busy.

From the parking lot, go straight toward the restaurant and campsite. There you’ll also find a large information board with lots of information about the region and the hiking trails. Directly behind it, a path leads into the forest, where the Sucha Belá hike starts. We had to pay €1.50 per person “entrance fee” at a small hut. Our hike could finally begin there.

Slovak Paradise National Park

Slovakia has 9 national parks, each with amazing highlights and breathtaking nature. The Slovak Paradise National Park is located in the eastern part of the country and is one of the youngest parks in Slovakia. Waterfalls, narrow canyons, valleys, ravines, caves, monuments, and diverse hikes await you here. One of the largest ice caves in Europe, the Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa, is also located within this national park. More on that later.

The most popular are the Suchá Belá and Veľký Sokol gorges, the Prielom Hornádu gorge, and the Kyseľ via ferrata. Many tourists also hike to the famous Tomášovský Výhľad rock outcrop or to the ruins of an old Carthusian monastery. On the hiking map, you can see not only the different routes but also the approximate times. You’ll find out which hike we did in a moment.

Hikes in the Park

In the park itself, there are more than 300 kilometers of hiking trails, many of which are equipped with chains, bridges, and ladders. Of the approximately 200 caves here, only one is open to the public, the Dobšiná Ice Cave. But let’s get back to the hikes. You can take shorter hikes or embark on full-day tours.The following hikes are very popular:

Prielom Hornádu (Gorge Tour)
Sucha Belá (Gorge Tour)
Hike to Kláštorisko (Monastery Ruins)
Hike to the Tomášovský Výhľad Rock Outcrop
Piecky (beautiful gorge with the longest ladder)
Kysel (hike with via ferrata; equipment required)

Hike through the Suchá Belá Gorge

We chose the hike through the Sucha Belá Gorge. The online reviews sounded pretty good and exciting, so we didn’t think twice. The hike also fit well into our schedule. In total, we were only on the trail for 4 hours. This meant we could continue on and explore other parts of the valley.

And so we started right in the gorge, climbing over rocks and stones, walking over rotten tree trunks and wooden stairs, and working our way up metal ladders and chains. Finally, a slightly different hike, finally a bit of action. You should definitely have a head for heights. In some places, you’ll climb up metal ladders a full 15 meters. You should also definitely wear sturdy shoes. We only had sneakers with us; hiking boots would have been much better. But it went surprisingly well even with the sneakers.

Two large groups of Boy Scouts and maybe 10 individuals were in the gorge at the same time. Unfortunately, we don’t know what the park is like on weekends. In any case, it was very pleasant that there were so few tourists there with us. Unfortunately, the groups were always at the high metal stairs at the same time as we were. That’s why it looks very crowded in the pictures, but it actually wasn’t.

At the end of the gorge, after about 2 hours, you will reach a fork where you will find benches for a break. The gorge is a one-way street, so you cannot simply turn around at the end of the gorge; you will have to take a different route back. From here, we hiked first along the yellow trail and then along the red trail back to the starting point. Alternatively, you could continue along the blue trail to Kláštorisko.

Tip: There’s actually a bike rental at the fork where you can rent a bike and cycle back the same way. We wanted to do that, too. But since there was a cycling race on the route that day, the station was closed. It’s a shame, we would have really liked to. We don’t remember the exact price, but you should expect to pay at least €10. The route is wonderful to cycle on and is sure to be a lot of fun.

Other Highlights in the Park

Another popular hike is the tour through the “Prielom-Hornádu Gorge.” The hike is similar to the one through the Sucha-Belá Gorge, but it takes about 2 hours longer (18 km). Suspension bridges and wooden walkways over the water await you here as well. Along this gorge is the “Tomášovsky Viewpoint.” You can also reach it if you start in Čingov. Simply follow the yellow markings and you’ll reach the top in about 1 hour. later the viewpoint.

Another highlight is the “Kysel Gorge Via Ferrata”. For this, however, you will need certain equipment, which you can rent. It is also better if you book a guide for this tour. You can expect, among other things, many waterfalls and adventurous routes through the gorge. We did not find much information about this, so it is best to inquire directly on site or buy a hiking map for this national park. However, the tour is only permitted between June and October.

Dobšiná Ice Cave

On another day, we visited the Dobšiná Ice Cave. There are 200 caves in the park itself, but only this ice cave is open to the public. So we drove to the south of the park, parked the car in the parking lot, and started hiking. It took about 20 minutes until we reached the entrance to the cave. The nature trail is filled with many Information panels provide insight into the park’s flora and fauna.

Once we arrived at the entrance, we first had to buy tickets for the tour. Be sure to check the opening times. During the off-season, for example, the tour only runs four times a day (9:30, 11:00, 12:30, 2:00). The entrance fee is €8 per person. If you want to take photos or videos, you’ll have to pay a hefty €10 extra. So, in the end, we paid €26 for everything. You can find all the information about prices and opening times here: Dobšiná Ice Cave. Oh, and By the way: Dress warmly! It’s usually only 1°C in the cave. Right after the entrance, you can already feel the cold on your face.

The tour is led by a guide. You make your way at a snail’s pace over the walkways and stairs through the ice cave. Unfortunately, the tour is in Slovak, so we didn’t understand a thing. Nevertheless, the ice cave is very beautiful to look at, and the story behind it is certainly very interesting. After about 45 minutes, we were back outside. There are also information sheets in English at the ticket counter, although we only learned about this after the tour.

Accommodations in the region

We stayed in Stará Lesná* in the High Tatras. From there, it was only 40 minutes to the national park. We can 100% recommend this accommodation. It’s perfectly located for exploring the High Tatras and the Slovak Paradise National Park. Of course, you can also choose accommodations closer to the park. Most accommodations can be found in Hrabušice. This is the small town before Podlesok, about a 5-minute drive away.