Paradise Park or as the area is known in Slovakian Slovenskÿ Raj is a small national park towards the east of Slovakia. It is a beautiful area and ideally suited for walking, hiking and cycling along with a lot of climbing and caving. As you drive in you notice the forested hills, deep river valleys and winding roads.
Our first stop was at a village called Dobšinská for an amazing spectacle of an ice cave
The parking was at the bottom of the hill then a steep climb up past deserted hotels to the entrance where you have to take a guided tour. Check before you go for to the times as during the high season they is one perhaps every hour but in September there were just 3 per day.
As you go through the entrance door you suddenly feel a large drop in temperature and you are immediately into the ice. With metal walkways and ladders it is an easy walk with the group but the tour was only in Slovakian. It didn’t really matter, as the sights are spectacular. Wear warm clothes as it is very cold in there.
Views from the hilltops in Slovenkÿ Raj
A "past its sell by date" hotel
Inside the ice cave
Looking along a walkway inside the cave
After the ice cave it was a short drive through the beautiful scenery to our camp at Podlesok. This spacious campground is ideally placed for some excellent hikes and cycle rides with the start of several trail heads immediately outside the camp. We managed two of the most spectacular hikes, Suchá Belá and Prielom Hornádu in the few days we spent here.
SUCHÁ BELÁ
This hike is up a river gorge that happened to be almost dry when we were there and climbs to the top of the hill. From a gentle start you are soon into the gorge and the route uses wooden walkways and metal ladders to get you high up. In places the gorge narrows and at one point is only a few feet wide. In others you are climbing up near vertical ladders. The gorge takes around 2 hours to complete and is strictly one way only, UP. At the top there are several routes down of differing lengths but tend to be on forest tracks. You can of course arrange for a mountain bike to be at the top and take a fast cycle down.
Reading about the route
The gorge at the beginning
The first of the ladders
There was hardly any water in the gorge
The sides had many caves
The green signs show the way
More Caves
Getting narrow
A little more water but really only a trickle
This hole was at the top of a ladder section
Looking down
It occasionally got busy on the ladder sections
Looking back down a ladder
Lots of tree roots
The top and the cycles wait if required
Plenty of choice on the way down
We were lucky in that although rain was forecast we arrived back before it came down. That evening we walked to the area just outside the campground where there are several bars and restaurants. There we sat and watched the storm all around having our dinner.
The small village outside the camp site
Lots of signs to various walks and hikes
The walking routes in the winter
Looking back towards the hills
Highland cattle
Yes it poured that night
A video of the Sucha Bela Walk
PRIELOM HORNÁDU
This hike is a little different as you don’t really need to climb. The route takes you along the main river valley through another gorge. After the storm the evening before this river, unlike the day before, was flowing very fast and full of brown foaming water. The route was also slippery and muddy in places. Again this one did not take long to get into action with metal steps climbing the sheer sides of the gorge. At places you were clinging onto a metal chain while walking on metal or wooden platforms above the water. This was another really fantastic walk and this one could be done both ways so although it was quiet you often had to wait for other hikers to come towards you before you could access a set of platforms. At one point you have to lean back over the river due to the overhang. Not so easy for those of us not quite as supple as we used to be and carrying a backpack with cameras.
The river the next morning was flooding
Scrambling down the slippery rocks
The entrance to the gorge and the cost for us was about £1.00
An Icon set in the cliffs so you can pray for a safe passage
An old building that people waited by
Walking down a very slippery wooden ladder
The river looks full and muddy
A narrow walkway over the river
Mike looking for a photo opportunity
At one point we passed a monument to 4 people killed when a rescue helicopter crashed into the river while attempting a rescue of an injured hiker.
A memorial to a tragic helicopter accident
At the end of the gorge you have the choice of retracing your steps, taking another route back on the flat lower ground or climbing the hill, as we did, up to a ruined monastery and then walking back down the forest tracks.
We have left the gorge and now climb the hill
Plenty of signs
The old Monastery
Walking down through the woods
Walking in the forest was wonderful, the colours were changing and plenty of fungi were about, some edible such as the Girolles and Ceps and many certainly not like the Fly Agaric.
Bracket Fungus
A Russala
Fly Agaric and poisonous
Autumn Crocus growing wild
Not certain why this animal has a tennis racket growing from him
Bears can be seen but this was the only one we saw
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