Top 11 Slovak waterfalls you must see
Low Tatras21. June 2020
In this article I will offer you some tips for trips to the most beautiful Slovak waterfalls. Waterfalls are represented in Slovakia in large numbers, so there is plenty to choose from.
If you are interested in sharing the experience of visiting one of the waterfalls, I will be very happy if you send me an e-mail to info@showmeslovakia.eu.
Lúčanský waterfall (Waterfall Lúčky)
Location: Liptov, village Lúčky near Veľký Choč. It is one of the most beautifull slovak waterfalls.
Height: 13 meters
Interesting fact: The travertine subsoil colors the water in a striking pale blue color, and in the summer months the pool under the waterfall is also used for recreational purposes and swimming. In Lúčanský waterfall it is possible to swim at your own risk. The cleanliness is very clean water – Teplice, but as it is a National Natural Monument, recreation is not a direct function.
Best time to visit: Thanks to the hot spa springs, the waterfall never freezes, so it can be admired all year round.
Access: Easy location, suitable for a short bike trip from Fatrapark or for a short trip with children by car. Parking is literally in front of the waterfall and it is very easy for foreign tourists to reach it.
Slovak waterfalls – Hájske
Location: Hájske waterfalls are located in Hájská dolina near the road connecting the villages of Háj and Hačava.
Height: The waterfalls are 1 to 7 meters high and their abundance depends on the amount of precipitation.
Interesting fact: Hájske waterfalls are among the most beautiful natural creations in the Slovak Karst.
Best time to visit: All year round. In winter, waterfalls very often freeze and create ice walls and trinkets. This creates works created by water and frost. It is best to take a walk in the woods along the stream.
Access: You come here by car via Turňa nad Bodvou and continue to the villages of Háj and Hačava. Continue on foot along the yellow sign, you will be at the first waterfall in about 25 minutes. The whole gorge is 4 km long and overcomes an elevation of up to 300 meters. The place is also ideal for family trips. Near the Great Waterfall there is a tourist shelter with seating and a fireplace.
Kľacký waterfall
Location: Malá Fatra Mountains, in Lúčanská Malá Fatra, about 4 km northwest of the village Vrícko under the hill Kľak.
Height: 30 meters
Interesting fact: Kľacký waterfall was declared one of the five in Slovakia in 1996 as a national natural monument. There are rare species of animals, especially aquatic molluscs.
Best time to visit: This waterfall is very nice even in drier periods, but it gains real power only after heavy rains.
Access: Kľacký waterfall is accessible by marked hiking trails. The easiest access to it is from the village of Vrícko, but you can also get here from Fačkovské sedlo or from the village Fačkov.
Starohutský waterfall
Location: Starohutský waterfall is located in the settlement Stará Huta around the town Nová Baňa
Height: 5 meters
Interesting fact: Starohutský waterfall is one of the most beautiful and largest waterfalls in the volcanic mountains of central Slovakia.
Since 1977, it has been one of the national natural monuments of Slovakia. It is surrounded by admirable rock formations of volcanic rock – andesite.
Best time to visit: If you want to experience the waterfall in all its beauty, I recommend you come in the spring, when the snow is melting. It also has its charm in the summer months, when it is calmer and in winter, when the water freezes.
Access: Starohutský waterfall is located in the settlement Stará Huta near the town of Nová Baňa, from the village educational trail. The journey is easy, it only takes a few minutes with a slight climb.
Bystrý stream waterfall
Location: Cadastral territory of the town Hriňová. Territory of the Slovak Central Highlands in the territory of Poľana in the upper part of Bystrý potok under the saddle Priehybina.
Height: 20 meters
Interesting fact: The national natural monument “Waterfall Bystrý potok” is a protected landscape. Best time to visit: The photogenicity of the waterfall stands out most after the spring heating of snow and heavy rains, when it has a high water flow and you can see the rainbow effects caused by the play of light and color in the stone amphitheater, into which the water falls Bystré waterfall.
Access: Part of the route to the Bystrô waterfall is an educational trail with information boards about natural and cultural attractions of the town of Hriňová and the Podpoľanie region.
Brankovský waterfall
Location: Western edge of the Low Tatras, in the woods below the hill Veľký Brankov
Height: 55 meters
Interesting fact: The highest waterfall in the Low Tatras and the second highest in Slovakia falls from the massive cliffs known as Kurucké skaly.
This place has an interesting climate, you can really feel the flow and mixing of cold and warm air.
Best time to visit: The period after the snow has melted or after heavy rains. However, it also has a special charm in winter, in severe frosts,
when it creates a beautiful ice pillar with a lot of transparent trinkets.
Access: Brankovský waterfall is easily accessible from the Ružomberok settlement Podsuchá, from which a marked tourist path leads to it. The hike is undemanding, lasts about half an hour and can be managed even by less able tourists or families with children.
Waterfall Skok
Location: The waterfall is located in Mlynická dolina in the western part of the High Tatras.
Height: 25 meters
Interesting fact: It is the fourth highest waterfall in the whole Tatras. The waterfall was created thanks to a rocky threshold, located at an altitude of almost 1800 meters. The main water source for the waterfall is Pleso nad Skokom.
Best time to visit: All year round, the route is popular, even in the winter months, as the section leading to the waterfall is not covered by a winter closure.
Access: The hike to the Skok waterfall can be considered a Tatra tourist classic. Due to the fact that the waterfall is located in Mlynická dolina, in the middle of the Tatra peaks, access to it is basically limited to only one tourist route – from Štrbské pleso, although it can be reached by a slight detour through Furkotskoho dolina, via Bystrá lávka. The route from Štrbské pleso is suitable for all beginner tourists, especially for families with children.
Cold stream Slovak waterfalls
Location: Section of Studený potok from the confluence of Veľký Studený potok from Veľká Studená dolina and Malý Studený potok from Mala Studená valley in the immediate vicinity of Rainer’s cottage, all the way to Bilíková cottage, where the waterfalls end. It is one of the most beautifull slovak waterfalls.
Interesting fact: The most famous waterfalls from top to bottom: Huge waterfall, Small and Big waterfall and Long waterfall.
Best time to visit: The cold stream flows through a huge terrain break and creates beautiful cascades and cataracts, which are especially beautiful during the spring melting of snow or after heavy rains when the water level is higher.
Access: There are several options: from the resort Hrebienok (green, 0h15 ″ / 0h15 ″), Bilíkova chata (green, 0h15 ″ / 0h15 ″), tourist hostel Hrebienok (green, 0h15 ″ / 0h15 ″), Strarý Smokovec (green, 0h45 ″ / 1h00 ″), Tatranská Lesná (yellow, 1h15 ″ / 1h30 ″), Tatranská Lomnica (blue, 1h30 ″ / 1h45 ″), Skalnaté pleso (red, 2h00 ″ / 1h40 ″), Skalnatá chata (red, 2h00 ″ / 1h40 ″), Rainerova chata (red, 0h20 ″ / 0h20 ″), Zbojnícka chata (red-blue, 2h50 ″ / 2h15 ″), Zamkovského chata (red, 0h50 ″ / 0h50 ″), Téryho chata (red-green, 2h50 ″ / 2h30 ″), Slavkovský štít (red-blue, 4h50 ″ / 3h50 ″).
Kmeťov waterfall
Location: Kmeťov waterfall is located in the west of the High Tatras, it is hidden in a spruce forest on the west side of the lower slopes of Kriváň in the Dill Valley. It is one of the most beautifull slovak waterfalls.
Height: 80 meters
Interesting fact: Kmeťov waterfall is with its 80 meters the highest waterfall in Slovakia and is named after the important Slovak nationalist and scientist Andrej Kmeť.
Best time to visit: All year round: Direct access to the Kmeť waterfall is forbidden due to its size and strength, but you have a sufficient and perfect view of it from the viewing platform on the left side of the stream.
Access: There are several options, we recommend getting to the Kmeť waterfall along the hiking trail leading from Podbanského,
or Three Wells across the Dill Valley. There is no mountain hut on the route to it. It is not a difficult or demanding hike from Podbanský.
Šútov waterfall
Location: Šútov waterfall is located in Krivánská Mala Fatra in Šutovská valley. Height: 38 meters
Interesting fact: The waterfall is the fourth highest waterfall in Slovakia and the highest in Mala Fatra. It is created by Moses’ springs, which flow from the rock wall on the slope of the Hromová hill in Krivánská Fatra. The springs got their name from the legend of Moses: Moses struck the rock with a stick in the desert, and water began to flow out of the rock.
Best time to visit: In summer, after a hike to the waterfall, you can bathe in the Šutovské quarry, in a natural swimming pool with clear turquoise water.
Access: Access to the waterfalls is from the village Šútovo. About a third of the way you can refresh yourself at the cottage Waterfall. After about an hour and a half you will reach the Šutovské waterfall. Smaller children can also handle the hike, but you will not be able to reach the waterfalls with a carriage.
Rainbow waterfall
Location: The rainbow waterfall is located in the Slovak Paradise, specifically in its most beautiful gorge – Kláštorská ravine.
Height: 8.5 meters
Interesting fact: One of the 7 waterfalls in Kláštorská dolina.
Best time to visit: The waterfall will be presented to you in its full beauty in the spring or after the rain, when there is sufficient water flow.
Access: You can get to the waterfall from the surrounding villages Hrabušovice, Letanovce or Spišské Tomášovce. Next to the waterfall leads a large ladder, which is part of a green tourist sign.