The Low Tatras National Park was established in 1978. A large range of hills and valleys is oriented in the East-West direction, being almost 100 kilometres long. The highest peak is Dumbier (2,043 metres a. s. l.). The saddle Certovica, right above the village of Vysna Boca, divides the mountains to its Western part called Dumbierske Tartry and Eastern part named Kralovoholske Tatry.
The total area of the park is 183 000 hectares and NAPANT is the largest national park in the Slovakia. Forests covers 70% of its area. They range from the mixed forests of lower elevations to the mountain spruce forests and dwarf pines of higher elevations. The large area of the park and the variety of conditions make the life abundant in various animal species possible, e.g.brown bear, which is the symbol of the National park. The rocky part is inhabited by the mountain chamois and marmot lives in the mountain meadows zone.
The total area of the park is 183 000 hectares and the NAPANT is the largest national park in Slovakia. Forests cover approximately 70% of its area. They range from the mixed forests of lower elevations to the mountain spruce forests and dwarf pines of higher elevations. The large area of the park and the variety of conditions make the life abundant in various animal species possible, e.g. brown bear (Ursus arctos ), which is the symbol of the National Park. The rocky part is inhabited by the mountain chamois of Tatra origin (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica ), and marmot (Marmota marmota ) lives in the mountain meadows zone.
The Muranska Planina National Park was established in 1997 with the area of 42 016 ha. This karst upland plateau has due to its remoteness preserved its original natural character. Deep valleys with a number of waterfalls have been formed in limestone and dolomite rocks. The great variety of karst forms of the territory are represented by 170 caves, many of them with dripstone decoration or glaciations, 70 karst springs, 14 chasms, and many of sinks and karren fields. The largest cave system, Bobacka, is 2 221 metres long and consists of interesting subterranean spaces and lakes, siphons, and dripstone decorations.
The highest hill of the plateau is Fabova Hola with altitude of 1 439 metres.
The calciphilous flora with prevailing mountainous species is very rich. Among the most significant ones belongs daphne (Daphne arbuscula ), which is an aromatic shrub that cannot be found in any other locality in the world. Similarly, fauna of this area is also very diverse including e.g. the rare golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos ).The ruins of Muransky castle with the famous Ciganka cliff, but also the castle at Predna Hora give their visitors some taste of the history.
It was designated in 1913 as one of the oldest protected areas in Slovakia. Dobroc Virgin Forest is situated in a fir-beech wooden vegetation belt at an altitude of 700-1000 metres a. s. l. Its 100 hectares extend along the north-west slopes of valley Brotovo. The Dobroc Virgin Forest is interesting not only for its trees but also for its wildlife, like deer and predators such as bear, lynx, wild cat, pine marten, and many species of birds. The most interesting bird is the pigmy owl that only grows to 10 cm. In 1964 a well-known, so called "Dobroc fir" was broken in a gale. It was one of the biggest trees in Europe, with the age of 450-500 years, with the trunk diameter of 193 cm and height of 56 m, The Dobroc Virgin Forest was awarded with the European Diploma in 1998, which certifies the significance and importance of this area also from the European point of view.
The villages of Vysna and Nizna Boca and their surrounding areas are a very good starting point to several tracks with different difficulties:
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