Prosiecka and Kvačianska Valley
Really nice trek that combines a bit of rock climbing, green meadows, local pub, old mill, and lookout terraces with nice views. It is not a very difficult hike and the location is great offering a possibility to finish the day relaxing at Liptovská Mara lake or in a water park with fun slides and wellness area.
LOCATION
Liptov region is located in the northern part of Slovakia about three hours driving distance from Bratislava. People visit the region because of the nature, mountains, Liptovská Mara lake, ski resorts, and many other attractions all year around.
The trail starts in Prosiek or Kvačany – both small villages with nice architecture typical for the Liptov region. Otherwise there is nothing much interesting about those villages (sorry :-). I recommend starting in Prosiek. It has a car park (2 eur a day). The advantage of starting in Prosiek is that you will start with the more difficult part and then continue in Kvačianska valley and finish in Kvačany village – a very easy part of the trek.
HOW TO GET THERE?
As it will take you about three hours from Bratislava to drive to the trail head (Prosiek or Kvačany village) I would recommend leaving Bratislava very early (5 – 6 am) or spending the night before the trek in the area. The trek is nice if you have enough time.
THE HIKE
Distance: 18 km, circular trail
Elevation gain: 700 m
Difficulty: middle (easy/ middle/ difficult)
Time needed: 6 hrs (including a 45 minute stop in a pub)
MY EXPERIENCE
I usually use Špania dolina as a base camp for hikes in the area. It took an hour to drive through Donovaly (ski resort) to Prosiek and where we started walking. I would divide the trek into a few parts.
The first part is the more difficult part with ladders to climb and rocky terrain. I like to hike with my dog Rudo but I wasn’t sure if we would make it. After checking a few blogs I decided not to take him and it was a good idea. If you have a small dog you can put into backpack while climbing ladders you will be fine. With a larger dog I don’t think it is possible to walk through Porosiecka dolina. Also it seemed like the forrest was full of deers and probably other animals. We might have heard a bear so once again I think it was a good idea walking without Rudo. The first part takes a little less then 3 hours.
The second part was my favourite. It is a large meadow. Perfect place for a snack and to relax for a while. Right after you pass this area you will get to Veľké Borové – small village with accommodation and two restaurants.
From here you continue to the other valley – Kvačianska. At the beginning you can visit a mill from the beginning of the 20th century that used to be used by the locals. You can see one of four mills that used to stand here in the past. The mill is a national monument, you can enter and see how it functioned.
The third part is a descent in a forrest with several lookout points. It takes about an hour to get to Kvačany village. There is a shop and a pub (50/50 chance that it will be opened). It was three of us walking and talking. Suddenly we stopped and stayed quiet as we heard some noise. Strong noise. We thought it could have been a bear. We continued walking with a couple of other tourists that seemed to be brave even thou they also had a feeling it might have been a bear.
Finally after Kvačany village you have to get back to the car park in Prosiek. This will take about an hour. The final walk offers nice views on Liptovská Mara lake.
