The Tatras are the main mountain system of Slovakia, which stretches along the border with Poland. Today, most of it is declared a protected area and is protected by two national parks called “Tatras”. One is on Polish territory and the other is adjacent to it from the south, from Slovakia. It was created in 1954, and the total area of the protected land today amounts to more than 22 thousand hectares.
The fundamental aim behind the establishment of the national park was to preserve the authentic mountainous environment of the Tatras and to preserve the flora and fauna of the region. In 1993 these protected areas were included in the UNESCO list as an important biosphere reserve.
The entire territory of the national park, depending on the altitude, is divided into three belts – high altitude, with a predominance of alpine meadows, medium altitude with spruce forests and low altitude with birch forests and fir groves. Among the fauna here you can meet chamois, golden eagles, owls, alpine marmots.
From Terhová the only road leads to Vrátna, which together with the surrounding nature is the most picturesque area of the Lesser Fatra.
From the point of view of hiking trails in the area of Vrathna four areas can be distinguished: Tesnjava, Old Valley, New Valley and Stary Dvor.
Just behind Terhova the road goes through a spectacular entrance to the Vrátna – important from a tourist and local history point of view, the Tesnjava Canyon in the bend of the Vrátnjanka Creek. It is distinguished by many rock formations and water cascades. The national nature reserve includes the Tesnawy Canyon, the ridge and the adjacent slopes of Sokolija and Bobut. In Tesnjaves starts the so-called Zbojnicki Corridor, which passes through an interesting complex of rock formations. Beyond Tesniawy the Vratna is divided into the Old and New Valleys.
At the end of the Old Valley there is Huta Vratna. Near the bottom station of the funicular from the Snilov saddle, visitors can stop near the symbolic cemetery of the victims of the mountains and near the Skok waterfall. Hata Vratna is the starting point for excursions to the main ridge of the Krivan Fatra, where the highest peak of the Lesser Fatra, the Big Krivan (1709 m), is also located.
