Bałda is a mountain ridge in the Western Tatras that stands out as one of the wildest and most remote corners of the Polish Tatras. It's a place for those seeking silence and untouched nature rather than crowded trails.

The ridge descends from the highest point of Uhrocie Kasprowe (1852 m) in a north-westerly direction toward Dolina Kasprowa (Kasprowa Valley), with a moraine wall as its natural continuation. Bałda splits Dolina Kasprowa into two branches - the Stare Szałasiska valley on the eastern side and Dolina Sucha Kasprowa on the western side. The landscape is a mix of dwarf mountain pine and grass in the upper reaches, with upper-montane forest lower down. The area was once used as pasture (the former Hala Kasprowa), but today the entire Dolina Kasprowa is under strict protection, allowing nature to fully reclaim the land. As Władysław Cywiński described it: 'Empty, wild, a triumph of nature's regenerative forces. You're more likely to meet a member of the species Ursus arctos here than homo sapiens.'

How to reach the summit

• Due to the strict nature reserve status, there are no marked hiking trails leading to Bałda

Practical information

• Dolina Kasprowa is a strict nature reserve - access off marked trails is prohibited
• The area is visited very rarely and retains a truly wild character

This is one of those corners of the Tatras where nature makes its own rules - the regenerative forces of the wilderness triumph, and your odds of meeting a bear are better than meeting another hiker.