Kotliská (1,937 m a.s.l.) is one of the most striking summits in the western Low Tatras — a sharp, three-sided granite pyramid soaring above three glacial cirques. If you are looking for a rewarding ridge walk with wild scenery and a genuine feel of the Slovak mountains away from ski-resort crowds, this is your peak.
The summit dome is draped in open alpine meadows, offering views directly into the heads of the Krížska valley to the north, Vajskovská to the east, and Ľomniská to the southwest — the three cirques that give the mountain its name ('kotol' means 'cauldron' in Slovak). The northern slopes, carved by gullies and separated by rocky pillars, are especially dramatic under winter snow. Chamois roam these slopes year-round; Kotliská is one of their key refuges in the Low Tatras.
How to reach the summitBetween 1969 and 1974, chamois were reintroduced to the Low Tatras right here on the slopes of Kotliská — 28 individuals caught in the High and Belianske Tatras were released into the Ľomniská valley cirque. Their descendants still call this mountain home.