Skrajna Giewoncka Baszta is the highest and most striking rock tower of Mały Giewont in the Western Tatras, clearly visible from Zakopane as a rugged silhouette along the ridge. Its elevation is what most maps actually list as the height of Mały Giewont, since it appears the tallest point when viewed from the valley.

The formation is built of sedimentary rocks - limestones and dolomites - and has an unusually complex structure. Five ridges and rock ribs radiate from its summit, separated by deep gullies such as Żleb z Progiem, Szary Żleb and Dwojak. The western slopes drop into Dolina Małej Łąki, the northern ones into the Warzecha gully, and the eastern ones into Żleb Kirkora. It's a wild, rocky landscape appreciated mostly by climbers, though every hiker passing below on the trail can admire its dramatic profile.

How to reach the summit

• The red trail from Przełęcz w Grzybowcu to Wyżnia Kondracka Przełęcz runs along the south-western foot of the tower and crosses its western rib - this route does not lead to the actual summit.
• An easy approach to the top is only possible from the Bacuch pass side - all other faces drop away in walls and rocky ribs requiring climbing experience.

Practical information

• Reaching the actual summit is a climbing route, not suitable for regular hikers - the marked tourist trail only passes at its base.
• Several climbing routes exist on the massif, including through Szary Żleb and along the eastern rib, first climbed in the 1980s and 1990s.

Already in the 19th century, climbers Karol Potkański and Mieczysław Karłowicz explored these rocks, though they left no written accounts of their ascents - leaving a bit of mystery around this dramatic peak.