Tucked away in the Slovak High Tatras, Huncovská Valley is a wonderfully quiet alternative to the region's busier trails — a roughly 5.5 km long valley stretching from Kežmarský štít all the way down to the mouth of the Huncovský stream. If you are looking for genuine mountain scenery without the crowds, this is the place to be.
The upper section of the valley, known as Svišťovka, is particularly dramatic — hemmed in by the peaks of Huncovský štít, Kežmarský štít and Malý Kežmarský štít. A rocky transverse band called Huncovské Spady separates this alpine upper tier from the gentler lower slopes, where the valley gradually merges into the broad hillside of Huncovská Ubočina. In summer the Huncovský stream babbles pleasantly through the greenery; in autumn the slopes turn fiery with colour; in winter the valley becomes a silent, frosty wilderness — the first winter crossing of the upper valley was recorded as far back as 8 March 1906.
How to get thereThe valley takes its name from the nearby village of Huncovce, which once owned these mountain pastures — and hunters were already heading up here in pursuit of chamois at the very beginning of the 17th century.