The Valley of the Five Spiš Lakes is one of the most breathtaking glacial cirques in the Slovak High Tatras — a place where shimming alpine lakes nestle beneath towering rock faces that seem to scrape the sky. Home to the highest-altitude lakes in the entire Tatra range and framed by peaks exceeding 2600 metres, this valley rewards every effort it takes to reach it.

The valley floor is carpeted with distinctive roche moutonnée boulders — smooth, rounded rocks polished by ancient glaciers, the finest examples of glacial smoothing in the whole Tatra range. The five main lakes — Veľké (Great), Zadné (the highest at 2022 m), Prostredné, Nižné and Malé Spišské pleso — glitter like scattered sapphires across the granite basin. In summer the atmosphere is serene and bright; in autumn warm amber tones sweep across the slopes; in winter the valley becomes a raw, icy wilderness. Lomnický štít (2634 m), Ľadový štít (2627 m) and Baranie rohy (2526 m) loom above, while the valley is entered dramatically via the Zlaté Spady — a glacial threshold pitched at around 45° down which the Zlatá Siklawa waterfall thunders.

• Zamkovského chata hut — green trail along Malá Studená dolina to Téryho chata hut: approx. 1 h 45 min uphill, moderate difficulty
• From Téryho chata to Sedielko (Ice Pass): approx. 1 h 30 min, demanding
• From Téryho chata to Priečne sedlo via yellow trail (one-way): approx. 1 h 30 min, demanding

• The valley lies within TANAP — the Tatra National Park on the Slovak side; follow all park regulations
• Téryho chata mountain hut (2015 m) is located in the valley — advance booking is strongly recommended
• The yellow trail over Priečne sedlo is one-directional — check the current permitted direction before setting out

The Zlatá Siklawa waterfall cascading down the Zlaté Spady threshold has been inspiring visitors for centuries — in 1865 naturalist Marian Łomnicki described it as 'a ribbon whiter than the whitest snow, pouring from an immense height.' It still looks exactly that way today.