Dolinka pod Kołem is a small yet striking valley in the High Tatras, forming the upper tier of the famous Valley of Five Polish Lakes. It's a rewarding spot for hikers who want to escape the crowds gathered in the main valley below and experience a raw, glacially carved landscape in its purest form.

The valley is enclosed by the slopes of the main ridge, stretching from Walentkowy Wierch to Świnica, and to the north by the ridge running toward Zawratowa Turnia, where the legendary Orla Perć trail begins. At the bottom of the glacial cirque lie two small lakes - Zadni Staw and Wole Oko - linked by a small stream and surrounded by massive boulders left behind by ancient rockfalls. The scenery is impressive in every season: in summer the two-level structure of the glacial cirque is clearly visible, in autumn the surrounding peaks take on rusty tones, and in winter the whole basin turns into a stark, white wilderness.

How to get there

• From the mountain hut in the Valley of Five Polish Lakes toward Zawrat - approx. 1:40 h uphill, 1:30 h downhill, demanding route with some scrambling sections
• Zawrat marks one of the endpoints of the Orla Perć trail, from where you can continue on to the Gąsienicowa Valley

Interestingly, some researchers, such as Stanisław Lencewicz, believed that before the ice age this valley belonged to the system of the Cicha Valley - though Mieczysław Klimaszewski proposed a different theory about the original course of the Roztoka Valley.