The Gerlachowski Kocioł is one of the best-formed ancient glacial cirques in the entire Tatra Mountains — a wild, rugged hollow that catches the eye from miles away thanks to its distinctive shape. Sitting at an elevation of 2,010–2,140 m above sea level and covering around 0.4 km², it is cradled by the ridges descending from Malý Gerlach. If you are looking for raw Tatra wilderness away from the crowds, this cirque delivers exactly that.

The floor of the cirque is strewn with scree, and its southern side is closed off by an almost level ridge of stadial moraine dropping toward the Stos valley. There is no visible stream draining the area, giving the landscape an otherworldly, almost lunar quality. In autumn, when the first snow dusts the surrounding ridges and the air turns crystal clear, the views are absolutely breathtaking. In winter the cirque lies silent and white — a solitude first appreciated by Miklós Szontagh Sr., who became the first person to visit it in winter between 1873 and 1880. In summer, an unmarked path crosses the cirque on the way to Gerlach, the highest peak in the Tatras.

• Velická dolina (Velická Valley) — unmarked path through the cirque toward Gerlach; difficulty: demanding — access permitted only with a licensed Tatra mountain guide.

• Entering the cirque and continuing to Gerlach is permitted only with a licensed mountain guide — this is a strict requirement, not a recommendation.
• The path is unmarked; independent travel in this terrain is both prohibited and dangerous.
• After the powerful storm of 19 November 2004, the cirque became clearly visible from the 'Road of Freedom' (Cesta Slobody) — a great vantage point if you want to admire it safely from below.

Fun fact: the cirque's unmistakable shape was so striking that Polish authors in the mid-19th century called the nearby Malý Gerlach 'Kotłowy Szczyt' — the 'Cauldron Peak' — a name that still lives on in Slovak place-name tradition today.