Lodowy Stawek — 'Ice Tarn' — is the highest permanent mountain lake in the entire Tatra range, tucked away at 2,157 m above sea level in the rocky Lodowa Valley. Small in size but enormous in atmosphere, this is one of those places that stays with you long after you've descended.

The tarn measures just 73 by 73 metres and reaches a depth of about 4.5 metres, yet its setting is breathtaking. Surrounded by stony moraines and steep rocky walls, it sits well above the treeline in a raw, alpine landscape. In summer the water gleams under an open sky, but even then you may find ice floating on the surface — exactly as the Polish explorer Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski noted back in 1886, writing that it is 'almost always covered with ice and snow'. In spring and autumn the tarn is almost entirely frozen, adding an otherworldly quality to the already dramatic scenery.

• Téry Hut (Malá Studená dolina valley, Slovakia) — red trail, approx. 30 min to Lodowa Valley junction, difficulty: moderate
• From the Lodowa Valley junction onwards to Ľadové sedlo pass — approx. 45 min, difficulty: demanding

• The tarn lies within the Slovak Tatra National Park (TANAP) — stay on marked trails at all times.
• Weather at this altitude changes rapidly — bring warm layers even in summer.

Fun fact: there is another tarn slightly higher up at 2,207 m called Barani Stawek, but it dries out seasonally — making Lodowy Stawek the undisputed champion of permanent Tatra lakes.