Nižné Tomanovské pleso is a small glacial tarn tucked away in the Tomanovská Valley, the upper branch of the Tichá Valley in the Western Tatras. It's a modest lake by size - just 40 m long and 29 m wide - but its remote setting near the Polish border gives it a wild, untouched charm.

The surroundings are covered in grass and dwarf pine, with the slopes of Liptovská Tomanová rising to the southeast and Poľská Tomanová to the southwest. The Polish-Slovak border runs just 100 m to the west, adding a distinct frontier atmosphere to this quiet corner of the mountains. The lake feeds the source stream of the Tomanov brook, which further downstream tumbles over the scenic Tomanov Waterfall. In summer, alpine grasses and shrubs bring the area to life, while autumn paints the valley in golden hues.

How to get there

• A red-marked trail once led from Rázcestie pod Tomanovou 100 m north to Tomanovské saddle and on into Poland, but it was decommissioned in 2008.

Practical information

• The tarn is currently not accessible to the public - there is no marked trail leading directly to it.
• The lake lies right next to the Polish-Slovak state border.

This makes Nižné Tomanovské pleso one of the rare Tatra lakes that remains largely untouched, precisely because it stays off the beaten path.