Pusta Kotlina is one of those rare High Tatra spots that rewards you with pure silence and untouched wilderness. Sitting at 2000–2100 m above sea level in the upper reaches of the Staroleśna Valley, this cirque shelters three mountain lakes and is framed by dramatic ridges — Świstowy Grzbiet, Świstowy Szczyt and a section of the Tatra main ridge. If you are looking for raw, off-the-beaten-path mountain scenery, this is it.

The landscape here is rugged and majestic. Rocky walls encircle the basin, where the three 'Puste Stawy' lakes rest quietly — the largest is Pusty Staw, slightly to the north-east lies Mały Pusty Stawek, and tucked into the southern part of the cirque is the small Puste Oko. In spring and summer, snowfields and jagged peaks reflect in the still water. Autumn strips the scene down to its bare, austere bones, while winter makes the cirque inaccessible and genuinely dangerous.

• No marked tourist trails pass through Pusta Kotlina — reaching it requires off-trail experience and solid knowledge of the Staroleśna Valley area.

• There are no marked hiking trails in the cirque — access is suitable for experienced mountaineers only.
• The area falls within the Slovak High Tatras and is subject to TANAP regulations regarding off-trail movement.

The name 'Pusta' means 'empty' or 'desolate' in Polish — and the cirque lives up to it completely, feeling like a place the modern world simply forgot to reach.