Morskie Oko

Morskie Oko is a lake in the Tatra national park, about half an hour drive outside Zakopane. It is fairly worth the ride though, as this is a very beautiful place.

The minibuses (see my review on how to reach Morskie Oko) drop you of at the entrance of the national park. From here on your walk to the lake starts. To enter the park you must pay a small admission fee of about 3 PLN, and dogs or motorized vehicles are not allowed.

The walk to Morskie Oko is about 8 to 9 kilometers long. You can do it on foot (it is a little steep but not much) or take a ride by horse carriage. Most people walk up, but the horses have a busy job too, bringing people up and down. I don't know the right prices for those, but it is said that trips up (to the lake) are more expensive than trips down. It is though easy to walk, even without proper walking shoes. You don't have to be a hiker to make this trip at all. The road is paved with tarmac and therefore the route is quite boring. That is the only downside about it.

Arriving at the lake is though very rewarding. There are plenty of places to eat here (just 1 kilometer before the arrival, and at a wooden house just beside the lake). Several walking routes start from here too. It is a bit useless to walk to the lake and than just walk back. The sights from the arrival point are nice but the most beautiful views are to be seen from the other sides of the Morskie Oko.

Luckily there is a very easy, yet rocky walking path around the lake. It isn't hard but it can't be done with, for example, a buggy. I can't remember how much time it took us to walk around. I don't think the walk takes that long, but we stopped several times and also got off route at some points, so we took longer to enjoy the scenery.

To end I just wanted to say I absolutely enjoyed this day trip. Morskie Oko is a beautiful place and a very nice day trip from Zakopane. Hightly recommended!