Morskie Oko — Attraction in gmina Bukowina Tatrzańska

Morskie Oko is a precious magical place. Its in pristine condition with clear sparkling water, a basin nestled deep in the Tatra Mountains. We overnighted in Zakopane and set out for about a half hour scenic drive east to the designated parking. Unfortunately if you don't get an E-pass you don't get to park in the Morskie Oko parking lot (something the Info Center in Zakopane failed to mention). We parked in Słowacja on edge of the road among hundreds of other cars which apparently lacked that same info. About a 30 minute hike JUST to the starting point for Morskie Oko. We paid admission of 16 złotych for 3 people. On the right as you enter is a food stand. It has decent food but prices at about double of anywhere else. I was maybe 5th in line and got my food probably 45 minutes or later from stepping into to the wait line. The woman that handles food doesn't use gloves and handles money and food without any sanitary compliance. As I was working on food order my kids were in line for the horse buggies. I cannot recommend this enough. Thank God for the horses! They are well fit healthy and super conditioned animals. On the way down st around 7 pm - I asked the driver about some details. He shared there is 30 sets of double horses carts. This particular day each trekked the hill twice. They start at 5 years old and go up to 20. That tells me that they are well cared for and sound. The average number of tourists is 14k a day. With approximately 2k choosing to take a ride up the mountain. The horses go up with about 12 people on a light wooden cart and take something along that number of people down after which is a long break for the horses to eat drink and rest. The cost to go up is 70 zlotych per person and to go down is 50.( Its no longer nominal). It costs us 260 for 3 people to go up and come back down. The way down is mostly trotting as the gravity works by pulling the whole hitched team down. It saves time shoe leather and makes the experience more enjoyable by horse cart. I can't recommend it enough. Although we waited about 1.5 hour in a long line and group for the horse ride it was so worth it. The team of two horses maneuver the steep curvy yet well paved trail and you can admire the view and relax a bit. Once the get you to your spot its probably a 30 minute inclined walk to the lake. And once there its absolute heaven. You can still find a quiet spot to your self and really take in the view and...

The views. The views. The VIEWS!

It is so beautiful here, it really is.

Easy access to the entry point via many busses and services which run in Zakopane. We actually had someone drive around asking everyone if they were going to the lake. It was 10zl p.p.

5zl entry fee p.p. for the actual lake.

It takes a while to get up to the main lake if you're on foot (around 2-3 hours), or you can take a traditional horse-drawn carriage (50zl p.p). Highly recommend to take some decent walking gear (at least some good shoes) and some water on a hot day. There is a Tourist information centre about 1 hour into the walk, which sells energy bars and drinks (around 5zl each). There are also some portaloos around this point. The main walk follows an asphalt road and spirals around, although there are shortcuts (very uneven cobblestone). There are also other walkways which split off toward other viewponts.; These are signposted with the time it takes to walk to said viewpoint.

Once at the top you can take a rest and enjoy the views with a coffee and slice of cake from the Hostel (which also serves as a resting-point). There are also much better toilets here (2zl / 0.5€ to use them).

You can then walk all around the lake, which offers better views and less people (because it's packed full). Again this is on very uneven cobblestone, so some decent shoes are recommended. My partner and I managed it in plimsoll-styled shoes, but it's not the best.

Around the lake there are also little walkways that split-off toward viewpoints, which are signposted with the time it will take to walk to them.

On the way back down, you can also get a horse-drawn carriage, this time however it is 30zl p.p. Walking down is also about 2 hours.

Overall, you seriously need to go here if you're thinking of staying...

Such Breathtaking Beautiful Mountain Lake surrounded by gorgeous Tatra Mountains...wow!! We are so glad we did this experience!! I hiked here with my husband and 4 kids. My kids are 15,11,8,4. I forgot my stroller for my 4 year old so we all took turns giving him piggy back rides half of the the hike. He did well and walked half. So we were not too bummed about forgetting the stroller/pram. It's very pram friendly if you do bring it! It's 10 miles...16km roundtrip. 8km one way. We took the short cuts which you cannot miss them. Not pram/stroller friendly (the shortcuts) They are stoned paths that cut through the roads. Some reviews say they are brutal...they were fine for us. So possibly longer if you skip the shortcuts. The walk up...you can feel the incline but it wasn't terrible. Husband and I are both superfit (avid runners and strength training) people so this walk was not hard for us at all. The walk down is amazing...just gravity pushing you down the hill! Effortless walking. We enjoyed snacks in the little hut at the lake. The apple pies (more like cake) was delicious!! and potatoe pancakes too! The prices were reasonable. Nothing amazing but tasty after 2 hours+ walking uphill. We did this hike late November so very low tourist season. It wasn't terribly cold as my kids made me hold their jackets 2km into the uphill hike. We took the bus from Zakopane for 15 zloty each. The only part that was challenging was the last 2-3km stretch to the lake...was very icy from a recent snowfall. So we had...