An interesting sound floats over the meadows, dotted by violet flowers. It is strong as a roar and melodic as
a song.
Yodelling.
So the shepherd´s boys called their herds down from the pasture and passed messages to the neighbouring
valleys. Or maybe even to the Alps.
Midway to the Alps, where Upper Austria rubs shoulders with the Steiermark, is a mountain range. Rax.
A garden of the Alps. Where, in the area of 4,000 m2 remarkable flowers bloom.
It is a foothill of the Alps.
Halfway to the High Tatras, the only Slovak alpine type mountain, the Chočské vrchy mountains are spread.
They connect the Malá and Veľká Fatra Mountains with the Western Tatras.
They bulk out the Liptovská dolina valley, and gaze down to the Liptovská Mara water reservoir. There are
meadows with sheep cropping the grass, and shepherd dogs playing with them.
One of the most beautiful mountain ranges in Slovakia.
The mountain range with no ridge tour, but with karst rock formations and deep valleys. The 1,611 m high
Veľký Choč mountain is its highest peak. Here you can camp and watch the sunrise over the nearby Prosečné,
Lomno, or Pravnáč mountains.
The eastern part of the mountains is characterized by bottomless and wild canyons.
The most beautiful are Prosiecka and Kvačianska valleys.
On this morning we took a deep mountain breath and found ourselves in front of Vráta (the Gate), the
entrance to the 4 km long Prosiecka dolina valley, embedded between the massive mountains of Lomno and
Prosečné. Using mountain ladders, chains, and bridges we reached a grassy plain called Svorad. With colourful
butterflies over our heads and ringing sheep bells floated in the air from afar. The hiking path continued,
opened to the panoramic views of green rounded hills, until we took a break in the Veľké Borové village.
Following the burbling stream we admired the Kvačianska dolina valley, cut into the dolomite and limestone
rocks between the Čierna hora and Ostré mountains and running parallel to the Prosiecka dolina valley.
The landmark in the upper part of the valley is called Oblazy, with an unique, ancient, and nearly forgotten
wooden water mill, surrounded by the mountains.
And our curious legs continued, we raised our eyes along the steep canyon walls, more than several hundred
meters above. Amazing! We saw the rock formation of Jánošík´s head, which even cries on rainy days.
After tasting the beer from the local brewery in Kľačany village, we took the hiking path back. We walked
through the forest, we walked thought the meadow with buzzing bees until the Liptovská Mara, or the “sea of
the Liptov region”, the largest Slovak artificial water reservoir, showed its beauty.
And sitting on its bank, watching the sunset and mountains reflecting on its surface, we realized the garden of
Slovakia is the Liptov region. Because earth laughs in flowers.
