Dolina Kościeliska (Kościeliska Valley),  time to walk -5 h

This is a half a day trip, an easy one, with the altitude difference at 180 metres. There are two car parks at the entry to the valley in Kiry One can also get to Kiry with one of the numerous mini buses operating in the area or a public bus.

Kościeliska valley is one of the most beautiful and most frequently visited valleys in the Tatra mountains. The first part of it up to Pisana Clearing is also available to horse carriages.

Half way through the valley is the Stare Kościeliska clearing, with a chapel called Zbójnicka (Highlands Robber's) that was in fact built by the miners. The legend says that there had been a church once, which resulted in the whole valley's name (kościół -church in Polish). South of the valley over to the left and eastwards goes a path to very popular Mroźna Cave (black trail). This is one a very few caves in the Polish Tatra mountains opened to tourists, the only one provided with electricity.

Apart from Mroźna Cave, there are also other caves – Mylna, Raptawicka and Obłazkowa (red and black trails, ascend from the valley takes 15 minutes, Mylna Cave viewing an hour). Still, there is much more in Kościeliska Valley to see and experience than the caves.

Smreczyński Pond offers a lot of peace and quiet for those, who want to rest. It is a stone’s throw from here to Tomanowa Valley with Czerwone Wierchy (green trail, 3,5 hour's walk). Right of the road goes a path to Mała Polana Orazańska and Ornak mountain shelter. The shelter (1108 m asl) was built in 1949. It has got some 100 beds, a big dinning room and a buffet bar. It is situated on the edges of Pyszna reserve, former iron mine, later a skiing area) presently not accessible to tourists and a mainstay of wild life. Deer and brown bears are often seen around the shelter.