The Kościeliska Valley: caves, Smreczyński Staw, the hut and Ornak

If the Chochołowska is the longest valley, the Kościeliska is the most varied. A single walk takes in limestone rock gates, caves you can explore on your own, a gorge, a lake hidden in the forest, and a hut from which you can set off for peaks over two thousand metres.

From Witów it is a few minutes by car to Kiry. That makes the Kościeliska the natural second destination after the Chochołowska — and the one that usually takes guests a whole day.

The Kościeliska Valley in figures

The caves: five open to visitors

These are the valley's main draw and the chief reason families with children come here. Five caves are open to visitors: Jaskinia Mroźna, Smocza Jama, Jaskinia Mylna, Jaskinia Raptawicka and Jaskinia Obłazkowa. Marked paths branch off the main track to reach them.

You need your own torch, ideally a head torch so your hands are free. The caves are cold and wet even in high summer, so it is worth having an extra layer and boots that do not slip on damp rock. Some passages are low and narrow, which can be a problem for anyone claustrophobic.

Wąwóz Kraków

A side gorge in the limestone, reached by the yellow trail from Polana Pisana. Walking it takes about 50 minutes and passes Smocza Jama. It is one of those places that looks completely unlike the rest of the valley: high rock walls, shade and cool air even on a hot day.

An option for anyone with half a day in the valley who would rather see something off the main track that everybody else is walking.

Smreczyński Staw

A small lake hidden in the forest, reached in about 30 minutes from Stara Polana, climbing roughly 70 metres. A short detour off the main route, and it feels like an entirely different place: quiet, dark, spruces reflected in the water.

It is the best addition to the walk for anyone heading to the hut anyway. It costs an hour there and back, and it is one of the most photogenic spots in the whole valley.

The hut on Hala Ornak

The PTTK hut on Hala Ornak stands at 1,100 m, 5.5 km from Kiry. The walk takes about 1 hr 35 min along a gentle track, so it is within reach of people who do not walk in the mountains regularly.

For most visitors it is the destination. For those who want to go further, it is the point from which trails fan out onto the Ornak ridge, towards Iwaniacka Przełęcz and on to the high peaks. Bystra (2,248 m) and Błyszcz (2,159 m) are among those accessible from here.

Climbing Ornak

Ornak is 1,854 m and is one of four summits on the ridge of the same name; the highest is Zadni Ornak (1,867 m). The green trail runs from Iwaniacka Przełęcz along the whole ridge over Siwa Przełęcz and the Siwe Turnie as far as Liliowy Karb. Walking that section takes about 2 hr 20 min, and the return about 1 hr 55 min.

The simplest way to arrange it is as a loop: along the valley floor to the hut, the yellow trail up to Iwaniacka Przełęcz (1 hr 15 min from the hut), and from there onto the ridge. The summit is flat, grassy and rocky, with a panorama that the dwarf pine is slowly growing over.

This is a full day's route and one for people who are fit. Leaving Kojsówka right after breakfast gives you a comfortable margin to get back before dusk.

Crossing into the Chochołowska Valley

Iwaniacka Przełęcz (1,461 m) is the most practical link between the two largest valleys in the Western Tatras. From the hut on Hala Ornak the climb takes 1 hr 15 min, the descent the other way 50 min, and from the pass down to the forester's lodge in the Chochołowska Valley about 1 hr 10 min.

That lets you walk both valleys in one day without retracing your steps. For guests staying in Witów the opposite direction is more convenient: start at Kiry and come down into the Chochołowska, which is closer to home.

Practicalities: what to take and what to remember

• A head torch, if you are planning the caves; without one, visiting them is out.
• A warm layer: the caves are cold whatever the weather outside.
• Bicycles are banned in this valley; transport is by traditional horse-drawn cart.
• The valley lies within Tatra National Park, so an entrance ticket is required and dogs are not allowed.
• The car park at Kiry is paid and in season fills up before midday.
• Leaving the marked trails is forbidden, including at the caves.

A ready-made day from Witów

Breakfast at Kojsówka, an early drive to Kiry, the valley floor with a detour to one cave, then Smreczyński Staw and lunch at the hut on Hala Ornak. Returning the same way puts you back in the early afternoon, leaving time for the hot tub and an evening in the garden.

The more ambitious version: the same, but on from the hut to Iwaniacka Przełęcz and the Ornak ridge. In that case allow for getting back towards evening, and keep the head torch in your pack for the way home too.