• Route No. 1 – “Oak” (B): Ideal for beginners and intermediate climbers. This route leads over rock walls and offers a safe but still exciting climb with a beautiful panorama of Nitra and the surrounding area.
• Route No. 2 – “Birch” (C): A moderately demanding route that will test your courage and skills. It contains steep passages and exposed sections that will raise your levels of adrenaline.
• Route No. 3 – “Traverse” (A/B): An easier route suitable for those who want to enjoy climbing without exerting too much effort. It traverses the rocks below their summit and offers fine views of the surrounding landscape.
• Route No. 4 – “Rope Bridge” (B): An interesting route leading over a rope bridge, which provides a unique experience and exquisite views of the surrounding area.
• Route No. 5 – “Rock Wall” (C/D): A more demanding route for experienced climbers. It contains steep and exposed sections that will test your strength and endurance.
• Route No. 6 – “Spider” (D/E): A very demanding route intended only for experienced climbers. When viewed from the top of the rocks, it resembles a spider web and offers an extreme adrenaline experience.
• Route No. 7 – “Bird” (D/E): Another highly challenging route for experienced climbers. In the Zoborské vrchy mountains you can come across several species of birds, and this route will allow you to feel like one of them.

Access to the via ferratas is possible from several directions. It is recommended to park at the ARTin guesthouse, from where the blue hiking trail leads to the via ferrata turnoff. Here you can also rent the necessary equipment, which is mandatory for climbing. Climbing is possible from 1 May to 30 November. A seasonal closure applies during the winter.

You can enjoy a different kind of adrenaline rush on night tours with burning torches at the Museum of Prehistory in Bojnice. Mysterious tours of the original prehistoric site of the Bojnice Neanderthals are possible from April to October, on scheduled days and in good weather. You’ll also find a wooden maze in Bojnice that covers an area of 800 square metres. It is open from April to October, and organised groups can arrange a visit even out of season and outside opening hours.

A visit to Mysterium Bojnice is one way to enliven any trip to this spa town. It offers a truly unique experience – firewalking, or walking over glowing embers – but also popular logic games, which are great fun for families or groups of friends. The essence of the attraction is a thematically decorated room with riddles and secret hiding places, which the participants of the game gradually find and solve.

You have one hour to solve the room’s mysteries. Finding the keys to the secret boxes, understanding symbols and courage in your decision-making are the conditions for opening the exit and conquering the game. There are indoor games to choose from: Alchymista (The Alchemist), Rád modrej ruže (The Order of the Blue Rose) and Salónik (The Parlor). Mysterium also offers outdoor games: namely Bojnická veštica (The Bojnice Fortune Teller; also available in English) and William Brown.

Whether you are a complete beginner, a freerider or a downhiller, Bikepark Mýto Ski & Bike will satisfy your expectations of perfect downhill cycling with varying levels of difficulty for every age category. Together with your bike, you’ll ride on a 4-seater chairlift to the start, where the fun can begin. Aside from the downhill trails, the resort also offers unique children’s bike trails for little adventurers and a host of family attractions, such as buggy rides, a maxi trampoline, a water mist, a jumping hill, summertime tubing and a pump track.

You can also try out the dynamics of your ride on the newly opened Breznianske cycling trails. These are narrow, one-way forest trails and paths, specially adapted for riding by experienced bikers. You’ll find both natural and artificial obstacles on the trails that require technical skills and add adrenaline to the ride. On the downhill stretches, you’ll also gain speed, which adds to the difficulty. Your skills will further be tested by switchbacks, as well as drops and larger rocks.

The Horehronie also offers an unforgettable adventure on the water. Jump into a raft or kayak and set off to explore the Hron River, the second largest river within Slovakia after the Váh. It springs below Kráľová hoľa peak and after 289 kilometres flows into the Danube in Štúrovo. It is only minimally affected by human activity, which is why it is often sought after by boaters. Journeys along the Hron are possible from early spring to late autumn. You can enjoy a river rafting trip on a single day, but you can also plan a two- or three-day rafting trip with your family or a corporate teambuilding. Transportation, boats, paddles, accessories and complete service will be provided on site.

A visit to the Jaskyne mŕtvych netopierov (Cave of Dead Bats), which got its name after speleologists found hundreds of thousands of bat bones in it, can be a truly unique experience. This is the only accessible high-mountain cave found under Ďumbier, the largest peak of the Low Tatras. It is estimated to be some 6,000 years old, and in the bowels of the cave you’ll experience genuine speleotrekking. The sightseeing route for tourists, with rock paths and rope trapeze belays, is one kilometre in length and is suitable for children aged 8 years and older. On the more challenging routes, you can further experience rappelling or climbing through narrow cracks under the supervision of professional speleologists in a caving suit with a belay belt. You can access the cave easily from the Trangoška chata cottage, where you can park your car.

For young and beginning climbers, there are children’s via ferratas in the Zvonička area in Nová Baňa, where they can try out climbing under safe conditions. These via ferratas are of moderate difficulty (B and C) and lower in height. Rope bridges and nets, rock climbing with wooden and rope passages and falcon nests; these are the elements where they will learn the fundamentals of climbing and find out whether they can overcome their fear of heights. The Bufet Zvonička provides via ferrata sets and refreshments with seating right next to the ferratas.

Foto: archív OOCR Turiec

Lovers of adrenaline should definitely not miss the Ferrata HZS Martinské hole when visiting the Turiec. This is a marked tourist trail located in the beautiful surroundings of the Lôčanská Mala Fatra and is one of the most sought-after ferrata routes in Slovakia. It begins as a classic hiking route through the valley of the Pivovarský potok stream, but in the upper part transforms into a secured route of difficulty level B or C. When built, the Ferrata was the first secured route of its kind in Slovakia, and its creation is linked with the initiative of members of the Mountain Rescue Service, the Kriváň Skialp Club and enthusiastic volunteers who decided to bring a modern way of mountain tourism to Slovakia.

The use of complete via ferrata equipment is mandatory during the entire climb, as it ensures maximum safety for tourists. The route is an ideal choice for anyone who wants to try via ferrata and admire the beauty of Slovak nature from a different perspective.

You can also experience an adventure in the heights of the Segoland rope centre in Martin. This sports area offers 30 obstacles of varying difficulty, which are located several metres above ground. The routes are adapted to different age categories and skill levels, from easy ones for the smallest children to demanding circuits for adults.

The Turiec also offers many options for cycling enthusiasts. A popular destination is the Jasenská dolina valley, and a real attraction is Bikepark Jasenská. It offers excellent routes for all ages, from family cycling routes to adrenaline rides, and thanks to the available cable car, you can enjoy nine cycling routes of varying difficulty. There is also a hiking trail leading to the top of the park at an elevation of 680 metres, where a panoramic view of Lysec awaits you. The Bikepark is open from May to September, during weekends and holidays.

Foto: archív Segoland

Foto: Ivan Kobida

At the top of the trails you’ll find the Cyklochyža shelter, where you can relax, take a nap or just enjoy the silence of the forest. The entire area is carefully marked, so you can plan your rides according to your level of fitness.

If you desire adrenaline at heights, visit WALLHALLA, a unique climbing world in Stará Ľubovňa. The climbing hall offers a top-notch climbing and a bouldering wall with various levels of difficulty. For beginners, there are lines with top belays on belay devices, while experienced climbers can test their strength on the bouldering sectors Walkíra, Thor, Odin and Ragnarok. A separate climbing wall is intended for children, where they can safely take their first steps in climbing.

You can also experience adrenaline on the water while rafting on the Dunajec River, which forms the border between Slovakia and Poland. A ride down the river on a inflatable raft offers a unique view of the beauty of the national park Pieniny národný park.

The diverse nature, hilly terrain and a well-marked trails offer ideal conditions for those looking for a big dose of adrenaline while riding on two wheels. The Šariš has something to offer cyclists of all levels, be it a natural singletrack full of jumps and technical passages or fast flow trails offering beautiful views. Two popular destinations for mountain bikers are the Šariš cycling circuit near Prešov or the single trails on Lysá in Čergov, which offer forest trails for experienced riders. Cyclists here can look forward to steep climbs and descents, sharp turns or root-passages that will test their technique and endurance. The trails are adapted to different skill levels, so riders can choose between easier trails for advanced levels or more challenging trails for professionals.

The Rope Centre in Prešov is a great place for families with children to actively spend their free time. It offers rope obstacles of varying levels of difficulty, safe children’s rope courses and climbing walls, where both young and old can compete. Older kids and adults can try out adrenaline challenges at higher levels, while the youngest will enjoy fun and safe attractions.

Foto: Visit Košice

The network consists of 15 trails totalling 25 kilometres in length in categories from Easy up to Caution, but most of which are of medium difficulty. You will also appreciate the clever names of the trails, which are closely related to local locations and jargon – discover the singletracks Drž hubu (“Shut your mouth”), Hriešny (“Sinful”), Zlatokopka (“Gold-digger”), Lesmír (“Forest space”) or Bedľa (“Parasol”).

You can test your physical endurance during rock climbing and indoor climbing on the climbing walls of Košice. The indoor sports facilities offer large spaces, climbing walls, bouldering walls and rental of the complete technical equipment needed. Local sports clubs also regularly organise climbing courses and children’s clubs for recreational climbers and young talents.

What’s more, when conquering the high walls of eastern Slovakia you can also meet passionate climbers in the famous Slovak Karst formation. Due to its monumentality, the Zádielska tiesňava gorge is a popular location for hiking and adventure climbing. Arm yourself with genuine technical equipment and enjoy routes with attractive names, such as Cukrová Homoľa (“Sugar Loaf”), Zmývač krvi (“Blood Washer”), Májová veža (“May Tower”) or Mesačná stena (“Moon Wall”).

Don’t miss adrenaline-filled adventures on the water either. The mighty Hornád River will welcome you with its magnificence and the untamed nature surrounding its currents. Float the fifth longest river in Slovakia with the local paddlers on courses for paddling, rafting, canoeing and kayaking or school trips and team building events. You’ll experience previously unknown moments on the water, bravely set off on the activity Prielom Hornádu (“Hornád Breakthrough”) with departure from Hrabušické Mýto, or raft the Hornád with a route from Kysak, Ždaňa and Družstevná pri Hornáde.

Foto: Visit Košice

Foto: Visit Košice