Little Fatra - Mała Fatra

Dolné Diery

Little Fatra - mountain range, located on Slovakia, in the Western Carpathians. These mountains are approx. 50 km long and approx. 20 km wide. Lesser Fatra is a heterogeneous range, as it is divided by the Vah River into two parts: north-eastern (Lesser Krivanska Fatra) and south-west (Lesser Luczanska Fatra).

Great Krivan

The highest peaks of Mala Fatra are: Wielki Krivan (1709 m above sea level), Mały Krivan (1671 m above sea level), Chleb (1646 m above sea level) and Hromové (1636 m above sea level).

The relief

Zázrivá

The range is famous mainly for limestone and dolomite rock formations in the form of either massive rocky peaks, such as Wielki and Mały Rozsutec, or massifs with numerous rock outcrops, cliffs and rock towers, caves, as well as deep, narrow gorges with rapid streams, rapids rockeries and waterfalls, the most famous of which are the so-called Diery (Dolné, Nové and Horné). Not less noteworthy are the scenic ridge sections, covered with vast meadows and long, deep valleys covered with forests. In Fatra Krivanska the highest peaks are rocky, and the gables in the main ridge are covered with large shepherd pastures, in Fatra Luczańska there are fewer pastures, these are Martinské lobbies and pastures covering the ridge parts of the peaks: Krížava, Kľak, Veľká lúka, Veterné.

Tourism and Recreation

Hiking

Ďurciná

Mala Fatra is attractive in terms of views and has well-developed tourist facilities. She is often called Tatra Mountains in miniature, however, it is not as crowded with tourists as they are. It can also be dangerous, as recalled by the symbolic Mountain Victims Cemetery in Mala Fatra.

The main starting point for Krivanska Fatra is the village of Terchová with a rich accommodation base (hotels, excursion houses, private accommodation, a large autocamp). From Terchová you can drive to the car parks in the depths of the Vrátna valley, from where many hiking trails start and the lower station of the Vrátna - Chleb gondola lift. The total length of marked hiking trails is approx. 150 km. They start not only in Terchová, but also in numerous places around Mala Fatra, and these places usually also have accommodation facilities. There are car campsites in Terchová (Nižné Kamence), Varín and Rajecké Teplice. The ascent to the highest peaks of Mala Fatra can be tedious, as the height difference sometimes reaches 1,300 m. This is made easier by the gondola lift from Vrátna, which takes tourists almost to the main ridge of Krivan Fatra. This ridge is led by a red, very scenic hiking trail (a section of the international hiking trail E 3 from the Atlantic to the Black Sea).

Skiing

The Mala Fatra region is also one of the best developed areas in Slovakia in this respect. It is also visited by skiers from Poland. Numerous downhill skiing competitions are held here. The main ski resorts are:

  • Martinské hole in Luczańska Fatra, near the town of Martin. There is a chairlift and 6 drag lifts.
  • Vrátna dolina in Krivská Fatra with 3 centers: Vrátna, Starý dvor and Grúň. Gondola lift, chairlift and several T-bar lifts
  • Malá Lučivná. Chairlift and 5 T-bar lifts
  • Rajecká Lesná
  • Zázrivá. 2 T-bar lifts

Localities

The largest towns situated at the foot of Mala Fatra are: