The Morskie Oko hike is one of those walks in the Tatra Mountains where the destination really makes the effort worthwhile. Morskie Oko is a special lake, surrounded by mountains that tower above the water, creating a view that is difficult to capture in a photograph.

Getting there takes some effort. From the parking area at Palenica Białczańska, it is about a 9-kilometre walk to the mountain shelter at Morskie Oko. Most of the route follows a paved road, so it is not a technically difficult hike, but the distance makes it a proper walk. Once you reach the lake, though, the view makes the effort more than worthwhile.

There is a trail leading around Morskie Oko, giving you different perspectives of the lake and the surrounding peaks. For an even more spectacular view, a very steep trail leads up to Czarny Staw pod Rysami. From there, you can look down on Morskie Oko from above, with the whole lake surrounded by the dramatic Tatra landscape.

I took quite a few photographs during my visit, but even the best ones cannot really show how beautiful this place is in person. The scale of the mountains, the changing colours of the water and the atmosphere around the lake are something that photographs can only partly capture.

The view from Czarny Staw is perhaps the most spectacular of all, and I will show that perspective in a future post. For now, if you’re considering the Morskie Oko hike, I’d say the 9-kilometre walk is absolutely worth it.

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If you enjoyed this view of Morskie Oko, visit the blog for more photographs and stories from my travels. I’ve only just started sharing my Tatra adventures, so there’s more to come.