National parks in Slovakia

High Fatra national park (národný park Veľká Fatra)
Most of it lies in the southern part of the Žilina Region and a small part in the northern part of Banská Bystrica Region. The national park and its protective zone comprise most of the Greater Fatra Range (Slovak: Veľká Fatra) which belongs to the Outer Western Carpathians. 
The National Park was declared on 1 April 2002 as an upgrade of the Protected Landscape Area (Slovak: Chránená krajinná oblasť (CHKO) Veľká Fatra) of the same name established in 1972 to protect a mountain range with a high percentage of well-preserved Carpathian forests, with prevailing European beech, which cover 90% of the area in combination with ridge-top cattle pastures dating back to the 15th - 17th centuries, to the times of the so called Walachian colonization.
In places there are also relict Scots pine forests and the Harmanec valley is notable as the richest Irish yew tree location in Central and probably all Europe. NP Veľká Fatra is also an important reservoir of fresh water thanks to high rainfalls and low evaporation in the area. The core of the range is built of granite which reaches the surface only in places, more common are various slates creating gently modelled ridges and summits of the so called Hôlna Fatra and limestone and dolomite rocks creating a rough and picturesque terrain of the so called Bralná Fatra.
There are also many karst features, namely caves, Harmanec Cave being the only one open to the public. Various rocks and therefore various soils, diverse type of terrain with gentle upland meadows and pastures, sharp cliffs and deep valleys provide for extremely rich flora and fauna.
All species of big Central European carnivores live abundantly there: brown bear, gray wolf and Eurasian lynx.
The area is popular with tourists, mainly hikers and trekkers as there rather few resorts, located outside the National Park. The UNESCO World Heritage village of Vlkolínec with well-preserved log cabins lies nearby.

Low Fatra national park (národný park Malá Fatra)
Malá Fatra National Park (Slovak: Národný park Malá Fatra) is a national park in the northern part of the Malá Fatra mountains called Krivánska Malá Fatra. It has an area of 226.3 km² (87.37 mi²) and a 232.62 km² (89.81 mi²) buffer zone. The park was declared in 1988. Between 1967 and 1988 it was a protected landscape area.

Low Tatras National Park (národný park Nízke Tatry)
located between the Váh River and the Hron River valleys. The park and its buffer zone cover the whole Low Tatras mountain range. 
The National Park covers an area of 728 km² and its buffer zone covers an area of 1,102 km², which makes it the largest national park in Slovakia. It is divided between the Banská Bystrica Region (Banská Bystrica and Brezno districts), Žilina Region (Ružomberok and Liptovský Mikuláš districts) and Prešov Region (Poprad District).
The park was established in 1978 and at first covered 811 km², and the buffer zone took 1,240 km²; 2 051 km² together. Its borders were adjusted in 1997, reducing total area to 1,830 km². The highest peak is Ďumbier (2,043 m or 7,063 ft). Four major Slovak rivers rise below the Kráľova hoľa peak: Váh, Hron, Hnilec and Hornád

Tatra National Park (Tatranský národný park)
The west part of the Tatra National Park is situated in the Žilina Region and the east part in the Prešov Region. The Tatra National Park is located in the area of the Western Tatras (Západné Tatry) and the Eastern Tatras (Východné Tatry). 

The Western Tatras are divided into Osobitá, Roháče, Sivý vrch (literally Grey Mountain), Liptovské Tatry (Liptov Tatras), Liptovské Kopy, Červené vrchy (Red Mountains).
The Eastern Tatras consist of High Tatras (Vysoké Tatry) and Belianske Tatras (Belianske Tatry).
There are more than a hundred of mountain lakes (tarns) in the park. Veľké Hincovo pleso is the biggest one with an area of 0,2 km² and the deepest one with 58 m. 
The most popular waterfalls include Studenovodské vodopády, Kmeťov vodopád, Vajanského vodopád, Roháčsky vodopád, and Vodopád Skok.
The highest point in the park is Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 m ASL, highest peak in Slovakia, the Tatra Mountains and the Carpathian Mountains. 
Bystrá is the highest mountain in the Western Tatras at 2,248 m ASL, and Havran (literally Raven) is the highest point in the Belianske Tatras at 2,152 m ASL. About 300 caves are situated in the park but only one is open to public - Belianska Cave

Muranska planina national park (národný park Muránska planina)
One of the youngest national parks in Slovakia. It is situated in Central Slovakia, in the districts of Brezno and Revúca, in the Banská Bystrica Region. It protects the area of Muránska planina (Muráň Plateau), which is geologically part of the Slovenské rudohorie mountain range. 
The National Park covers a total area of 203.18 km² (78.45 mi²), and its buffer zone covers 216.98 km² (83.78 mi²). The core of the park consists of the limestone and dolomite plateau with karst formations. The overall length of karst landscape from the settlement of Červená Skala (part of Šumiac) to the town of Tisovec is about 25 km.
There are more than 150 notable caves, which are inaccessible to the public. The highest point is Fabova hoľa at 1,439 m AMSL, however, a higher peak, Stolica at 1,476 m is located in the buffer zone. Flora in the National Park is notable for its biodiversity and species richness and includes 35 endemic and sub-endemic species, for example, Daphne arbuscula. Forests cover about 90% of the area.
Tourist attractions include 300 km of marked hiking trails and two educational trails. The best access to the park is through the surrounding villages and settlements, for example Muráň and Závadka nad Hronom

Poloniny National Park
The park is located in the Snina District in the Prešov Region. It is adjacent to the Bieszczady National Park in Poland, together they are part of the East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. 
The highest point lies at 1,208 m (3,963 ft) AMSL on a point where the borders of Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine meet, near the summit of the mount Kremenec. National Park is the easternmost and the least populated area of the country.
Hiking trails starts from several villages, most notably Nová Sedlica but also from Runina, Topoľa and Uličské Krivé

Slovak Karst National Park (národný park Slovenský kras), listed in UNESCO
The highest peak is Jelení vrch at 947 m AMSL. Important rivers are the Slaná,  the Štítnik and the Turňa. The Slovak Karst lies in the north temperate zone and has a continental climate with four distinct seasons. 
The area is composed of several layers of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite, beneath which there is non-permeable sandstone, limestone and slate. The plains are covered by oak-hornbeam forests, the hills by oak forests and the karst pits by spruce forests. Beech forests are in the northern parts.

Slovak Paradise National Park (národný park Slovenský raj)
The Slovak Paradise is a plain with high plateaus (800 - 1000 m AMSL). 
The highest mountain is Ondrejisko at 1,270 m. The area is mainly built of karst limestone (Geravy, Glac, Pelc and Skala plains) and dolomite (Tri kopce).
The climate is moderately cold. Typical features are canyons and ravines (Sokol, Suchá, Belá, Piecky and Kyseľ), which form picturesque rocky scenes with waterfalls, and which were created mainly by the rivers Hnilec and Hornád. 80% of the area is covered with spruce forests combined with yew-trees.

Among the caves, Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa (Dobšinská Ice Cave) and Medvedia jaskyňa (Bear Cave) are the best known ones. There were many settlements of woodcutters, colliers and smelters in Slovenský raj once, which were turned into tourist centers, for example Dobšinská Maša, Dedinky, Mlynky, Stratená.
Notable and rare animals include the brown bear, Golden Eagle, Common Kestrel and the black stork. Quite common are red deer and wild boars.


Pieniny National Park (národný park Pieniny)
Pieniny National Park  is a national park in northern Slovakia. 
The park is located in the western Pieniny Mountains on the border with Poland. It is the smallest national park in Slovakia with an area of 37.5 km² (14.48 mi²) and its buffer zone covers an area of 224.44 km² (86.66 mi²).

It lies in the districts of Kežmarok and Stará Ľubovňa in the Prešov Region.
The park was founded on 16 January 1967, and its borders were adjusted in 1997. It is famous for its natural beauty, especially the Dunajec River Gorge, which is a popular rafting and hiking location.
The park offers traditional folklore and architecture, especially the village of Červený Kláštor with the Museum of National Culture.

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