Watch your step

The Tatra Mountains cut a sharp figure against the blue sky ahead as we traverse this angular ridge. Though it tops out at just above 8,700 feet, this subrange of the Carpathians contains the highest terrain you'll find here in Poland, as well as in neighboring Slovakia. The two nations' border passes over the prominent peak ahead, Świnica, but the whole range is united under the banner of UNESCO. In 1992, the agency declared the Tatras an international biosphere reserve, highlighting its steep karst features and almost 1,300 species of plants.