Świnica

2,302 m

Poland, Slovakia

Also known as Svinica, Seealmspitze, +1

Svinica · Seealmspitze · Svinica / Świnica

Elevation: 2,302 m
Prominence: 356 m
Difficulty: 4/10; Alpine hike
Best Season: Jul–Sep
Routes: 2

RegulationReported 19 May 2021
Tatra National Park reopened the Zawrat–Świnica section of the red trail on 1 June 2021 after rockfall repairs, as a one-way trail towards Świnica only. Descending from Świnica to Zawrat, and so the ridge link from Kasprowy Wierch to Orla Perć, is not allowed. The rule remains in force.
portaltatrzanski.pl

Routes

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SACT4ScrambleNormal route

Sources differ: Difficulty 3 of 5, chains (natatry.pl) · Świnicka Przełęcz–summit 3/5; Kasprowy–Świnicka Przełęcz 2/5 (tatromaniak.pl)

The easiest and most popular way up: from the Kasprowy Wierch cable-car station along the main ridge over Beskid and Liliowe to Świnicka Przełęcz (2,050 m), then 250 m up the south side of the summit pyramid on a chained trail across Żleb Blatona, through the notch Wrótka and up a short, exposed summit block. About 3.5 km and 1 h 40 min one way.

Elevation Profile

Distance: 3.0 km; one way
Ascent: +470 m; −148 m lost on the way up
High Point: 2,302 m
Time Up: 2h 14m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 1h 49m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Take the cable car from Kuźnice in Zakopane to Kasprowy Wierch (about 1,985 m), or walk up. Follow the red trail east past Sucha Przełęcz (the yellow trail to Hala Gąsienicowa branches left), over the rocky top of Beskid (2,012 m) and down to the pass Liliowe (1,952 m), the boundary between the Western and High Tatras (25 minutes). A wide path, partly paved with stone slabs, traverses the slopes of Skrajna Turnia and passes Pośrednia Turnia on its right to Świnicka Przełęcz (2,050 m), where the black trail from Hala Gąsienicowa joins (25 minutes). Above the pass the red trail climbs steep stone steps and switchbacks near the ridge, then turns south to a short gully with the first chain. It descends slightly to traverse Żleb Blatona for about 100 m on chains: technically easy but often wet, and the gully ends in a vertical drop just below the trail. A red arrow marks the left turn up through the narrow notch Wrótka (about 2,220 m, chains); on descent, take care to turn into the gully traverse at the right place. Above Wrótka the trail slants across the south face over blocks and chained slabs on the Cicha Dolina side to the junction with the one-way trail from Zawrat just below Świnicka Szczerbina Wyżnia. The last few minutes climb a nearly vertical, chained rock step and a short, narrow, exposed ridge to the main summit (2,302 m). Allow 50 minutes from the pass. Descend the same way (Wikipedia gives 40 minutes from the summit down to the pass). Descending to Zawrat is prohibited: the Zawrat–Świnica section is one-way towards Świnica. Alternatively descend from Świnicka Przełęcz on the black trail to Hala Gąsienicowa and Kuźnice. The summit dome is extremely dangerous in thunderstorms, as lightning strikes the chains.

Start

Kasprowy Wierch1,980 m

Kuźnice–Kasprowy Wierch cable car
Zakopane is served by train and bus; local buses and minibuses run to Kuźnice (check current services), then the cable car to Kasprowy Wierch.

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Kasprowy Wierch → Świnica	3.0	470	148	2h 14m

Waypoints

Lift:
Kasprowy Wierch1,980 m
Top station of the cable car from Kuźnice
Feature:
Beskid1,991 m
Col:
Liliowe1,951 m
Col:
Świnicka Przełęcz2,048 m
Feature:
Wrótka2,050 m
Narrow chained notch; on descent, turn into the gully traverse here (not on route line)
Summit:
Świnica2,302 m

Key Passages

Beskid and Liliowe
Traverse below Pośrednia Turnia
First chained gully above Świnicka Przełęcz
Żleb Blatona traverse
Wrótka
Chained summit step and narrow ridge

Equipment

0/5 packed

Mandatory by Regulation

TPN entrance ticketnational park entry fee, payable all yearMandatory

Technical

Crampons and ice axesnow patches in early summer and any time from autumn to springRequired

Safety

Helmetcrowded chained sections; stones knocked down by other walkersRecommended

Footwear

Mountain boots with good grippolished, often wet rock in Żleb BlatonaRequired

Clothing

Waterproof and warm layersRequired

Downloads

Route confidence 85%

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Overview

A broad granite pyramid (2,302 m) on the Polish–Slovak border, the first major summit of the High Tatras' main ridge east of Kasprowy Wierch. A marked trail with chains reaches the top from the cable car in under two hours, which makes it one of the most visited, and most accident-prone, peaks in the Tatras.

Świnica (Slovak Svinica) stands where the main ridge of the Tatras turns at a right angle, above three valleys: Dolina Gąsienicowa and Dolina Pięciu Stawów Polskich in Poland and Tichá dolina in Slovakia. It has two summits 11 m apart: the main south-eastern top (2,302 m by the 2022 survey, formerly 2,301 m), which carries the trail and the border, and the north-western 'climbers' summit' (2,291 m), which has no trail. Its 350 m north and east walls are a popular climbing ground; the side ridge running east towards Zawrat carries the start of Orla Perć.

The usual ascent is the red trail from Kasprowy Wierch along the ridge to Świnicka Przełęcz and up the south side of the summit pyramid. It is short but serious: chains protect a traverse of Żleb Blatona, a gully that ends in a vertical drop just below the trail, the notch Wrótka and a near-vertical step below the summit. The approach from Zawrat, much harder and more exposed, has been one-way (towards Świnica) since 2021.

The ease of reaching the ridge by cable car brings many unprepared visitors. Around 30 people have died in the massif, and TOPR recorded 31 rescue interventions on Świnica between 2003 and 2010. The usual causes are snow patches that linger into late summer, straying off the trail where gentle ground ends in cliffs, slips on wet rock and thunderstorms: the isolated summit and its chains attract lightning.

Climbing Notes

Comfortable for experienced mountain walkers with a head for heights; not for Tatra beginners or children. From the cable car allow 1 h 40 min up and a little less down; from Hala Gąsienicowa about 3 hours to the top. Start early: afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, and the summit with its chains is a lightning trap. Turn back if the rock is wet and slippery or if snow lies in Żleb Blatona.

The Zawrat–Świnica section may only be walked towards Świnica; you cannot descend from Świnica to Zawrat or link Kasprowy Wierch with Orla Perć along the ridge. Do not leave the marked trail: the summit is on the border with Slovakia's TANAP, and the gentle-looking south slopes end in cliffs.

July to September is the reliable season. Snow patches linger below Świnicka Przełęcz and in the gullies into early summer, and from October to May the route becomes a winter climb needing crampons, ice axe and avalanche awareness.

History

Stanisław Staszic attempted the peak in 1805. Austrian survey officers reached the lower north-western summit in 1822. The main summit was first climbed on 22 July 1867 by Eugeniusz Janota, the guide Maciej Sieczka, Bronisław Gustawicz and Stanisław Librowski, via Świnicka Przełęcz; Sieczka found the key passage through the notch later called Wrótka. The first female ascent followed in 1868. The Polish Tatra Society marked a trail in 1885 along the first ascensionists' line and extended it to Zawrat in 1889–1893. Jerzy Maślanka made the first winter ascent, solo, on 30 December 1907. On 15 August 1939 a lightning strike on the summit dome set off a rockfall that killed six members of a scout group, the worst storm accident in the Polish Tatras. In May 2018 a large rockfall from Niebieska Turnia destroyed the Zawrat–Świnica trail; it reopened on 1 June 2021, one-way only.

Season

Best Jul–Sep

January: Not advisable
February: Not advisable
March: Not advisable
April: Not advisable
May: Not advisable
June: Possible
July: Best (best window)
August: Best (best window)
September: Best (best window)
October: Possible
November: Not advisable
December: Not advisable

Jan: Winter conditions; for experienced winter mountaineers only
May: Snow on the summit pyramid; a fatal fall on snow in Żleb Blatona occurred in May 1948
Jun: Snow patches below Świnicka Przełęcz and in the gullies
Jul: Afternoon thunderstorms; start early. Very busy
Aug: Afternoon thunderstorms; start early. Very busy
Sep: Fewer people than in midsummer
Oct: First snow and ice on the chains

Access & Permits

Permits

Tatra National Park (TPN) entrance ticketRequired
Payable all year at park entrances such as Kuźnice, or online. Since 1 March 2025: 11 zł one day (5.50 zł reduced), 55 zł for seven days.
tpn.gov.pl

Hut Booking

Schronisko PTTK Murowaniec on Hala Gąsienicowa is the nearest hut; book directly with the hut.

Fees

TPN entrance: 11 zł per day (reduced 5.50 zł), prices in force since 1 March 2025
Kuźnice–Kasprowy Wierch cable car (separate ticket)

Rules

The Zawrat–Świnica section of the red trail is one-way, towards Świnica only (since 1 June 2021); descending from Świnica to Zawrat is prohibited
Leaving marked trails is prohibited in the Tatra National Park; the summit lies on the border with Slovakia's TANAP, and there is no marked trail from the Slovak side

Getting There

Zakopane

Kraków John Paul II (KRK); Poprad-Tatry (TAT)

Train or bus to Zakopane, then local bus or minibus to Kuźnice
Cable car Kuźnice–Kasprowy Wierch for the normal route
On foot from Kuźnice to Hala Gąsienicowa (Murowaniec) for the black-trail approach

Hazards

Exposure
Rockfall
Weather
Avalanche

Huts & Shelters

MurowaniecHutStaffed
1,500 m