We were wating for it and we hoped the weather was going to be good. We were not disappointed.
We went to Sromowce as early in the morning as we could. Or as we managed to. Cause the closer to noon it gets, the more people there are waiting for their turn. And the queues are looong.
We got to Sromowce, parked our car and headed straight to... well, I was going to say cash office, but in fact we went to the end of a long line leading to the cash office. Yes, the line was long, but it was proceeding fairly quickly. You have to buy a ticket to get through, and no, you can't do it via the Internet.On your ticket, you will find a number of boat that you'll be rafting the river in. A fee for entering the national park is included in the ticket price.
We found our boat, there were already some people waiting there with us. The boat takes roughly twelve people, apart from the two men driving (manouvering?) it down the river. The guy is called flisak (in Polish. Flisacy is a plural). We kept waiting for the last people to hop onto our boat, cause we couldn't leave without them. The last person to board has a small piece of paper that they give to the main flisak, so that he knows we can start our trip. We were trying to find it, but noone had one. After ten to fifteen minutes, finally, the last people from our boat appeared and we could start the trip.
The trip usually takes a little more than two hours. But the speed depends on the water level. If it's high, the raft is shorter. If it's low, it takes a little more time. It was low. It took us about three hours. But it was fun. For most of us ;)
The main flisak was talking almost all the way. Telling us stories, describing what we could see, sharing legends with us. Or simply anecdotes. Or jokes. Or any other made up things. He was so much fun. In Polish only, though. We had four Hungarians with us on the boat, co we know he could hardly speak English. But he was trying, so that's a plus. And I was trying to help wherever he couldn't do it.
He let the kids steer the boat, too. And not only kids. Adults could try that, too. Obviously, just in places, where it was save and, frankly speaking, where they couldn't do it wrong. The kids also got some... "equipment" (a cut out part of a big juice or milk bottle) that they were supposed to use in case of water getting on board. That was just to keep them occupied for a minute. But turned out to be a great toy for them on the way, too.
After some reading, talking, steering, and whatever else there was to do, all three kids on the boat ended up leaning over the edge of the boat with their hands all in water. Apparently, that was so much fun.
Since it was raining heavily in Slovakia the day before, right when we reached a small river or creek (more of a creek, probably) getting into the waters of Dunajec... Well, you could easily tell which waters belonged to Dunajec and which to that little creek. Cause they were moody, brown, and not at all transparent.
But the views are to die for. You get there, in between the mountains, turning right, left, not knowing if the mountains you're seeing in the distance will end up on your right or on your left (there's such a quiz at some point during the raft)... You feel so small. You can feel the power of nature.
The beginning. Some boats arriving to pick up passangers, others departing already.
That doesn't change.
Steering and reading.
The Three Crowns and some building and a bridge in Sromowce Niżne
The Three Crowns in the distance. You can see the change in water colour.
A bird. A black bird. On the rock. No, not a real one.
The four of us.
Working hard. Or hardly working? He loved that anyway.
Sokolica summit.
You can do some canoeing there as well.
Have you ever tried rafting on Dunajec? Or maybe in any other place, worth recommending?
