Europe

Your passport must meet 2 requirements. It must be:

• less than 10 years old on the day you enter (check the ‘date of issue’)

• valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)

For the latest details on visiting countries within the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA), please check the UK Government website

The information that we provide is for UK passport holders. A passport with 6 months remaining validity at the end of your stay is generally required, and you should have at least 2 blank pages for each country that you visit.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents and visas for your holiday. Please ensure that you check for the latest advice before travel. For the most up to date information on entry requirements, please visit the UK Government website.

If you have a severe allergy please inform the KE office before you travel. We will do all we can to help, but we cannot guarantee an allergy free environment on KE trips. You will need to carry your own treatment for the allergy with you, as 'adrenaline auto-injectors' are not carried as standard by KE leaders and staff. You should inform your leader on arrival of your allergy, and let them know where you keep your adrenaline pen.

Vaccinations

You should contact your doctor or travel clinic to check whether you require any specific vaccinations.

GHIC / Medical cover

UK residents should carry a free Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). This entitles you to state provided medical treatment when you're visiting an EU country or Switzerland. This is not a substitute for medical travel insurance which is vital when travelling overseas.

The currency for part or all of this holiday is the Euro.

The unit of currency in Poland is the Polish Zloty.

It makes a lot of sense to spend some time before coming on a trekking or climbing trip getting some additional exercise.  The fitter you are, after all, the more enjoyable you will find the experience.  The best preparation is regular hill-walking with mountain walks every couple of weeks or so where you are out for 7 or 8 hours with several hundred metres of ascent.  Failing this, we would suggest that you adopt a weekly exercise regime leading up to your trip.  Running, squash and swimming are good for developing better stamina.  Whatever your exercise programme, we recommend that before departure, you try to fit in a number of long walks in hilly country.

The main season for mountain trekking in this part of Poland / Slovakia is from July to September and the weather is generally very good.  We can expect daytime, valley temperatures of between 20ºC and 25ºC, dropping to 12ºC or lower at night dependent on the altitude we stay.  As with any mountain area, there is always the risk of some poor weather, with rain and wind and the occasional storm.  However, this area usually enjoys a very pleasant and stable climate at this time of year.

As a reputable tour operator, KE supports the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's ‘Travel Aware’ campaign to enable British citizens to prepare for their journeys overseas. The 'Travel Aware' website provides a single, authoritative source of advice for all kinds of travellers and we recommend that before travel, all KE clients visit the official UK Government website at travelaware.campaign.gov.uk and read the FCDO Travel Advice for their chosen destination. North Americans can also check out the U.S. Department of State website: www.travel.state.gov for essential travel advice and tips.

KE treat the safety and security of all clients as the most important aspect of any trip we organise. We would not run any trip that we did not consider reasonably safe.  Should the FCDO advise against travel for any reason, we will contact everyone booked to travel to discuss the situation.  We receive regular updates directly from the FCDO and are in constant touch with our contacts on the ground.  If you have any questions about government travel advice, please call our office.

KE do not encourage the use of single use plastic items. We are ensuring that our agents all over the world are working together to reduce the problem and educate those around them. We are leading by example in our KE office by reducing our plastic use.

EKO-GRAF Polish and Slovak Tatra Mountains

This map covers the three main groups of the Tatra Mountains: the High Tatras, Western Tatras and the eastern Beliansk Tatry. Coverage extends from Zakopane in the north to the southern boundary of the Tatra National Park in Slovakia. West/east the map extends from the Sivy Vrch peak and Liptowsk Mikul to Tatransk Lomnica. Contours are at 20-m intervals and shading and graphic relief give a very detailed picture of the areas topography. Numerous peaks, passes, valleys, etc. are name, and waymarked trails are indicated. Also marked are cable cars and huts. Also included is a street plan of Zakopane showing main streets and an overview road map at 1:600,000 of the area between Krakw and the Tatra Mountains. The map legend includes English.

It is an essential condition of joining a holiday with KE Adventure Travel that you have a valid travel insurance policy to cover the cost of medical treatment and to protect the value of your holiday in the event of cancellation.  When taking out insurance please ensure the policy you choose covers you for the activities and altitude included in your itinerary.

For appropriate insurance cover we recommend Campbell Irvine Direct.  Please go to our Travel Insurance page for further information and to get a quote.

The following checklist should help you with your packing. As a general rule, you should always try to keep the weight of your equipment to a minimum.

You  should bring the following items:

• Walking boots

• Trainers or sandals (for hut use)

• Socks

• Spare laces

• Trekking trousers

• Lightweight waterproof overtrousers
  

• Underwear

• Shorts

• Baselayer shirts (at least one long sleeve)

• Shirt or mid-layer

• Warm fleece jacket or jumper

• Lightweight waterproof jacket

• Sun hat
  

• Warm hat

• Sunglasses

• Lightweight thermal gloves

• Daypack 35 to 40 litres

• Headtorch and spare batteries

• Sun protection (including total bloc for lips, nose etc.)

• Water bottles 1 litre (x2) (we encourage re-filling water bottles rather than single use plastic)
  

• Water purification tablets

• Minimal toiletries

• Antibacterial hand wash

• Small travel towel

• Basic First Aid Kit including : Antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoea treatment (Imodium) painkillers, plasters and blister treatment, Insect repellent (DEET), and re-hydration salts (Dioralite).

The following items are optional:

• Wet wipes

• Trekking poles

• Camera

• Pen-knife

• Travel clothes

• Small padlock (to lock trek bag)

• Earplugs (Especially if you are not the one snoring)

• Reusable cloth bag for shopping (to avoid plastic bags)

You will need to carry all of your personal gear for the 5 or 6 days that are spent in the Tatras. On account of this, we advise that you take a rucksack of around 40 litres capacity.
Note that bedding including sheets is provided in the refuges and, therefore, a sleeping bag is not needed. The refuges all have hot showers but towels are not provided.

Many of the equipment items listed above are available from Cotswold Outdoor - our 'Official Recommended Outdoor Retailer'. When you book a holiday with KE you will receive a 12.5% discount with Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Runners Need. The discount code can be downloaded from your MyKE account and you can use this code at the checkout, either in store or online.