Kláštorská Gorge and its waterfalls

Kláštorská roklina (Kláštorská Gorge) is one of the shortest but most picturesque gorges of the Slovak Paradise National Park in the Spiš region. It cuts through limestone from the Hornád River Gorge, where its stream joins the Hornád at about 520 m, up to the Kláštorisko plateau (744 m). The gorge is roughly 1.5 km long with a height difference of 224 m. The stream rises from a spring below Kláštorisko and, over this short distance, forms a whole chain of waterfalls. The entire gorge lies in the Hornád nature reserve under the highest, fifth level of protection.

The gorge takes its name from the Carthusian monastery on Kláštorisko, whose ruins await at its upper end. The place was known long ago: in 1927 a group of scouts tried to descend it, but without equipment they failed. The gorge was opened to hikers in 1960 — a year earlier the first rope bridge was strung across the Hornád Gorge at its mouth, ladders began to be installed and a descent path, today marked yellow, was dug. The driving force behind opening these places was Andrej Hric, one of the founders of the mountain rescue service.

Waterfalls and what to see

According to the Slovak and Polish Wikipedia, the narrow canyon holds seven waterfalls (from the bottom up):

• Discoverers’ Waterfall (Vodopád objaviteľov) — 11.5 m;
• Strakov vodopád — 13 m, the tallest, named after Anton Straka, author of guidebooks to Slovakia;
• Rainbow Waterfall (Dúhový vodopád) — 8.5 m, on sunny days a rainbow often hangs above it;
• Gustáv Nedobrý Cascades — 3 m (a teacher and promoter of hiking credited with the very name «Slovak Paradise»);
• Small Waterfall — 3 m, Mossy Waterfall (Machový) — 6 m and Carthusian Waterfall — 4 m.

The park’s tourist portal highlights three main ones — Strakov, Machový and the most beautiful, Dúhový. Above the floor of the gorge is the entrance to the small White Cave (Biela jaskyňa): a hall and two passages 26 m long in total. At the top on Kláštorisko you can visit the Kláštorisko – Carthusian Monastery Ruins (free entry, voluntary contribution to the restoration).

Getting there

The gorge is marked green and may be walked in one direction only — upwards against the flow of the stream, in about 1 hour. Two approaches lead to its mouth, each about an hour: from Podlesok (part of Hrabušice) along the blue trail via Hrdlo Hornádu and the path through the Hornád Gorge, or from Letanovský mlyn. The classic loop from Podlesok (10.5 km, 3 h 20 min, 328 m of ascent) runs, according to the official description: Podlesok — Hrdlo Hornádu (15 min) — Kláštorská roklina, mouth (1 h) — Kláštorisko (1 h) — Pod Kláštoriskom — Nad Podleskom — Podlesok. Near Podlesok there is the «Podlesok, rázc.» bus stop and a paid car park: €6 per day, €3 after 14:00 (daily April–October, in November only at weekends). A free car park is at the «Pri Starej horárni» junction, less than 2 km from Letanovce railway station. Nearby run the sections Kyseľ, mouth – Kláštorská roklina, mouth and Hrabušice, Mýto – Kláštorisko, hut.

This is not a pushchair walk: there are wet rocks, metal ladders, rungs and footbridges over the stream. School-age children with adults usually manage it, but sturdy shoes are a must.

Season, rules, safety

The gorge is open all year, but at high water after heavy rain the gorges are closed — Kláštorská and Zejmarská are the ones closed least often; the current status is posted on the park website, on hzs.sk and on the board at the entrance. In winter the ladders ice over, so crampons are recommended. Before entering you pay the fee for the technical facilities: €3 for adults aged 15–65, €2 for children aged 6–15 and people over 65, under 6 free (the ticket is valid that day in all gorges except Suchá Belá). Dogs must be kept on a lead and muzzled in the park, and a dog cannot climb the ladders. Walk only on marked trails; tents only in campsites. Mountain Rescue Service — 18 300 (or 112). Information as of October 2026.

Nearby

The mouth of the gorge lies in the middle of the Hornád River Gorge (Prielom Hornádu). To the west are the Suchá Belá Gorge, as well as Piecky, Veľký Sokol and Sokolia dolina with the Závojový waterfall.

Official website: npsr.sk

Photos: Honza Groh (Jagro), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; L. Bundy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Ladislav Luppa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.