Zoos

Tatra Educational Park in Zakopane

Below the Wielka Krokiew ski jump, at Józefa Piłsudskiego Street 38 in Zakopane, lies a homestead where you can get to know the nature of the Tatras without entering a trail. The Tatra Educational Park combines a mini-zoo with a lesson in mountain biology: alongside domestic sheep and Carpathian goats live predators, deer and marmots, and everything is arranged so that children can watch from close, feed and stroke. Only a kilometre separates it from the border of the Tatra National Park.

The homestead below the Krokiew

The greatest impression is made by the marmot enclosure, equipped with a network of burrows and cameras that let you watch the animals underground as well — this part of the site also works as a research centre for the species. In the homestead await sheep, Carpathian goats and foxes, both the polar and the silver one, and in separate pens red deer and a herd of fallow deer. The animals can be fed under the eye of the keepers, which works best with the sheep and goats.

Shows and play

The programme includes dog sport shows and educational games for children, thanks to which a visit stretches over several hours. The location below the Wielka Krokiew makes access easy: the neighbourhood of Snowlandia allows the trip to be extended by further attractions in the same part of town.

In practice

The park lies in Zakopane at Piłsudskiego Street 38, about 3.5 km from Gubałówka and 3.8 km from Giewont measured in a straight line from the surrounding peaks. It is best to come in the morning, when the animals are active and the tourist groups have not yet arrived. The current price list is available on site or on tpe.edu.pl, and for a visit with children reserve at least two hours.