SVK: Donovaly - An Ideal Place For Spending Active Leisure Time II.
The fact that Donovaly belongs to the best winter sport resorts in Slovakia, is generally known. On the other hand, hardly anybody knows that you can find there, with exception of beautiful nature, unnumerous attractions. Everybody could find there his topics, small od tall, idler or active sportsman, and even those persons who are looking for new adventures in a form of adrenalin experience. Today, let´s imagine briefly at least some types of madness, which are waiting for all Donovaly visitors. If you decide to spend your leasure time there, with your family or with your friends, for weekend only or for a week stay, you are recommended to test some of local attractions. You can enjoy much entertainment but you will have wonderful memories on the time spent there.
Habakuky - A Fairytale World
Habakuky, a fairytale village, was established in a locality, surrounded with wonderful nature, directly in the heart of Donovaly. Enchanting small houses, constructed from nature materials, got its inspiration from Paul Dobšinsky fables. It is a work of artist Palo Hadač. Each day, well known figures enlive there, thanks to skilful actors. So, you can really feel there as you were in fairy-tale. Feast hall (hodovna), amphitheatre, adjacent meadow or souvenir backyard (with all imaginable souvenirs) form a part of this area. This traditional shade of Slovak culture is added, during weekends, with people handicraftsmen, performing you with pleasure their art. So called „fairytale currency“ is valid there as means of payment. So, Gold Habakuk has the value of one Euro, and Silver Habakuk has the value of 50 cents. Main saison is lasting there since May till the end of September.
Rope railway to Nová Hola, actively used by skiers during winter saison, is in opeartion also in the course if summer tourist saison. It is fully on you, if you prefer to be transferred in eight-seats cabin or you enjoy marvellous outlook from open six-seats rope railway. In any case, this drive is really nice experience. Marvellous round outlook is expecting you upstairs. If you have suitable shoes, so, you are recommended to go on foot downstairs the village centre. Fresh air, beautiful nature, forest strawberries or blackberries are available, and beautiful outlook – all this is expecting you during your descend. The way to Donovaly centre takes one hour approx. Anyway, if you decide to undertake longer tour, do not forget to pack into your rucksack bottled water, some sweets and, of course, also impermeable dress or supplementary dry pair of socks, as the weather in mountains could be very inscrutable. Just after Nová Hola, you can expect Donovaly Fun Arena. Every car-driver will be surprised in positive way, as the parking for all vehicles is free of charge.
Just at low rope railway station you can see a platform of bobsleigh route. This, from the first view, children way of entertainment, will be attractive for you, for sure. The drive could be really an adrenalin experience. The route is nearly 900 metres long. You can overcome, during the drive, eleven windings and seven jumps. If you you are not so courageous to finish such crazy drive, it does not matter that you have to give up the drive completely. It is fully sufficient, when the speed could seem for you to be rather unpleasant, to draw brake pedal and the carriage will slow its movement. But, attention: do never stop fully on route and do not disembark the carriage. Even the idlers could not be afraid of getting sweat, as the towage will draw you upstairs, and the way downstairs will be quite smoothly.
Rope Railway Centre and Climbing Wall
Monkey Way - this is a name of actually the longest and biggest rope railway centre in Slovakia. You can find it inside a forest, just close to main road E 77, joining Ružomerok and Banská Bystrica. So, courageous persons can expect six climbing circuits of different difficulty stages, with total length exceeding 500 metres. Just below rope railway centre, 14 metres high climbing wall is situated.
Trampolines
Although it could seem, from the first view, that trampolines are exclusively children entertainment, it is not true. So, everybody could try to jump on one from eight units. No age difference is limited, the only factor is a body-weight, limited with 80 kgs. So, do not hesitate, leave your barriers and try it! I wish to recommend you to do it, from my own experience. You can fully enjoy your adrenalin experience but also you can do something positive for your body. Except of this, the children can use four bungee trampolines, where the jumper is fixed with construction by means of straps and rubbers. So, the kids can try, without any risk, various somersaults or safely jump up to the height of seven metres.
Donovaly from Birds´ View
You can also test there the courses of paragliding flying. Nevertheless, if you have the desire only, to test paragliding only, you can - during fine weather conditions, when it does not rain, snow or no strong wind is blowing – to have, together with an experienced instructor, fly through from Nova Hola downstairs. So, my first contact with paragliding, I experienced, was just in Donovaly. To tell the truth, a couple of years passed since that time but always when I arrive there, marvellous memories return to me. It is true you are afraid of negative experience and adrenalin before your starting, but afterthat, nice feelings that you ovecame yourself, and later you can enjoy amazing sentiment from flying. Although I made even independent flights, do believe me, the first feeling (sentiment) remains in your memory for ever! This feeling is marvellous and unrepeatable!
The entertainment does not finish even in the night
If you are not groggy from stay in fresh air in the mountains, so, you can choose from much more possibilities, as far as the evening and night entertainment is concerned. You can visit disco directly in relax centre. On the other hand, more competitive persons could try their chance in bowling centre, where you can also try to play billiard or air-hockey. You can also find there laser shooting range or golf playground. In general, this is only partial survey, what Donovaly is able to offer you. One fact is obvious: nobody will feel to be bored.
Text/photo: O. Kubáčková
Translation: ing. Jan Jonáš
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