Bile Karpaty

The White Carpathians run along the Slovak border in south-eastern Moravia, a range of flysch ridges and broad valleys, and what makes them internationally significant is not the hills but the meadows. Centuries of mowing without fertiliser on lime-rich flysch soils produced species-rich hay meadows that hold world records for small-scale plant diversity - counts of more than a hundred vascular plant species in a few square metres have been recorded here, among the highest measured anywhere. Orchids grow in enormous numbers on the best sites, with lady's-slipper, military and monkey orchids among the species, and some meadows carry tens of thousands of flowering spikes. The area is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, shared with Slovakia. The meadows survive only because they are still cut; abandonment is the main threat and conservation mowing is organised across the reserve. Villages here keep a strong folk tradition.

What's there

• Record-breaking meadows - among the highest small-scale plant counts measured anywhere.
• Orchids in tens of thousands - lady's-slipper, military and monkey orchids on the best sites.
• Flysch ridges - broad valleys and long slopes along the Slovak border.
• A shared biosphere reserve - designated with the Slovak side.

When to go

May to June for the orchids. Two days.

Practical notes

The flowering season is short and shifts with the weather. Meadows are working land - do not walk into them off paths. Public transport is thin. Some reserves restrict access during flowering.

Nearby

Straznice and its open-air museum are west; the Slovak border runs along the ridge.

Key facts