See the Czech Republic on foot – the most beautiful areas and landscape

Into the wild in Šumava

While the oldest of the four national parks in the Czech Republic, declared in 1963, is in the Krkonoše the largest is the Šumava National Park. This vast, long mountain area offers rare peat bogs, glacial lakes, the remnants of primeval forest, medieval castles guarding the border and technological heritage sites, the most important of which is the Schwarzenberg Canal.

Hire an experienced guide and venture out into the hidden places of the park, where you can see lynxes, grouse, deer and many other rare animals roaming free in the wild. These expeditions are physically demanding and take place in all conditions Due to limited capacity, places on tours must be reserved in advance via the registration system on the Šumava National Park website.

Contact details for local guides are also available at tourist information centres across the whole of Šumava. These guides organise shorter, less demanding excursions to places the average tourist often doesn’t know about. Take your pick from trails focusing on nature, animals and plants, technological sights or the inhabitants of Šumava and their history and culture.

See animals in the wild

Unique in Central Europe, a Šumava nature safari has been created for lovers of spectacle. Take your place in special cabins to observe stags, roe deer and other animals in their natural habitat. This guided safari, lasting about two hours, is free of charge and open to groups of up to thirty people. All you need to do is reserve in advance by telephone with the National Park administration. Animals can also be photographed from all cabins.

In winter you will mostly see stags. Unable to find enough food in the wild, they come for beetroots, carrots and apples left out for them at known spots. A much more varied range of species can be seen in summer, including for example roe deer, wild boars, foxes, badgers and several species of.

Stags can also be viewed in the special winter reserve in Srní. We recommend booking tours in advance at +420 731 530 429.

Guided tours of the Bohemian Switzerland and Podyjí

The newest national park in the Czech Republic (at the moment) is Bohemian Switzerland, which connects to the Saxon Switzerland National Park across the border in Germany. The Krásná Lípa visitor centre includes a modern interactive exhibition and also gives you the opportunity to organise an itinerary with guides. Excursions to the Hřensko gorges, views over Jetřichovice or the Pravčická brána, symbol of Bohemian Switzerland, complete the interesting range of options from people who know the national park like the back of their hands.

You can also take a guided tour to the most beautiful places and tourist routes in the Podyjí National Park. Information on all trails, from family trails to more demanding routes to all-day programmes for proficient hikers is available from the national park visitor centre in Čížov.