Hiking Czech Republic Sumava Bohemia

Czech Republic

                                           

                                                Five day circular walk in Bohemia South-west, Sumava, Czech Republic

Getting there: South Bohemia is easy to get to by the highways of the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. Or a flight to Prague and by public transport to the start (130 km’s to go). 
Maps: Its no problem to buy good and useful walking maps in the Czech Republic. Kiosk’s and several shops have the maps of the surrounding on stock. On the maps the trails are shown in different colors (green, red, black or yellow). On trail the marks and colors are very good to see at trees, houses, walls, poles and traffic-signs. And all well maintained. At important crossroads there are often very beautiful (wooden) marks, on which you can find more information about the distance and the hours/minutes to walk. The Czech Republic is a prominent walking and hiking country.It doesn't matter where you want to walk: everywhere you will find the colored markings: beautiful or less beautiful landscape.......

Map: Šumava Železnorudsko, Olympus, edice KTT, nr. 64, scale 1:50.000
Accommodation: To find a place to sleep and eat gave some problems in the past, but nowadays (2019) there are more and more hotels, B&B’s and pensions. Enough. Free camping in the National Park is not allowed.

Easter 1990. A five day walk in the south of the Czech Republic, near Susice.
As many cities in the Czech Republic, Sušice, at the Otava-river, impresses with her beautiful old town…... 
Height on trail: 600 - 902 m.

Day 1: Sušice - Kasperske Hory* via Hrad Kasperk............14
Day 2: Kasperske Hory Rejštejn  
Day 3: Rejštejn - Prášily - Srni (or: Crni)................................24
Day 4: Srni - Stachy.................................................................24
Day 5: Stachy - Sušice.............................................................25

* In 1990 no place to sleep. Meanwhile (2019) this  little town - founded by gold diggers - is almost completely renovated and now you can find a variety of places to stay at night.

On trail: fortified buildings, castles, ruins, a track along the border of the Otava-river, great beer and a lot of silence. High above Kasperske Hory the castle with the same name. Stunning views, dense forests, creeks, wetlands, and some glacial lakes.
 

Near Kvilda on the slopes of Cerna Hora the most famous river of the Czech Republic springs:  the Vlatava, known to us as the Moldau. Near Rejštejn you'll find a nice path along the Otava river. The Otava river that flows into the Vlatava/Moldau, after a lot of bends, to flow through Prague. Where Smetana composed his famous work: a cycle of six symphonic poems, called Má vlast ("My Fatherland"). The first two, Vyšehrad and Vltava ( Moldau).

The national park was until 1990 only open for border guards, and not accessible for tourists or Czechs. As a result, the centuries-old park is well preserved and there have been few changes; the park is for the most part still in original condition. (Wikipedia)
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It's is a very nice route in a great hiking country!

Read more about "why hiking in the Czech Republic is so special" and about the National Park Sumava.

Click here for a report about our walk in Bohemia South (Cesky Krumlov)

Or, below, for a lot o photos from Kasperske Hory