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Paragliding in Tyrol

Five activities in Tyrol for body, soul and spirit

When you plan a vacation, it usually happens with one intention behind it: come to rest, find relaxation and switch off, or rather action, be in motion and experience something? We could join the Tyrol trip also did not decide and therefore took both with us! In Tyrol we were allowed to relax, in great accommodations, but above all in breathtaking nature. We never got bored during our activities because we were always on the move. Whether on foot on footpaths and hiking trails through mountains and valleys (also barefoot when bathing in the forest), on two wheels over hill and dale, climbing along steep walls or flying in tandem through the air.

The nice thing about it is that every traveler can decide for himself and herself how much sporting activities he / she likes. There are always options for alternatives. As is so often the case, it is the mixture: Moving and resting, listening and remaining silent, admiring nature and experiencing it. The culmination of the activities was that we got to know incredibly nice people who showed us their homes. After a week in Tyrol with activities close to nature in West and East Tyrol, body, soul and spirit were in harmony. Even after returning to Berlin, we still like to think back to the time and all that we experienced!

Forest bathing in Obsteig

In our first Accommodation in the star In the west of Tyrol we got to know the good soul of the accommodation, dear Elfi. She took us to the forest or larch bathing including the “mouth robber tour”.

Elfi and her larch bathing

She greeted us on the lecture with “Are you the bloggers?”, It seemed to have got around that Good travel arrived in Obsteig. We agreed the time and the meeting point for the next day and the anticipation grew. In the afternoon of the next day the time had come: with hiking boots, a drinking bottle and a backpack in which everyone stowed a hammock, we set off towards Klammbach. On the way into the forest, Elfi enthusiastically told us about the guests and special experiences she had with them.

Elfi grew up in Obsteig and knows nature there like the back of her hand. Even in her childhood she spent a lot of time in the woods around the village and came to appreciate them more and more. For several years she has been offering forest bathing to the guests of the star, who visit it with great enthusiasm and acceptance. We were also impressed from the start: consciously strolling through the forest, listening to its noises, paying attention to plants, moss, tall trees and observing animals. In the meantime we learned all kinds of things about different types of plants and trees and how they can be used as remedies. Elfi revealed that she uses ribwort, for example, when she has blisters or has been bitten by mosquitos. In conversations with the guests, Elfi always learns something new, for example from a botanist who showed her that orchids also grow in the forests.

Forest bathing in Obsteig
With Elfi in the forest

Barefoot through the moss forest

The pictorial idea of ​​forest bathing combines water and forest. After walking barefoot through the Mooswald at the Klammbach for a while - over moss, branches, leaves - we arrived at the Klammbach, whose water was incredibly cold, but at the same time a real refreshment. You could stay in it for a few seconds, cool your hands and then put your shoes back on, because the Larchwiesen were already waiting. So we continued on our way, this time it was a bit uphill and past buttercup meadows. Arrived at the Kohlanger Weide, we could start, that Larch bathing - Tyrolean for the jump into the cool, gentle green, namely the Larchwiesen around the accommodation.

After a few kilometers on foot, it was a relief to look for two larches to which the hammocks you had brought with you could be attached. And already you were lying there, in the larch meadow, on larches, in a hammock, in complete peace, surrounded by the chirping of birds and the blowing of the wind. It took us a few minutes to get used to the quiet, without human speech. But it didn't take long and you could completely submerge. In the truest sense of the word, because you were lying in the hammock with your eyes open, you could only see a crack up through the hammock, what you could see were the blue sky and the treetops of the larches. We were able to relax for a good half an hour until Elfi woke us up from swimming in the forest.

Off to the hammock after a fulfilling hike

From nature to your mouth

The mouth robber tour invites you to taste her in the herb garden and also wild in nature and to try herbs or berries during the walk or to cook them together later. The principle is: hand to mouth, consciously and regionally. During our tour we collected red clover, which Elfi presented to the star's kitchen, which she then used as a decoration for the next day's dishes. She also likes to collect meadow flowers or hay, which are then cooked into soups. By the way, mouth robberies take place all year round, what is stolen is something different depending on the season: in spring with strawberries and forest berries up to autumn with porcini mushrooms and chanterelles.

 

 

E-biking on the local mountain of Lienz Hochstein / Lienz Dolomites

In East Tyrol our trip became more and more adventurous. An e-bike tour was planned for the first day, the meeting point was the campsite Camping falcon in Lienz. When we got there, Manfred Lobenwein greeted us in his sporty cycling outfit and in a good mood. Manfred is a passionate and professional outdoor athlete who was born in Lienz and knows the area from every perspective: from the water, bike paths or from the air. He turned his passion for sport and the mountains into his profession and has been a guide since 2011 AIRTIME AUSTRIA for vacationers: bookable inside the region. We spent wonderful days with Manfred and experienced some adventures:

We had wonderful weather and after a brief greeting he presented us with our sporty companions for the next few hours: the most modern E-Mountanbikes 23 kilos each. Our route went via Leisach, in the direction of Hochstein up to the Moosalm, which is at 1.017 meters. There we took a short break at the clear, blue shimmering reservoir.

With our e-bike guide Manfred
Off to the mountain with the e-bikes

Over hill and dale, meadows and up to the Hochstein mountain

The more than three hundred vertical meters that we covered with the e-bikes led over hill and dale, meadows and up to the Hochsteig mountain. Manfred describes the Hochsteig as a sports mountain, on which there are now several downhill routes and trails. So too Peter Sagan Trailnamed after the Slovak cyclist. We took this direction via the women's start Rider Kirchl for our next stop. A beautiful chapel with a resting place awaited us there.

During the tour we could see how the city of Lienz got smaller and smaller, but the mountain panorama became more and more impressive. This is exactly what the rider Kirchl was able to marvel at. The rest area had a spring fountain where we could put our drinking bottles (in my case one soulbottle from GoodBuy) could fill up. The trail continued to the final destination of the Sternalm at an altitude of 1.505 meters. Once at the top, the Alm with its restaurant serves for relaxation; after the forces returned, we took the same route for departure. Then it was time to press the brake levers until we were finally back on the road.

Paragliding in Lienz

The next morning we met again with Manfred in Lienz, who this time had his colleague Marvin with him. On this day we wanted to go even higher, namely to 1.540 meters above sea level. To do this, we first drove our e-car onto the sun deck on Zettersfeldwhich is a popular ski area in winter. We hiked from the Faschingalm, which is at 1.662 meters, to the departure destination. There were two paragliders weighing 7,5 kilograms each, belts, helmets and other accessories that we carried up in backpacks.

The sun was warm and the mountain became steeper and steeper. But after a good half an hour we had reached the right altitude, about another 300 meters. Then it was time to take a deep breath and prepare the umbrellas. In the second step, we were excited about our guides, Manfred and Marvin, and instructed in how to fly.

And then it could really start: start running until, in my case, Manfred, with whom I flew, gave the go to stop, then I was allowed to pull up my legs and we floated through the air. The flight lasted 20 minutes and was just wonderful and peaceful at the same time. From above and at a slow pace I was able to look at the Dolomites and the landscape in peace and watch the city of Lienz. The flight made for such a pleasant feeling that lasted even after landing. To be honest, I was really proud of myself that I had the courage to fly and that it gave me so much pleasure.

When setting up the paraglider
When paragliding in Tyrol
Quay over the mountains of Tyrol

Climbing and swimming in Lienz

After paragliding we went to the adventure park on the Drauradweg, the Galitzen Gorge, which lies at the foot of the Lienz Dolomites. The park combines the unique nature experience of the water viewing path, where the power of the water can literally be felt, with climbing along rock faces on different difficulty paths. The Galitzenklamm is suitable for young and old, because there is also a climbing park with various (children's) courses to climb. Kai and Manfred opted for the "Adrenaline via ferrata”, Which lasts 2,5 hours and has a length of 1.100 meters via ferrata.

If you don't need another adrenaline rush after a tandem flight, do it like me and visit it Dolomitenbad Lienz. The outdoor pool offers a wonderful 360 degree mountain panorama with a sports pool and a large sunbathing area. There, what you have experienced can be digested and relaxed at the same time.

And then it was time to say goodbye to the most motivated guide that all of Lienz has to offer. Manfred always goes “full throttle”, but also pays careful attention to the fitness of his customers: inside and adjusts the tours on the e-bike or in the air accordingly.

Climbing in Lienz
Now is climbing
Challenge climbing
Tip: Dolomitenbad Lienz

Hiking in East Tyrol

It took about 15 minutes by car from Matrei in Osttirol to Tauerntal - of course, local public transport runs to the start of the various hiking routes that lead through the valley. Kai decided on the Innergschlöss glacier trail along the mountain range, which led him into the valley for around 1,5 hours. The path was partly closed by a thick blanket of snow, but thanks to traces of previous hikes: inside he could guess the path. Small streams meandered along the mountains everywhere, nourished by the meltwater from the surrounding mountains. Passing the rock chapel along the Gschlössbach, you finally reach Innergschlöss at an altitude of 1.691 meters.

The huts here are only inhabited and operated from April to November, as the roads are impassable in winter. From there, a number of other hiking routes start that lead to the Großvenediger glacier. As it began to rain (and the glacier was still closed due to the large amount of snow), Kai took a valley taxi back to the parking lot for 5 euros. So whoever comes to the end of his / her strength has the / he / she still has the opportunity to get back to the starting point.

During our trip we made several smaller hikes, depending on the weather. Among other things in the Hohe Tauern National Park, which shows crystal clear water, fresh alpine air and green landscapes, and is the largest national park area in the Alps.

National Park of the Alps

After the activities in Tyrol, body, soul and spirit are in harmony

In Tyrol we were able to bring body, soul and spirit into harmony: We were sporty, at more or less altitude and were allowed to admire the breathtaking nature, we could let our soul dangle, among other things, in hammocks in the larch forest, and allowed people and theirs get to know personal stories. A soothing massage or a Visit to the spa area in the Hotel Hinteregger have let the one or the other day fade away so that the body could recover - this also happens with delicious food. We are already looking forward to seeing you again soon, including the one with our guides.

 
Cécile and Kai in Tyrol

Cécile is a freelance author and sustainability strategist. She enjoys traveling to the fullest: getting to know different cultures, listening to other languages ​​and discovering new things either by the sea or in a (big) city always fascinates her. The stories and intentions of the Good Travel hosts are particularly important to her.

3 Comments

  • Verena

    We are also of the opinion that a relaxing holiday does not have to exclude sporting activities. Tyrol offers the ideal opportunity to combine exercise and adventure with relaxation. During the day we like to go hiking and take great photos for our constantly growing album, while in the evening we lean back in a chic chalet.

  • Lucy snow

    As a big fan of climbing, I am totally amazed by the beautiful holiday photos, thank you for sharing! Unfortunately, my hobby has been neglected a bit in the last two years. My pent-up demand is correspondingly high. I'm really looking forward to our forthcoming holiday in Tyrol! How good that so many holiday apartments are in an ideal location for active holidaymakers.

  • Ulrike

    I finally found the post on things to do in Tyrol that I needed. I will internalize the new information. Thanks for the great work!

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