Rustic alpine pastures, real wilderness and fantastic views

Crystal clear glacial streams and historical trade routes, ibex and marmots, emeralds and thousand-year-old stone pine trees: Hohe Tauern National Park is a natural paradise, unsurpassable in terms of beauty, wealth and diversity. Around the highest mountains in Austria, outdoor lovers, families, pleasure hikers and ambitious alpinists can enjoy one of the most fascinating and exciting landscapes on earth. Well-marked paths lead into the 13 national park valleys, to hidden alpine pastures, to glacial ice avalanches and to the peaks of the 'Three Thousands'. If you do not want to set out on your own, you can join a guided tour with knowledgeable national park rangers: With their knowledge, they are able to open up a completely new world for hiking guests.

The 3,798-metre-high Grossglockner - Austria's highest mountain - extends its flanks protectively over Hohe Tauern National Park. Vultures circle imposingly in the Rauriser valley, the cool glacier wind blows from Schmiedingerkees onto Salzburg's highest viewing platform, and the Krimml waterfalls tumble down hundreds of metres. With 266 three-thousand-metre peaks and 342 glaciers, nature has a dominant role to play. The largest nature reserve in Central Europe beckons you to discover its treasures and secrets on wonderful hikes: Activities on offer include family-friendly alpine walks, natural history excursions and high-alpine mountain tours in the glacier zone. Hiking becomes a holistic experience for body, mind and soul.

Enjoy breathtaking views in unspoiled nature
Around the 120 alpine pastures, the melodious ringing of cow bells sets the tone: On the way there, blueberries wait to be picked and enjoyed and fool's gold glistens in the waters of many of the streams. Wherever you turn your gaze during your hikes in the Hohe Tauern National Park holiday region, the uniqueness of this landscape opens up, and is a delight, not only for nature lovers. Hohe Tauern is also a real treasure trove historically: It was a Celtic settlement area with mule tracks testifying to the arduous trade in goods across the Alps, and miners mined here for centuries for emeralds, gold and silver.

Hohe Tauern Panorama Trail - at eye level with Austria's mountains
From summer 2021, the "Hohe Tauern Panorama Trail" will be a new, top-class long-distance hiking experience. In ten daily stages, hikers cover a distance of 150 kilometres from the starting point at the foot of the Krimmler waterfalls to the Schmittenhöhe, high above Zell am See. You can spend the night alternately in the valley or in the mountains - at eye level with Austria's highest mountains. The trail leads across the Kitzbühel Alps: Mountain railways or shuttle services can be used along the route at stages, and luggage transfer can also be booked, to offer maximum convenience. On the way there are natural spectacles, interesting exhibitions, well-kept national park locations and attractive excursion destinations. www.hohetauerntrail.at

18 towns and 13 national park valleys beckon you to enjoy a wide range of hiking trails
Whether its crossing the Tauern, observing wild animals, or geological excursions - the range of activities on offer in Hohe Tauern National Park holiday region's 18 villages and 13 valleys, is rich and varied. The network of hiking trails leads from the outer zone, with a cultural landscape that has been cultivated for centuries, to the core zone of the national park with its original natural landscape.

Special hiking tips from the national park locations for summer 2021

• Großarltal: Hike from Hüttschlag to Schödersee, a wonderful, periodic mountain lake
• Bad Gastein: "Zirbenzauber" on the Graukogel - an experience high above the village for the whole family
• Lend-Embach: Tour to the Maria Elend pilgrimage chapel, one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in Pinzgau
• Rauris: Venture through the "Rauris Primeval Forest" in Kolm-Saigurn, either on your own or with the national park ranger
• Taxenbach: Alpine pasture hike on the "Rieser Aste" with stunning views Fusch: Visit the Kneipp facility in "Bad Fusch", a former health resort in the middle of the mountains
• Bruck: Family-friendly walk along "Ameisenweg" in the Moosalm area
• Kaprun: Impressive "Kitzsteinhorn Explorer Tour" via the new 3K connection with ranger Piesendorf: Popular "Hochsonnberg-Runde" with a stop in the rustic Hochsonnbergalm
• Niedernsill: Hike to the Naglköpf adventure mountain, an ancient, Celtic settlement mountain
• Uttendorf/Weißsee: Ranger hike in the well-hidden "Wiegenwald stone pine forest"
• Stuhlfelden: Via "Pinzgau Walk" to the 2,263 metre high Gaisstein
• Mittersill: "Wasenmoos" natural monument with rare animals and carnivorous plants
• Hollersbach: Walk along the contemplative and informative "bee educational trail"
• Bramberg am Wildkogel: Hike along the eight-kilometre "Emerald Trail" into the Habach Valley
• Neukirchen am Großvenediger: "Slide" along Panoramaweg and Rutschenweg from Wildkogel into the valley
• Wald/Königsleiten: Hike along "Königsleitner Jodelweg" with its fun adventure stations Krimml: 4 km long "waterfall path" with and viewing turrets and platforms at the waterfall

"Meet a Ranger": National park rangers are the first point of contact for hikers
In order to better understand the special features, as well as the ecological, socio-cultural and economic connections in the national park, there are numerous interactive visitor and educational facilities, such as themed trails, exhibitions, etc., but in addition, there are also several national park rangers. According to the slogan "Meet a Ranger", they are the first point of call in the valleys for hikers and holiday guests. In the summer months they can be found several times a week in the information huts at the valley entrances. They provide maps, answer questions and give hiking tips. The free tour app complements this advisory service: It includes a topographical hiking map (scale 1: 25,000) as well as tours for hikers, information on huts, viewpoints, inns and leisure facilities. It can be downloaded in advance and used offline.

Summer programme 2021 - on excursion with the national park rangers
The national park administration offers a number of excursions for interested visitors during the summer months: The summer programme is aimed at both adults and children and includes tours of various levels of difficulty. For example, the new "Kitzsteinhorn Explorer Tour" with the new 3K connection from Kaprun to Kitzsteinhorn, the "Kings of the Skies", "Journey into the Tauern Window" excursions, or tours into the "Sulzbachtäler wilderness area".

Over 60 attractions are included in the National Park Summer Card 2021
Holiday guests who stay at participating partner companies in the Hohe Tauern National Park holiday region will receive the "National Park Summer Card" from their hosts - hotels, guest houses, farms and holiday apartments - from May 1 to October 31, 2021. Every day you can use or visit one of the 60 attractions - including sights, museums and natural spectacles, leisure and sports facilities, as well as mountain railways - free of charge and take advantage of additional discounts. The Premium Card also entitles you to use of all public transport and participating hiking taxis for free. In addition to day admission to the Grossglockner High Alpine Road adventure world, the "National Park Summer Card" also includes a day ticket for Gerlos Alpine Road.

Hohe Tauern hiking experiences Summer 2021 - Offer:

• 4 nights with breakfast
• Guided ranger tour (as per Summer programme 2021) •
• 1 entry to the Mittersill National Park Worlds
• Hiking water bottle
• National Park T-shirt

Price per person: from EUR 279.00 in a *** hotel, from EUR 359.00 in a **** hotel

Your Contact:
Hohe Tauern National Park holiday region
Gerlosstraße 18, 5730 Mittersill - AUSTRIA
phone: +43 6562 40939
mail: presse@nationalpark.at