- Issigauer Str. 22 - Kayak / canoe tour on the Saale, the former border river on the inner German border. Relics of the Iron Curtain, beavers, kingfishers, dippers.
Along the formerly most heavily guarded border in the world, by kayak, experience the Green Belt as a death strip became a species-rich strip of life with many endangered and strictly protected animal species. Ospreys, kingfishers, dippers and the beaver, which has been at home again since 2019, accompany us on our tour. You will learn a lot of interesting things about the geological origin of the mountains, the history of the region and the diverse flora and fauna. We follow in the footsteps of Alexander von Humboldt, who worked here as the Royal Prussian Oberbergrat from 1792 - 1797 and developed his research here, which made him the greatest researcher of his time and beyond with his trip to South America. After an eventful tour, a small snack and a visit to the beaver island, the tour ends in the Blankenstein district of Rosenthal am Rennsteig at the base camp of ausWILDert.
- Experienced guide accompaniment
- Choice of kayak or canoe
- Provided paddle and life jacket
- Complimentary dry bag
- Packed lunch included
- Alcoholic Beverages
- lunch packet - Depending on your taste, from vegan to carnivor, a packed lunch with regional specialties and a drink.
Before 1989, the antagonistic military factions of the Warsaw Pact and NATO stood opposed along the Saale, bridging Hirschberg and Blankenstein. The separation wrought by the Iron Curtain between the East and West had devastating consequences for families and friendships. The European Green Belt project reshaped what was formerly the GDR’s death zone into a sanctuary for various endangered fauna and flora. The area is now filled with a variety of creatures such as lynxes, wolves, deer, kingfishers, ospreys, red kites, cormorants, gray and great egrets, and even beavers since 2019.
This tour, suitable for everyone including ex-members of the US Army, globetrotters, and even local Germans, grants invaluable experiences of the past and present, coupled with the chance to engage with the prolific Saale River, once described by ancient Greek geographer and Argonaut Strabo (67 BC - 23 AD) in his Geographica.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.