Don’t Miss these Outdoor Adventures in the Harz, Germany

I was supposed to jump down THERE? Half an hour ago I had been all cocky and thought it wasn’t so bad. But now that I was supposed to take the leap of faith during the first of my many outdoor adventures on this press trip, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it.

Repeating it in my head didn’t make it better. And I was making such a fool of myself. I slowly started hyperventilating. And then I stepped forward. And I did it wrong, but it was too late. Ooops.

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Taking the Big Jump

With a loud poof, I landed on my feet and the ground beneath me gave way. The giant blue pillow had cushioned my fall and I was crouching in a heap. Then I let myself fall again. A few centimetres wouldn’t make a difference. “Are you alright?” I think I was. I counted my limbs and tried to locate any possible pain. Nope, I was perfectly fine.

With a somewhat wet slide towards the edge, I tumbled down onto solid ground, which, however, took a while to fully stand still after my landing. My view focused on the distant forests and a slow misty cloud was tumbled over the tree tops. It took a while to readjust myself. It was the food that lured me back into the here and now and into the house. It had been an adventurous day and it was just morning.

I woke up to bright sunshine but by the time I was conscious enough to heave myself to the breakfast, it was raining cats and dogs. Or maybe full farmyards full of animals. Roads were turning into giant puddles and our drive up the mountain was more reminiscent of an overland drive over mud and streams. What a good start for outdoor adventures.

I particularly loved the hike around the TorfHaus, the high moors with a fabulous view all the way over to the legendary mountain Brocken. The paths are even and you can really see the wonderful nature in the moors. Fun fact: wild carnivorous plants like Venus fly traps are growing here too. Keep a lookout for them!

Slope Sliding at Full Speed

We miraculously made it up and after climbing up the viewing tower for more rain sightings across the whole national park of Harz in Niedersachsen, we got ready to speed down the slopes at full speed. I boarded the summer toboggan ride with slightly anxious thoughts and left with the thrill of wanting more.

Since I stupidly deleted my SD card instead of clearing out old photos, I indeed had to take another ride (gotta show you those vids and pics). I didn’t mind. We then had a little chat with the resident mountain biker from South Africa, who, within the short span of only a year, had set up a biker park and established the Bocksberg as a biker’s paradise. There’s even a small dirt track for the little ones.

In fact, the whole Bocksberg has been turned into an adventure fest for absolutely all levels of thrill seekers. From scaredy cowards like me to serious adrenaline junkies, there is quite a lot of adrenaline to be gotten for the daring. The toboggan ride is open all year round, come rain, hail or shine. You can race down the mud slopes with monster rollers, mountain bikes, jump from 9 metres height into a massive pillow, use children’s slides… and the park is still growing.

Like Spider-Man in Outdoor Adventures

While we were still on a high, the sun came out and put some more stars in our eyes and before we knew it, we were tied up and stood at 8 metres high in a climbing park. Go!, they said and we were left with the decision of where to take our next risky steps. Ok, we were safely attached to wires and checked each other’s safety whenever we transferred from one part to the next, but it still took a lot of courage. Or crazy.

I fancied myself Spider Man or Lara Croft (it was hard to choose) and chose one of the most difficult tracks straightaway. It was much harder than I had anticipated – of course – but I made it back in one piece and was still elated. But that was nothing to the next part that awaited us. We didn’t know what hit us when we were pulled up eight and a half metres and then let go.

With a piercing shriek I plummeted straight down to the ground and towards the shrubbery. It all happened so fast and I was still busy screaming my lungs out when I flitted back up again. I was on a giant swing! And it was the most fun thing that day. Back and forth I went high up above the tiny staring faces.

A Quiet Ending to An Eventful Day

After all this craziness, the next thing on the agenda was a quiet walk above the Harz tree tops and seeing the world from above without hanging by a thread. I was recapitulating the day when I heard that there are so many other crazy things you can do in the region: ziplining (which I already loved in Costa Rica and New Zealand) and canyoning, to name just a few. But I was most certainly done for the day and would feel it for the days to come.

It was most definitely a very active day in the Harz with many outdoor adventures, a popular mountain region in Germany’ Lower Saxony, and if you haven’t been here, now you know why you should! Whether it’s casual hiking in Torfhaus, adventuring or simply relaxing in the midst of nature – this might seem like a picture perfect ad, but it’s real life.

Have made you curious about the Harz now? Have you ever heard of this place? Have you even been? Let’s discuss!

More tips for a holiday in Germany

• What to experience in the historical city of Weimar
• What to pack for a camping trip
• The best Christmas markets in castles in Central Germany
• Where to get the best regional food in Erfurt, Thuringia
• How to experience nature and art on former mine dumps in West Germany
• A day trip to the hip city of Essen