Naturpark Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heide

Visit the freely accessible learning stations at your own pace. A pre-booked guided visit unlocks the complete set of activities; the park gives about two hours for the guided programme.

Do not assume every activity or the complete approach is wheelchair- or pushchair-accessible. Ask the organiser which stations work for your group.

The park’s approximately 5 km circular option explores the Mildenitz-Durchbruchstal. Follow its current wayfinding and route map through the valley and back to Alte Mühle; allow time to watch the moving water without approaching the banks.

Treat this as a woodland walk, not a confirmed step-free route. Ask the park about present path conditions and any mobility requirements.

Give Bossow’s learning trail the main part of your outing and keep the rest flexible. If you want every activity, arrange a guide first. Save the nearby star-viewing place for a suitable evening rather than keeping tired children waiting for darkness.

Walk the Mildenitz circuit with a snack and quiet observation stops. Return to Alte Mühle before deciding whether to travel elsewhere. This plan does not include the approach from Kläden village or a second lake circuit.

Try an available sound station, then ask everyone to describe what helped them locate the sound. Compare your ideas with the explanation of bat echolocation. Leave any locked equipment for a guided visit.

At Ortkrug, choose two contrasting rocks and compare their colour and texture. The displays explain rock formation and the glaciers that brought these stones from Scandinavia. Keep them in place for the next visitor.

At an official observation place, notice how the sky changes as darkness arrives. Put bright screens away, use red light sparingly and give children an easy way to say when they are cold or tired.

Karower Meiler explains the landscape, wildlife and dark-sky project indoors. It is a useful rain option only when road access and seasonal opening permit; confirm both before setting off.

Look above the lake-and-forest skyline from a public path. Adult birds show a pale head and white tail; younger birds are darker. Keep your distance from any resting bird.

At Malkwitzer See, listen for carrying calls and scan from the public route. Stay clear of wet cover and never follow a bird into the reeds.

Pause where the marked route offers an open lake view. Watch the sky and water from a distance; do not search for nests or expect a fishing attempt on every visit.

Watch for a fast blue flash along the river. Remain on the path and let the bird come into view; riverbank holes should be left undisturbed.

Look along the moving water from the path. A long-tailed bird with yellow underneath is worth a careful binocular look; avoid stepping down onto the riverbed.

In winter, scan the stream from safe path-side viewpoints for a compact bird with a white chest. It is a seasonal possibility, not an expected sighting.

An otter around Samoter See would be a lucky surprise. Watch quietly from the signed route and leave shore vegetation and possible resting places untouched.

From the marked Paschensee walk, look for prickly evergreen juniper among the shoreline trees. Photograph only what is visible from the path and leave berries on the plant.

This small carnivorous plant is easy to miss. Enjoy any view available from the signed path; do not enter the wet shore to find or photograph it.

Paschensee is a nutrient-poor basin lake without a natural inlet or outlet. Pine forest surrounds it, while older beech and oak trees occur by the shore. Enjoy the plants from the marked route.

The Mildenitz valley combines flowing water, eroding banks and wooded slopes. Its river birds use different parts of that small corridor, so a patient pause can be more rewarding than hurrying onward.

Around Samoter See, wet woodland provides cover beside the lake. Otter and crane belong to this landscape, but their presence is a reason to give the shore space rather than search it closely.

Between Schwarzer See and Alte Mühle, the Mildenitz has cut roughly 15 m into the glacial ridge. Water escaping an Ice Age lake helped shape the valley.

Beside Ortkrug’s stargazing area, impactites show what happens to rock during a meteorite strike. They make an appealing link between the rock garden and the sky above it.

Enjoy reserve walks in daylight. For the evening, move to a designated star-viewing place and bring warm clothes even in summer. The stargazing guidance excludes nature reserves from night-time exploration.

The visitor centre is at Ziegenhorn 1, Plau am See, district Karow. Staff can help with route choices; regional products and drinks are offered. Check access to the centre after the October 2026 disruption before relying on its facilities.

The park has several widely separated starting points. For public transport, search VMV for the exact destination and date, check onward walking and return services, and follow the operator’s booking instructions if an on-demand journey appears. Driving to Karow also requires checking the current signed diversions.

For Karower Meiler, explain whether you need help with the ramp or firm ground throughout the visit. For outdoor trails, ask about the approach, the return, any steps and the availability of a suitable toilet. Outdoor paths elsewhere in the park can be very different from the exhibition interior.