Last week I had my first visit to the Bavarian Forest, in eastern Bavaria, Germany. Its the first of many I think, as it was really a great experience! The area is huge, and we just had two days, so my goals for the trip was to experience the tree top walk, and see some of the animals. There are many things to do there, including tree top walking, zoo, hiking and so on. However getting exact information about it can be a bit tricky, I really didn’t know what to expect. Especially with the semi-wild zoo, this was something of a mystery. Although the weather wasn’t fully on our side, the trip was great.

The official website in English is here; http://www.nationalpark-bayerischer-wald.de/english/

Some points to consider

• The area does not have that many accommodation options, and this should be planned in advanced.
• The area is huge… plan what you want to see before visiting.
• There is good multi-day parking near the facilities, its 6-12 EUR depending on the length of time.
• There are a couple of good cafes around the facilities.
• The tree top walk is well worth it, and is quite high! It cost around 10 EUR, but its awesome.
• The zoo is free! But the “zoo” isn’t really a zoo. Its a massive area, the animals have enclosures, but they are huge. The enclosures are quite far from each other, all is a naturally wooded area.
• Except for bathrooms, there are no facilities inside the zoo.
• There is a lot of walking involved in seeing the animals, if that’s an issue.
• If you want to see all the animals, you’ll have to be very patient, as the enclosures are so big, and the animals so few.
• Its very rewarding when you do see the animals however, its a very real feeling.
• The park sorta continues on into the Czech Republic.

Photography tips

• First things first.. this place is a wildlife photographer’s dream.
• I brought my 5D Mark III and a few lenses including 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS II and 1.4x teleconverter.
• You will need at least a 400mm lens on full frame.
• A fast solution is advised. The 100-400L isn’t that fast, and I was needing ISO 3200 most of the time.
• Make sure you have some kind of rain/weather protection, as its a long way back to the car..
• There are lots of macro opportunities along the way as well.
• Its a fantastic place to get amazing semi-wild photos of majestic creatures with out a lot of other people, and fencing in the way!
• Although well worth it, there isn’t that much to photograph on the tree top walk.
• There is an interesting museum to see at the park.

All in all, a great place, and I will be returning in winter again!

Hope you enjoy!

Here are some of my keepers from the two days

5D Mark III | 180mm 2.8 OS Macro