During our family vacation to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, I took my sons to explore a high ropes course called a Kletterwald or “climbing forest”.
Visiting a Kletterwald is a very popular activity in Germany, and the Garmisch Kletterwald Ropes Challenge is the largest climbing forest in Bavaria. It’s set in a forest just 10 minutes outside Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps of southern Germany.
Read on to find out what happened when we visited the Garmisch high rope course, and whether I think it’s worth a visit on your next family holiday.
What Is A Kletterwald?
Kletterwald literally means “Climbing Forest” in German and it’s a series of fun climbing challenges set among the trees of a forest.
The Garmisch Kletterwald Ropes Challenge has 13 courses with different combinations of challenges. There are 130 climbing elements like wobbly bridges and rope slides and 15 zip lines up to 300 feet long.
The tallest challenges are 55 feet high, but the courses have different levels of difficulty to suit everyone from children and complete beginners to experienced climbing professionals. You can find further details on the Garmisch Kletterwald website.
The minimum age for climbing the Kletterwald is 5 years old, and you must be 12 years old to tackle the challenges as an independent climber. Each adult can accompany up to 4 children aged 5-12, making it a great day out for the whole family.
The only downside is that there isn’t really anything for wheelchair users to do, due to the nature of the activity.
The Garmisch-Partenkirchen Kletterwald is also close to many other things to do in Garmisch. So, you could easily combine your visit with other Alpine adventures like a bike tour or walking trail through the natural beauty of the Partnachklamm, a journey by cable car to the top of Wank mountain, or a journey to the top of Germany’s highest mountain on the Zugspitze cable car.
Arrival And Safety Briefing
The Garmisch ropes course is a seasonal activity and usually opens between April and October. There’s no need to book in advance but it’s best to check the website before you travel if you’re visiting at the start or end of the season.
All the belaying equipment, helmets and harnesses are provided, you just need to wear loose-fitting, weather-appropriate clothes and sturdy shoes. Thin gloves, like gardening gloves, are also useful to protect your hands.
The first part of your visit is a compulsory safety briefing. This is also offered in English, so you won’t need to worry about your German language skills.
The Kletterwald attracts large numbers of visitors, especially during the peak tourist season, so you might have to wait a while before you can get started.
When we arrived, an English-language safety briefing had just begun and it would be 45 minutes until the next one. Luckily, they let us jump in with that group and quickly brought us up to speed.
Next, you’ll be fitted with a harness that goes between your legs, around your waist, and over your shoulders. This harness has to fit snugly to keep you secure, and it really feels very reassuring.
You’ll use two carabiners to lock on and off the cables around the climbing course, so you’re always always attached by one carabiner. It can take a little practice to get the hang of operating the carabiners, but that’s why they have the safety briefing.
The instructor will also take you through a low level example of the platforms, so you can see what it’ll be like once you get up among the trees.
By the time we’d been through the safety mechanisms and practiced for a while, we were all getting pretty quick at clipping and unclipping the carabiners. I felt totally secure about heading onto the rope courses.
Climbing The Rope Course
The first time you enter the climbing forest, you’ll be accompanied by a guide. Once you’re comfortable at that height, you’ll have free time to tackle whichever courses you like.
You can do the challenges in any order you like. If there’s a line of people waiting at one of the challenges, you’re free to skip ahead and return to that one later. This gives you a lot of flexibility, which is great if you have children who don’t want to wait ages in line.
The 13 climbing courses are color-coded by difficulty, ranging from a children’s course and 2 beginner courses up to 2 very difficult courses and 1 course to tackle with a partner. There’s also a sun terrace where you can relax and take a break from your climbing adventure.
The climbing routes have a lot of different activities and challenges to complete, like crossing a wobbly suspension bridge or “riding” a skateboard from one tree to another.
Most courses end with short rope slides, so you have to jump off the platform and slide down the rope before landing on the ground. Some of the landing spots were getting a bit scuffed up and landing wasn’t always easy, but generally we all had a great time.
You can reckon on spending around three hours at the Kletterwald, and we completed four different courses during our visit. The activities take a lot of balance, core strength, and upper body strength – I could definitely feel it the next day!
A Heart-Stopping Moment In The Trees
Although the safety equipment makes you feel very secure, we had one scary moment during our visit. On the last course we tackled, my younger son lost his balance and slipped off the pole he was standing on.
The safety harness did its job perfectly, and my son was totally safe, but for a few minutes, he was left dangling on the cable line, way up in the trees. I tried to help him back up, but he’d gotten twisted up and I couldn’t untangle him.
Each tree has an emergency button to call for help, but when we pushed the button, nobody came. You have to travel across the courses one at a time, so while he was stuck, a massive backlog of people was building up behind us!
Eventually we started shouting for help, and a staff member came to help my son over to the next platform.
He’s my more scaredy-cat child and had a bit of a shock, but even after that scare, he was happy to finish the course. It didn’t ruin his day or spoil the experience, but he was ready to call it a day once he got back down on firm ground.
Practical Tips For The Kletterwald
Here are a few valuable tips to help make the most of your visit to the Garmisch rope course.
You’ll be doing a lot of climbing, stretching, jumping, and squeezing through small spaces, so be sure to wear comfortable loose or athletic clothing. It’s essential to wear closed shoes with good grip like tennis shoes or light hiking boots.
You’ll also need to wear suitable clothes for the weather conditions. If bad weather is predicted, take a light waterproof jacket or light layers so you can adapt to the changing temperature. The rope courses aren’t open during the winter months, so you shouldn’t see any really bad weather.
The Kletterwald is fully shaded when you’re in the forest area. You don’t really need to worry about sunscreen but you’ll definitely need bug spray.
If you take valuables like wallets or phones with you, you can leave them in one of the lockers in the check-in areas. You’ll be given a key on a stretchy wristband so there’s no risk of dropping it on the forest floor.
If you’d rather keep your phone with you to take photos and videos, wearing shorts or trousers with a zippered pocket will keep it safe while you’re scaling the climbing courses.
Facilities At The Garmisch Kletterwald
The facilities at the Garmisch ropes course are pretty bare bones. They aren’t bad, but it’s not really a luxury day out, so don’t arrive with any expectations that you’ll be able to eat lunch after your visit.
There’s a small snack bar with a few picnic tables on the sun terrace, and you can sit there while you take a break from climbing. It serves things like protein bars, ice creams, and soft drinks, and has a pretty relaxed atmosphere.
The snack bar doesn’t really offer anything more substantial. So, if you think you’ll need more than a quick snack, it’s better to take your own food or order food from local delivery services.
It’s worth taking your own water bottle to fill at the check-in area, which is also where the bathrooms are located. You can go back anytime to use the bathroom or access any valuables you’ve secured in the lockers.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that the Kletterwald parking lot is pretty small for such a popular attraction. It’s best to arrive early if you want to be sure of a parking space.
Is The Garmisch Rope Course Worth A Visit?
The Garmisch Kletterwald is one of the must-visit attractions in Bavaria. It’s a safe way to give yourself a physical and mental challenge, and taking on the tricky courses gives you a real thrill of achievement.
We saw both families and adults-only groups at the Garmisch high ropes course. It’s ideal for adventurous kids who enjoy outdoor sport or adults who like high-adrenaline activities and adventure parks. It’d also be a great way to build team spirit if you visit Bavaria with a group of friends.
It was a fun experience for our eight and ten year old sons, and my older son said it was his favorite place to visit in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Overall, it gets my family’s approval, and I highly recommend visiting the Garmisch ropes course!
If you’re looking for a place to stay near Garmisch, check out my review of Schloss Elmau!
