Under the open skyCamping and glamping

Rucksack or cycle bag? In the Sauerland, you can reach various trekking sites on foot or by bike. During the day, you can hike along the certified quality hiking trails or explore the region on an extended gravel or mountain bike tour and reward yourself with a special kind of overnight stay in the evening: just you and nature, there's nothing more outdoor than that! In the Sauerland Rothaargebirge Nature Park, for example, there are trekking sites at vantage points with sweeping views, on wooded slopes or in the valley. For hikers, the sites in the Ferienwelt Winterberg are practically on the way, directly on the Winterberg high tour. Picnic benches, forest sofas and eco-toilets complement the wooden platforms. The Diemelsee Nature Park also offers places with panoramic views, in mystical surroundings or in energising places of the soul in the Trekkingpark Sauerland.

Stand, or rather lie, completely relaxed above it all: That's child's play at the Dingdener Heide campsite. Floating tents make it possible. They are attached between trees at a height of around two metres directly on the lake and can be reached via a rope ladder or a flight of tree-trunk steps.

The lake, the surrounding nature reserve and the vast landscape of the Hohe Mark Nature Park are perfect for little adventures in nature, on foot or by bike. Stork nests, farm shops and the van Nahmen fruit press house are possible destinations on the discovery tours.

In the Hohes Venn-Eifel Nature Park, you can enjoy nature undisturbed - day and night: various trekking campsites, which can only be reached on foot, offer exclusive camping experiences far away from civilisation with its sounds and lights. Nevertheless, there are excursion options around the clock: sometimes the Eifelsteig, Rursee and Kermeter can be reached as natural highlights. The Vogelsang IP National Park Centre is within walking distance, offering themed exhibitions on nature and history as well as magnificent views.

Rocky passages with a fair amount of elevation gain, idyllic floodplains, castle ruins and half-timbered villages: the Natursteig Sieg (Nature Trail), which is (still) an insider tip among long-distance hiking trails, is pristine and beautiful, but sometimes also really challenging. It follows the river for around 200 kilometres until it flows into the Rhine - and also passes through the Windecker Ländchen. This stretch of land between Siegen and Bonn not only impresses with its easy accessibility by train, but also with its unusual accommodation options in tree houses or circus wagons.

Counting real sheep to fall asleep in the middle of fields, meadows and forests - sounds like a dream? The dream comes true in the circus wagon on a sheep pasture in the Windecker Ländchen, with a beautiful view of the Sieg Valley and direct access to the Natursteig Sieg (Sieg Nature Trail). If required, there are also two trekking bikes available at the circus caravan, which could be used to head for another highlight: the Panarbora treetop trail.

Hear cheetahs hissing in the evening while you watch the sunset from your lodge and be woken by the roar of lions in the morning, but stay still: A touch of Africa wafts through Safariland Stukenbrock near Paderborn. A total of 600 animals live in the area, which is modelled on an African savannah landscape. You can enjoy the safari feeling there day and night. The mobile home lodges and tented lodges for your overnight stay are positioned in such a way that monkeys and cheetahs can be easily observed around the clock. You can get very close to other animals such as lions, tigers, zebras and antelopes on a safari, which you can undertake either in your own car, on a safari bus or on foot accompanied by a ranger.

The Vosswinkel wild forest in Sauerland invites you to spend a night in the local forest. Tree tent or shepherd's wagon? A raised hide or a loft directly above the goat pen? The choice is yours. Either way, there is little reception for your smartphone and no electricity. An outhouse and washing trough make up the bathroom, and a sleeping mat and sleeping bag replace the usual bed.

Eagle owls, foxes, mouflons, deer and wild boar live on the 250-hectare site of the Vosswinkel wild forest near Arnsberg as if they were in the wild - and can therefore only be seen with a bit of luck. The daily feedings of red deer, night hunters and wild boar, which you can accompany, offer guaranteed encounters. Other offers such as wilderness training and full moon hikes are also on the programme.

At Naturpott Borkenberge, you are spoilt for choice: either spend the night in a completely natural setting in the tent forest or in the comfort of one of the glamping tents. But no matter what you choose, the site in Münsterland lets you take a deep breath and enjoy an uncomplicated camping holiday. You can take a dip or go for a swim directly on the campsite in the natural swimming pool or at the Haltern reservoir nearby. There's not only a lido there, but also canoes, pedalos and rowing boats as well as a walking trail around the lake.

There are even more great hiking experiences waiting for you around Halten: The Hohe Mark Nature Park is home to Dülmen wild horses, Konik ponies, Heck cattle and Poitou donkeys. The Hohe Mark Nature Park Trail runs for around 150 kilometres through the entire nature park with its different habitats and inhabitants.

You can feel like you're in a fairy tale on the Lower Rhine. At the Kerstgenshof campsite there are little witch's cottages, the Trolls. The huts don't offer much space, but they are all the cosier for it. And it's so exciting and eventful outside. Right on the grounds of the Kerstgenshof, for example, there is a nature playground with a climbing course, a water playground with a sand lift and playhouse and a petting zoo with curious goats.

Nearby, the Xanten Archaeological Park invites you to travel back in time. Whether amphitheatre, temple or thermal baths, in what was once one of the most important Roman settlements in the country, the time machine turns back over 2,000 years. Just around the corner, young and old can set sail: There is not only a sailing school on the Xanten North Sea, but also the opportunity to go waterskiing, electric, fun or pedal boating, surfing, diving or stand-up paddling. At the Südsee lido just opposite, you can use your own muscle power - or lie back and relax on the sand.