Primeval forest loop

Today we decided to go on a short hike nearby. In fact, it was the first time I had used Komoot's tour suggestions and the very first tour piqued my interest: jungle tour! The description sounded inviting and it quickly became clear that we wanted to hike there. We started at the recommended car park and headed straight onto narrow, natural paths into the forest. The paths were really great and although the forest was bare, the ground was completely covered in brown leaves. It was very nice to walk over roots and mud and halfway through the tour we stopped for a coffee and cake break at the Naturfreundehaus. Since it was already around 4 p.m. and it was getting dark, we sped the rest of the way back to the starting point quite quickly. The fact that the second half wasn't quite as exciting didn't matter because we made so much progress. All in all, a very nice, short hike in the middle of the (primeval) forest, which is left to itself and looks beautifully wild. I would have just liked to have had a view or a view of the distance, but there was a lot of water and streams :D

We took a wrong turn right at the beginning and were surprised by the lack of signage 🙈 But we quickly got back on the right track, and from then on, there were no more problems. We had a delicious meal at the Naturfreundehaus (Nature Friends' House). It's best to start the tour there, then you can stop there for a bite to eat at the end.

Today Joshi and I were on the wild paths of the jungle circuit. "Since 2002, this area has been allowed to develop into a natural ecosystem largely unaffected by humans and freed from forestry. The path leads through a fascinating natural experience area and is characterized by constantly changing forest images: cheerfully babbling brooks, small forest lakes, uprooted trees , swampy swamp landscapes, as well as an attractive relief - the jungle tour meanders through this increasingly adventurous and natural terrain." Oh and one more thing, there are 2 successful places to stop: once in the Forsthaus Neuhaus at the start and end point and in the Naturfreundehaus Kirschheck. 😀 Further information: https://www.urlaub.saarland/Media/Touren/Urwald-Tour Mark Knopfler - We Can Get Wild https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMrfKAtCnDM

This time before the chicken vaccination we went to the Neuhaus barn for the jungle path. The only early bird from the hiking friends was once again @Nicol. Bad luck for the others. The early round was great!

Exciting tour through an extraordinary forest area. The hiker will not encounter any exotic animals in this jungle. But roaming the landscape, which has been able to develop without human interference for over 10 years, every hiker becomes curious to return. Short but demanding tour with mountainous passages and narrow paths. Warning: in some sections walking the route can be made more difficult by trees lying across the jungle area. The jungle tour leads through the southern part of the 1,011 ha "jungle at the gates of the city". Since 2002, this area has been allowed to develop into a natural ecosystem largely unaffected by humans and released from forestry. The path leads through a fascinating natural experience area and is characterized by constantly changing forest images: cheerfully babbling brooks, small forest lakes, uprooted trees, swampy swamp landscapes, as well as a charming relief - the jungle tour meanders through this increasingly adventurous and natural terrain and ensures an entertaining hiking pleasure, especially for younger explorers. A green oasis in an intensively used environment, just outside Saarbrücken. The Forsthaus Neuhaus with the NABU forest experience center is recommended as a starting and ending point. Alternative entry point from the Saarbahn stop "Heinrichshaus" possible over a 300 m long access route.

This morning it wasn't as cold as yesterday, but it was foggy. I thought that this weather would suit the jungle tour well and decided on the Saarbrücken jungle tour. As one of the very few forest wilderness areas on the outskirts of a large city in Europe, the jungle offers a unique forest landscape with winding paths that invite you to hike and explore. In the middle of the Saarkohlenwald, the forest has been able to develop largely without human intervention in a more than 1,000 hectare nature reserve since 1997. Fallen moss-covered trees, colorful mushrooms and bizarre lichens overgrow the signs of civilization and are fascinating phenomena in a forest on the way to becoming the jungle of tomorrow. As part of the jungle program, a variety of specialist and cultural events, seasonal festivals and themed hikes take place every year - jointly organized by the jungle cooperation partners Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection, SaarForst Landesbetrieb and NABU Saarland. The holiday programs and wilderness camps of the NABU Saarland are very popular with children and young people from the region. The historic Neuhaus forester's lodge lies in the heart of this primeval forest. Count Philipp III of Nassau-Saarbrücken had the Philippsborn hunting lodge built in 1576 as a four-wing complex in the Renaissance style. Only the vaulted cellar remains from this period. Completely destroyed in the Thirty Years' War and by Napoleonic troops, the building was partially rebuilt as a manor house by the middle of the 19th century and later became the headquarters of the forestry administration as the "Neuhaus Forester's Lodge". The complex has housed the Center for Wilderness and Forest Culture since 1997, which has been supplemented since 2017 by the new NABU Forest Information Center in bionic construction with a multimedia exhibition. This consists of a modern communication and media building in the inner courtyard and three information pavilions. A green classroom in the adjacent forest serves as another barrier-free communication space for school classes or hiking groups, and in the wilderness camp, children and young people get to know the jungle from its wild side. Mixed beech forests like the jungle are a treasure trove of biological diversity. Old trees and dead wood form the food source and habitat for many thousands of animal, plant and fungal species, such as the impressive stag beetle, the Spanish flag butterfly or the sulphur polypore tree fungus. Several endangered bat species are also native to the jungle. The black woodpecker and the extremely shy wildcat also value the jungle as a valuable retreat and diverse habitat. Due to its many bodies of water and streams, the jungle is also the destination of countless amphibians on their migrations in spring. If you would like to take an informative and entertaining audio journey into the jungle, you can install the free audio app "Find Turid" from NABU Saarland on your smartphone and get to know the inhabitants of the jungle on a circular trail together with stag beetle Schröder. Conclusion = An interestingly designed hiking trail, which was of course quite wet and muddy today due to the weather. I really liked the idea and implementation and would take this route again in spring or summer. I stopped off at the Forsthaus Neuhaus, where they serve very good food and of course cappuccino and cake.

Still feeling pretty tired, I decided to take the "Jungle Tour" premium trail today. It's short, with no major climbs and no highlights—but just right if you want to clear your head. Plus, you can stop off at the Naturfreundehaus Kirschheck afterward. 😉

Really nice little walk, the forest is magnificent.