The Wild Europe Tour 2008 will begin and end in Bavarian capitol of Munich. The historical centre provides the opportunity to visit buildings of Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque. After arriving in Munich we stay overnight at a hotel in Munich.

We will begin the 2nd day with a tour through the German Hunting Museum, which is located close to the city center in a gothic basilica. This museum not only offers an insight into German hunting traditions; it also holds dioramas displaying in fine taxidermy practically all wildlife in Central Europe.
In the afternoon we will visit the sights of Munich, including the Marienplatz, the Castle Nymphenburg, the Karlstor and the Frauenkirche. In the evening we will have the Wild Europe Tour Welcome Dinner at the renown Spatenhof Restaurant downtown. Overnight stay at a hotel in Munich.

Today's highlight will be a visit to the Karwendel Nature Information Centre, which is located 2244 m (7362 feet) above sea level. This institution has recently opened, and one of the main attraction is a panorama view over a 2000 m (6000 feet) drop.
Government officials will introduce you to the new Austrian-German scheme of transboundary eco-tourism. After taking our lunch there we will head towards the Swiss National Park. We will spend our night at a hotel in Münstertal in the Swiss Alps.

The Stilfser Joch National Park in Italy will be today's destination. We will start hiking up the mountain immediately after breakfast. Once you made it up to the summit ridges, you will be rewarded with spectacular views over a luscious landscape of luxuriant forests and high mountain grassland scattered with villages and farms. The afternoon part of the tour will feature some charming examples of rural and religious architecture.
The fieldtrip will also clarify how different latitudes not only make up for different ecological biomes, but also the varying regional economic and cultural set ups. The geological feature helps to explain the regions hydrological regime, which is renown for its interesting fish fauna. You will visit a high mountain freshwater aquarium and nature centre. Again we will spend the night at a hotel in Münstertal in the Swiss Alps.

The Swiss National Park neighbors the Stilfser Joch and is the oldest national park in Europe. It was founded 1914 and encompasses a total of 17.240 hectares (42.600 acres). One of the major challenges of this national park is the management of larger herbivores, red deer and chamois in particular. As the red deer rutt in the Swiss National Park is in high season, you might be lucky to witness this spectacular event.
Other than red deer, it's also possible to spot ibex, chamois and alpine marmot. The large raptors include bearded vulture and golden eagle. Throughout the day, experts will give you an introduction to the management of ungulates and large carnivores; the later include brown bear and lynx. We are spending the night again at the Hotel in Münstertal.

Going wild in Europe wouldn't be complete without the Oktoberfest, for which we head back to Munich. Experience the world largest fair with some six million visitors. You can also visit the Central Bavarian Farm Fair, which takes place every four years next to the Oktoberfest. It provides you with an overview of stock, produce and products of agriculture and forestry in Bavaria. We will spend the night in a hotel in Munich.

After breakfast a bus will take us to Prague the capital of the Czech Republic. This city is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful of Europe. Its historic centre is listed in the IUCN list of World Heritage Sites. Before the end of the cold war in 1989, Prague was thought to be a gray, crumbling and shabby city. Today, the “Golden City” is a modern boomtown, while at the same time great efforts in restoration have brought back the magic of history.
After wandering the cobbled streets through medieval, renaissance and baroque architecture we will head to the Bavarian Forest National Park. The next four days we will stay at the Hotel Zwiesler Waldhaus.

Today we will get to know the Bavarian Forest National Park, which is the first national park in Germany. It was founded 1970 and spreads over 24.250 hectares (59.898 acres). Our excursion includes a hike to the vast “zones of havoc”, which have turned into a veritable wilderness. During this tour experts will explain the science behind the so called catastrophes, revealing how a single bug can turn an entire forest ecosystem into a new, much more diverse mosaic of habitats.

The former iron curtain of the cold war transects between the Bavarian Forest National Park and the Czech Sumava National Park. Early this year the border has been opened for limited access for small tour groups. Most likely, our group will be the first international group to cross this wild border. The two national parks and the neighboring areas together form the Greater Bohemian Forest Ecosystem.
The ecosystem management approach is made visible by the recent advances in monitoring techniques, as migrating red deer and wandering lynx prove that even large protected areas do not suffice to meet their requirements. One of the wildlife biologists of the Bavarian Forest National Park administration will provide detailed in-sights.

Today we will visit Sumava National Park in the Czech Republic. Anyone who has listened to the famous Moldau River Symphony of the Czech composer Friedrich Smetana, will already have acquired a feeling of the rich cultural and ecological variety of the Bohemian mountains and valleys. We will visit yet another mosaic of habitats. Some show century old traces of cultivation; others represent the lush old growth forest, which have become very rare in central Europe. Another different habitat type, which we are going to encounter, will be the extensive bogs of Bohemia. A local guide will explain ecological facts an as well tell stories from regional folklore and mythology. After our fieldtrip we will have a farewell dinner at the historic Schwellhäusl.

After a big breakfast and a bus ride to Munich Airport we will say our goodbyes during a farewell cocktail.