To the rooftops of Germany and Austria!
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This trip is a treat for those who don't consider the height of the mountains to be so important, but the excitement of climbing the peak, the diversity of nature and the meaning of the peak. For those who like to take it slow and treat the journey itself as an adventure - it doesn't matter whether you are a beginner mountain enthusiast or an experienced alpinist. In other words - let's take a mountaineering bus trip to the Alps!
Zugspitze (2962 m) is the highest peak in Germany, located in the Bavarian Alps. Although modest in height, the difficulty of the climb to the top should not be underestimated - quite a lot of climbing meters must be covered. Nevertheless, the journey to the Zugspitze is one of the most exciting in the Alps. In two days you can hike through the forest and canyon, climb on the rocks via ferrata, on the trails and cross the glacier. But what's even more amazing - you can take a gondola ride down! What more could you want from another summit climb?
Grossglockner (3798 m) is located in the East Tyrol region of Austria and is the highest point in Austria. Like the Zugspitze, the climb to the summit of the Großglockner is very exciting and varied, including gravel roads, rock climbing, a glacier and a summit ridge secured with support ropes. We also have the great honor of spending the night before the summit in Austria's highest mountain hut, at an altitude of 3400 m.
This time we are starting our journey together from Estonia by minibus. We are driving through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, stopping overnight at a hotel along the way. The journey is long, but it gives us a lot of time to get to know our fellow travelers. The bus also gives us the freedom to see more areas and travel longer distances.
During the trip, you will stay overnight in hotels, campsites with tents, and mountain huts. The minibus ride may seem long, but it also gives you the opportunity to get to know your travel companions before the difficult peak days and make spontaneous stops according to people's wishes. Really varied, isn't it?
Overview - short & sweet
Objective: Großglockner (3798m) & Zugspitze (2962m)
Dates: 28.06-07.07.2024
Activity: mountain climbing, mountain hiking
Transport: minibus departing from Tartu
Accommodation type: tent, hotels and mountain huts
Adventure guide: Kelli Kuslap
Technical difficulty level: 2/5 (suitable for beginners)
Route difficulty: medium difficulty via ferrata, (Zugspitze) / PD+ (Grossglockner)
Physical difficulty: 3/5 (requires good physical fitness)
Group size: min 6, max 9 (including guide)
Trip price — 1640€
Please note: For community members discount -5% (1558 €) applies
👉 SEE EQUIPMENT LIST HERE 👈
Travel cost
Price includes
transportation in a comfortable 9-seater bus
Fuel, customs duties, parking fees
All overnight stays (hotels, cabins, campsites)
Breakfast and dinner in a mountain hut
Gondola tickets
Travel arrangements and on-site guidance
Two experienced Elamus+ adventure locomotive
Special climbing equipment for the group (ropes, ice augers, carabiners and other glacier equipment)
Stylish Elamus+ designed sports shirt
Group pharmacy (including high-altitude medications)
Health assessment + pulse oximeter for the group
Price does not include
Insurance (travel insurance and MANDATORY sports insurance suitable for mountain hiking)
Personal hiking and climbing equipment (can also be rented if needed) Elamus Pluss)
Drinks and snacks (i.e. lunch) on the mountain
Meals off the mountain
Tents and cooking equipment at the campsite (we will fold the tent up)
Unscheduled excursions, transportation, etc. (or if you want to do something extra)
Registration for the trip
Before registering, please read travel conditions. To secure your place on the trip, a deposit (20%) must be paid within 3 business days of receiving the confirmation and invoice by email; if there are less than 30 days left until the trip, the total cost (100%) must be paid. Read more: frequently asked questions ja package tour information sheet.
Schedule and activities
Day 1 (June 28.06) – Time to Board the Bus and Head to Europe!
Our trip starts early in the morning in Tartu. We pack ourselves and our gear into a comfortable Volkswagen bus and head towards Poland. We spend the night in a hotel near the Polish motorway. The driving time will be around 14 hours.
Day 2 (29.06) - GERMANY!
After a refreshing breakfast, we continue towards southern Germany. By evening, we reach the village of Grainau below the Zugspitze, where we set up camp. The drive takes about 9 hours, and if necessary, we will also make a stop at a shop in the middle of the drive to stock up on any missing food supplies for tomorrow's summit day.
Day 3 (30.06) - WE START HIKING
In the morning we have breakfast together, leave the camp and head towards the first hut. We walk through the forest and see an exciting canyon. Since the day's journey is not too long, we have quite a lot of time in the hut for social activities - communicating with each other, playing board games, learning rope work. If you want, you can also walk around the surroundings.
Ascent meters: 600 m
Duration of the hike: 5 hours
Overnight stay: in a hut (1387 m)
Day 4 (01.07) - First peak!
After a refreshing breakfast at the hut, we set off towards Germany's highest peak. Today will be much more extreme than the previous day, as most of the route consists of via ferrata, or climbing using ropes and metal ladders. It's super exciting! At one point we even get to a small section of glacier, just for a change.
Once we reach the top, we reward ourselves with the delicacies found in the café there and, to save our knees, we descend by gondola. Good news for anyone who is not a fan of climbing down!
Ascent meters: 1600 m
Duration of the hike: approx. 8 hours
Overnight stay: in a tent camp (760 m)
Day 5 (02.07) - new mountains, new countries
With no time to waste, we restore our stiff legs by riding the bus towards Austria. After a four-hour drive, we arrive at the village of Kals am Grossglockner, where a new campsite awaits us. We rest, replenish our snack supplies, and explore the next day's itinerary.
Day 6 (03.07) - fire on the hind legs!
We begin our journey towards the summit of the Grossglockner. First we trek between the rocks, then we put on crampons, pick up a pickaxe and move across the glacier in a roped formation. Before the hut, we can also turn on the rocks with the crampons for a while.
We will spend the night at an altitude of 3400 m in the Erzherzog Johann hut, which is also the highest hut in Austria.
Ascent meters: 1500 m
Duration of the hike: 6-7 hours
Day 7 (04.07) - final effort
Summit day! We get up early and march just 300 vertical meters above the hut to complete Austria's highest peak. There's a glacier on the way, some rock climbing, and we have to pull ourselves up with a rope for a while. But nothing too difficult! After the summit, we descend back to the parking lot and celebrate our great achievement at the campsite.
NB! If the weather forecast for that day promises worse weather and we have enough energy when we reach the hut the day before, we will finish the summit the day before. In this case, that day's energy will only be spent on the descent (and celebration).
Ascent meters: 300 m
Descent meters: 1800 m
Duration of the hike: 7 hours
Day 8 (05.07) - Backup day
A spare day in case the bad weather forces us to play around a bit on peak days. If we don't need a peak day, we'll reward ourselves with a visit to Salzburg - if you want, you can go climbing in the nice indoor hall; if you want, you can go for a walk in the historic Kadriorg-like old town. For the night, we'll drive to a campsite near Salzburg by the beautiful Wolfgangsee.
Day 9-10 (06-07.07) - back home
We pack up and say goodbye to the Alps, as we have a long drive home ahead of us. To avoid being tired from being on the bus all night, we spend the night in a hotel near Lomza.
NB! There may be minor changes to the schedule and planned activities - for example, due to weather and conditions or passenger requests.
Don't worry, let's do it!
My altitude record is Munamägi. Can I still do it?!
Since these peaks are not technically difficult, of course! However, it is important that your body is used to the physical strain (longer runs or bike rides + strength training). It is also important to train your mental side to cope with long physical days and steep slopes.
But I don't have any hiking gear, who can afford to buy it?
You'll still have to spend a little, but not much. Hiking and climbing equipment can be rented at a very reasonable price and, of course, borrowed from friends. In addition, you can use any kind of clothing you have - for example, a ski jacket is also very good for the mountain. The more resourceful can manage with almost no additional expenses.
Will I survive?
It's an extreme sport/hobby, but you shouldn't be too afraid here. Of course, there are certain dangers in the mountains and you have to take that into account, but at the same time, you could get hit by a bus walking across the street tomorrow. The most important thing for the group leader is to ensure the safety of the participants - to do this, we learn and use correct mountaineering techniques and turn around if the weather gets too bad. The point is still to have an enjoyable experience and not let this mountain go away. ;)
Okay, I registered. Now what?
Well, theoretically you could just vanish into thin air and appear on a plane, but then you risk discovering on the spot “oops, I have the wrong cats and what is this middleman node?”. It can happen, but a warm recommendation is to participate in preparatory events - that's part of the fun. We organize preparatory hiking training, give advice on suitable insurance and equipment, where to rent cheaply, what to train for, etc. We will definitely review the collected equipment just before the start of the trip and send reminders about important things.
Read more also frequently asked questions.
Travel documents and footnotes
The participant is responsible for the validity and condition of their travel documents. For this trip you will need:
ID card/passport;
sports insurance suitable for mountain hiking (read more on the FAQ page). A suitable sports insurance policy must be carried and is a prerequisite for participating in the mountain hike;
travel insurance.
Plan your trip early and start training for it. We will organize several trial trips, training sessions and recommend training plans beforehand. It would be a shame if the peak was only behind the physique. Also a good opportunity to get in shape. ;)
Summits are not guaranteed. As you might expect, weather is king in the mountains. So it is entirely possible that weather or dangerous conditions will prevent us from even attempting the summit. Nevertheless, it will definitely be an awesome experience!
Although at the end of the day everyone is still responsible for their own actions and consequences, we do our best to mitigate the risks associated with mountaineering. As a result, the group leader has the right to make ongoing decisions about the competence of the participants, the suitability of their equipment, physical/mental capacity, etc. and, if necessary, for example, to prohibit participation on summit day if it endangers the health of the group or the participant themselves. Hopefully, of course, there will be no need for this.
Read also travel conditions.
