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The Sigmund Thun Klamm and the Klammsee at Kaprun, guarantee for beautiful nature

The Sigmund Thun Klamm with the Klammsee is less than half an hour from our holiday home. In fact… now it was a half hour drive. Last winter we were in a hotel not even 5 minutes away from this beautiful canyon without knowing it! Strange how in winter you close your eyes to everything that has nothing to do with skiing, haha. And so nice that we decided to go to Austria this summer vacation, because it's so beautiful here.

We have already done the necessary walks this week, such as the Krimml Waterfalls, the Baumzipfelweg in Hinterglemmen de Weissee glacier near Uttendorf. Today it's the turn of the Sigmund Thun Klamm at Kaprun.

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The Sigmund Thun Klamm, a beautiful gorge

The Sigmund Thun Klamm is a gorge - formed by nature - where you walk over a bridge between the rocks and the water features.

The origin of the gap

For the origin of the Sigmund Thun Klamm we have to go back 14,000 years. During the Ice Age, a huge glacier created the cliffs here on its way down. The melting of the ice has created a huge indentation. In some places this Klamm is even 32 meters deep and in total the walk over the bridges is 320 meters long.

The Sigmund Thun Klamm has been open to tourists since 1893 and owes its name to the Count who was governor of Salzburg at the time. Nevertheless, the gap closed in 1983 as the bridges built at the time were no longer adequate.

Re-opening of the Sigmund-Thun-Klamm

Fortunately, they decided to reopen the Gorge  in 1992, after building new promenades. A good decision if you ask me, we really enjoyed the walk! And I can declare on behalf of the children… them too!

The walk through the Sigmund Thun Klamm near Kaprun

The duration of the walk is approximately one hour. It took us a little longer, mainly because of the amount of photos and videos we took! Admittedly, it is a very different walk than we have made the past few days, but certainly no less because of it. He is clearly less heavy.

The Sigmund Thun Klamm is ideal for children, this walk is also no problem with small children. You do have to take some stairs, but as long as you don't have a pram or wheelchair you can get everywhere.

In principle, you don't even need special shoes. You can -if you want-  do this walk in your slippers. However, on the way back we took an alternative route that does require walking shoes. This alternative route is an exit from the standard path, a very nice walking path through the forest with steep paths down.

We were also very lucky with the weather this day. Halfway through (at the Klammsee itself) it started to rain a bit, but that was over in no time. You can clearly see the difference in the photos between the moments when the sun was still shining and the heavy clouds. Not just the colours, but also Lotte 😉 .

Two walks for the price of one

You can choose to walk alone through the gorge and enjoy the beautiful water features that are there. In that case, I think you're done in 20 minutes. Shame! The walk around the Klammsee may be less special than the gorge itself, but it is still beautiful to do. The water of the Klammsee  also has a beautiful green color (just like the Weissee), which gives the entire lake a special appearance.

Further on in the Klammsee, the children can play in the water. There is also a playground with a small hut where you can get something to eat and drink. And where Lotte could pet an Alpaca 😉 .

If you walk to the left around the Klammsee (the logical route when you come out of the Gorge), you will eventually come back to the right (yes duhuh) but no longer through the gorge itself.

One way street

At least… if you do what is asked nicely. Between the Sigmund Thun Klamm and the Klammsee is an iron gate that only seems to open from the gorge. If you park at the Klammsee and do the walk the other way around, you could in principle visit the Klamm yourself without paying for it. Access to the Klammsee is simply free. The gate between the two is made of bars and children can easily open the gate with their hand from the other side. It is not allowed, but despite the sign on the gate that clearly states that it is not allowed, it still happens. A bit of a shame, because in principle you don't have to leave it behind, this walk is not that expensive and everything also has to be maintained, doesn't it?

You also walk in the opposite direction. Extremely irritating of course for those who have just paid decently.

Tomorrow we will go up the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, of course you can read a report there too 😉 .

TIP:We are staying this holiday in Viehhofen, at Landal Greenparks
Rehrenberg. An excellent location with perfect apartments and, in our opinion, really centrally located for the many trips we want to make. We drove for a maximum of an hour to the furthest locations we've been to, so it's very doable!

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