10 Nature Trip Tips Around Brno II.

We will start the second part with a location that combines several Czech "bests". Few tourists will not know the deepest dry abyss in the Czech Republic – Macocha, which takes your breath away with its vertigo, and the Punkva Caves, through which you can sail on an underground river.

However, the area of Suchý and Pustý Žleb offers many more hidden treasures:

• Kateřinská Cave: It hides the largest underground dome in the Czech Republic, where concerts are held, and a stalactite in the shape of a witch.
• Devil's Bridge: An 18-meter-high rock arch that was formed by the collapse of an old cave.
• Koňský Spád Lookout: Offers a breathtaking view into the Pustý Žleb canyon.
• Blansek Castle: A romantic ruin on a hill directly opposite the entrance to the Punkva Caves.

If you go further, you will come across the famous Sloup-Šošůvka Caves with the Nagel Abyss. In the vicinity of the Skalní Mlýn information center, you can visit the modern House of Nature of the Moravian Karst or the beautifully decorated Balcarka Cave.

The valley through which the Jihlava River flows (map) combines the exceptional beauty of a meandering river, steep rock walls, and rare steppes. What can you look forward to?

• Unique nature: In the Nad Řekami reserve and at the Biskupice Serpentinite Steppes, you will see plants on serpentinite bedrock that you won't find anywhere else.
• Rocks and castles: Through the rocks of the Pustý Mlýn nature park, you will reach the picturesque ruins of the Templar castle Templštejn.
• Views: Breathtaking scenery is offered by the peaks of Velké Skály covered with thermophilous oak forests.

Probably the most valuable location in the area is the famous national nature reserve Mohelno Serpentinite Steppe. You can end your trip at the reservoir of the same name, at the giant Dalešice Reservoir with the highest dam in the Czech Republic, or at the ruins of Kozlov Castle.

Trenck's Gorge (map) in the valley of the Bobrůvka stream will win you over with its pristine nature. The route has no major elevation changes, but in winter, it is more demanding due to snow and ice in the section of the Trenck's Gorge nature reserve itself.

What awaits you along the way?

• Waterfall cascade (the highest is 4 meters), where Baron Trenck, the leader of the Pandurs, is said to have hidden.
• Plenty of springs for refreshment.
• Destination: The romantic Mitrov Castle ruins above the Podmitrov farm, where you can see diverse breeding animals.

Pálava (map) is a famous limestone mountain range that needs no long introduction. The "civilization center" is Mikulov, which itself is worth a full-day trip. You will find here:

• A magnificent chateau with a wine museum and a rare giant barrel.
• An important Jewish cemetery, a synagogue, or the Dietrichstein Tomb.
• The Way of the Cross to Svatý Kopeček, from where there is a beautiful view.

The tourist route will then take you through the Na Turoldu Cave, the ruins of Sirotčí Hrádek, and the peak of Děvín up to the Děvičky castle. From here you will see like in the palm of your hand:

• Nové Mlýny with the Church of St. Linhart on a small island.
• Dolní Věstonice, the site of the famous Věstonice Venus and the Calendar of Ages national nature reserve.
• Pavlov with a modern underground archeopark.

Chřiby is an extensive highland area where, rather than one route, we recommend visiting specific places. There are really many of them here:

• Castles: The dominant feature is the majestic Buchlov castle with the Linden of Innocence. The ruins of Cimburk and Střílky are also worth visiting.
• Lookout towers: The architecturally imaginative Salaš and the stone lookout tower Brdo on the highest peak of the mountain range.
• Rock formations: Solitary rocks such as Kozel, Malý and Velký Buchlovský Kámen, or the mysterious Kazatelna.
• In the vicinity: The important pilgrimage site of Velehrad, the Slavic fortified settlement in Modrá, and the Living Water exhibition, where you can walk through a glass tunnel under the pond's surface.