Canoe camping

Driving on a body of water with a canoe is referred to as canoeing or hiking paddling.

General

When Canoeing is mainly driven on calm waters, making this canoe sport is particularly popular with families, nature enthusiasts and beginners. It includes not only the quiet paddling on lakes and small and large rivers, not even light white water rafting. More than 90 % of the canoe tourism consists of Canoeing. Trips on the sea along coasts are designated as Coastal Canoeing and require specialized equipment. Similarly, one can also whitewater paddling hiking with small luggage.

The Canoeing can be done with particularly suitable kayaks or canoes. Migrant boats are available in different sizes that are suitable for one or more persons. These boats are often designed in addition to the paddlers take even luggage. Prolonged driving without escort vehicles are also known as overnight trips or - similar to Trekking - called canoe trekking. Sometimes in multi-day trips and vehicles with luggage (or eg caravans) but caught up in stages.

The navigable waters are described in detail in river guides. Here's information on hazardous locations (eg weirs ), locks, barriers, locks waters and nature reserves can be found. On some flat spots you have towing and impassable places portages. Regulations must be observed when driving the German Federal Waterways: Inland waterways - order or shipping lanes - order or special regulations of the Rhine, Moselle, Danube or port of Hamburg. Electronic information on the waterways can be found at ELWIS.

" Canoeing is one of the most popular water tourism activities on German waters ," represents the basic investigation Water tourism in Germany firmly (DTV, 2003). Between 1.2 and 1.4 million canoeists travel every year on the 37,000 km for canoes suitable waters.

Equipment

If one possesses not own a boat, you have now in many places can rent canoes. This canoe rental offer in addition to the equipment needed to (boat, paddle, life jacket and possibly also waterproof bags or clothing bags) usually also a driving service where the canoeist is brought to the starting point or picked up from the target. Also information on the planned route are given by the boat rental.

Exists for members of canoe clubs almost always have the option to use club boats, these boats are rarely awarded to non-members.

Night

The free camping is now prohibited in Germany in most states. Otherwise, an approval of the land owner catch (which is rarely possible ). Almost always banned is the kindling of an open fire. Therefore, you should inform in advance a tour of accommodation options. Often can be camped on canoe clubs or stayed in the boathouse. Especially useful are the DKV stations canoe, must meet certain criteria. In all the clubs you should always log before, as many boat houses are only intermittently open.

Often there are also public campgrounds near water. There are also many inland waters as Wasserwanderrastplatz provided docking facilities. There it is possible to a maximum of one night to rest and spend the night. Likewise, the tents as walkers water in many small ports ( to registration with the harbor master ) possible.

Conservation

In all trips the nature deserves special attention by the canoeists. Many paddlers have a code of honor that has the most considerate treatment of nature to the destination. People who want to drive on a body of water only once (eg, for a vacation with rental boats ) go - often lack sufficient mastery boat - sometimes not quite so considerate before. The entrainment of all objects brought, the conservation of plants and animals, and the observance of landing prohibited in nature reserves should be observed by all canoeists.

But outside of this, there are Befahrung regulations for conservation reasons, restrict or prohibit paddling all year. Here's paddling z.T. possible only at certain day or year, from a certain water level or only for a limited number of boats; partly it is also the prohibition to enter the bank. Were counted in Germany in 1980 only 40 Befahrung regulations, there were already 240 in 1995, and 2003 nationwide over 600 Befahrung regulations.

Hiking driver badge

When Canoeing there is the possibility badge to erpaddeln for members of the German Canoe Federation ( DKV). This hiking driver badge is awarded for kilometers driven number that is defined differently by age and gender of the athletes. Requirement is participating in special courses in safety or environmental protection zone for some badge. In addition to this official badge of the DKV there for individual rivers badge for whose attainment is not always a membership in an association is required.

Organization

Many canoe routes athletes are organized in one of the 1300 merged in the German Canoe Federation Canoe clubs. The clubs usually have their own boat houses where boats can be stored and run common rides through.

In addition to carried out by the athletes on their own journeys, there are organized walking tours of clubs and associations. These trips are published in driving programs. The most famous is the sports program of the German Canoe Association, the nationwide annually includes approximately 850 appointments.

The biggest organized walking tour is the TID (Tour International Danubien ), which leads to the Danube in 52 daily stages from Ingolstadt to Silistra. In the annual journey through six countries 2080 kilometers be traveled. Most of the participants in this case go with some daily stages; create only a few - also because of the time involved - the entire route within an event.