Summer in Valle Aurina: Trekking, hiking, MTB…

Our small river, the Ahr, is ideal for various types of water sports. The rafting tours along the valley are particularly popular. The local club offers several different tours of different levels of difficulty. From a leisurely ride along the valley to a challenging tour through water rollers and over rapids.

The Speikboden is a perfect starting point for paragliders. You are welcome to transport your kite up the mountain with the cable car. If paragliding is new territory for you and you would like to get to know the feeling of flying in the great outdoors, tandem flights are also offered. You don’t have to be able to do much for this, apart from running a few steps at the start. Hang-gliders are also welcome on the Speikboden and in the Valle Aurina, but unfortunately it is not possible to transport kites that are too large by cable car.

If you come from the south to the valley basin of Taufers, you will immediately notice it. Taufers Castle majestically presides over the village of Sand in Taufers. Mentioned for the first time in 1224, the owners had an overview of all traffic over the important Tauern passes from there. Strategically important, extremely scenic. The castle is excellently preserved and can be visited. By the way, we call the rock on which the castle stands “Klapf”. And it geographically separates the Taufers valley from the Valle Aurina. Lutago is only a few minutes behind.

Now it’s time to wrap up warm. And do so all year round. In the mine museum in Prettau, more than a kilometre deep inside the mountain, the so-called climate tunnel offers relaxation, especially for people with respiratory problems: the year-round constant temperature (8 - 10 °C) and the special micro climate (virtually no allergens or pollen in the air) in the tunnel result in a noticeable reduction in symptoms.

At the two locations in Prettau and in Steinhaus, the Mining Museum recalls a glorious chapter in Valle Aurina’s history. In Prettau, at the actual mine, you drive kilometres into the mountain and learn interesting details underground about copper mining, which was the most important economic factor here in the valley for centuries. In Steinhaus you can learn a lot about the everyday life of the miners, the other servants and their families. Good luck!

Our valley has several small but very interesting museums and exhibitions, all of which are worth visiting. The “Magic of water” museum in Lappach provides information about the importance of this element. The “Kirchler” mineral museum exhibits numerous minerals from our Valle Aurina mountains. The exhibition in the sheep’s wool museum in Sand in Taufers is also very informative. The “Maranatha” nativity scene museum in Lutago is also very interesting in summer.

At the exit of the Taufers Valle Aurina valley lies Bruneck, the largest (and only) town in the Pustertal valley, in a wide valley basin. Numerous shops, restaurants, cafés and museums invite you to linger. They promise carefree holiday hours even on days when the weather does not play along. Bruneck can be easily reached by bus, which is free of charge for you as our guests. Interesting: the State Museum of Folklore in Dietenheim near Bruneck offers insight into life in the mountains as it was until not so long ago.

Are you ready to discover a particularly mystical place? Heilig-Geist in Prettau in the rear Valle Aurina is such a place of power. A leisurely walk leads from Kasern to the chapel in about 20 minutes. As a way back you can choose the road, which is also flat and connects Kasern with the valley head. Especially in spring, when the surrounding meadows are covered with millions of crocuses, it is an unforgettable experience.

A short walk leads to the Schwarzbach waterfall here in Lutago. Here the water plunges 15 m through a crevice into a small lake. You already feel cool just by watching the water fall. The lower end of the three Reinbach waterfalls at the entrance to the Reintal in Sand in Taufers can also be reached with a short walk. An unforgettable experience.