Nature in Czechia: 27 rock towns, caves, peaks and parks

A sandstone rock town near Jičín with narrow gorges and dozens of viewpoints.

The Elbe rises on a Krkonoše meadow at 1,386 m and flows about 1,100 km to the North Sea; nearby it drops over the Labe waterfall.

At 1,603 m the highest mountain in the Czech Republic, on the Polish border in the Krkonoše. A cable car runs up from Pec pod Sněžkou.

A labyrinth of sandstone towers up to 100 m tall, with a boat ride on a small lake and narrow gorges.

A flooded limestone quarry in the Bohemian Karst, nicknamed the Czech Grand Canyon.

The largest cave system in Bohemia, where counterfeiters minted coins in the 15th century.

Mushroom-shaped sandstone pillars topped with 'lids' in the Kokořínsko protected landscape, near Kokořín castle.

Sandstone towers around Hrubá Skála chateau in Bohemian Paradise, with a view across to Trosky.

A remote Jizera Mountains hamlet in a peat-bog valley below the volcanic cone of Bukovec.

A cascade over granite steps near Harrachov, with 'giant's kettles' carved into the rock.

One of the oldest forest reserves in Central Europe, protected since 1858, with spruces, firs and beeches several centuries old.

A wooden walkway through the treetops of Šumava leading to a 40 m tower with views over Lipno, the largest body of water in the country.

The largest fishpond in the Czech Republic, completed in 1590 by Jakub Krčín. The autumn carp harvest is a spectacle.

A 138-metre-deep chasm in the Moravian Karst. Combine it with a boat ride on the underground Punkva river.

Limestone hills rising out of the Moravian plain, a UNESCO biosphere reserve rich in orchids and steppe flora.

The Dyje winds through a deep forested canyon along the Austrian border; the viewpoint looks down on Hardegg castle.

The largest natural sandstone arch in Europe, 26.5 m wide, in Bohemian Switzerland National Park.

A sandstone rock town with narrow passages loved by children and climbers; it appeared in The Chronicles of Narnia films.

The highest peak of the České středohoří (837 m) and the windiest place in the country by measurement, with a weather observatory on top.

The highest peak of the Hrubý Jeseník (1,491 m), topped by a TV tower with a viewing platform.

The highest peak of the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy (1,323 m) and one of the rainiest places in the country.

The highest peak of the White Carpathians (970 m), above orchid-rich meadows on the Slovak border.

Folk-style timber buildings by architect Dušan Jurkovič on a Beskydy ridge, with the Valaška sky walk and a trail to Radhošť.

A mofette landscape where carbon dioxide bubbles up through mud and mineral springs, a rare trace of volcanic activity.

The largest peat bog in Moravia and Silesia, with a boardwalk to the Great Moss Lake.

A 55 m spiral walkway of wood and steel on Slamník hill, with a slide more than 100 m long.

The largest natural lake in the Czech Republic, a glacial lake below a steep forested wall in Šumava.