Climbing in the Moravian Karst is permitted, but only on a specified list of crags approved by the Protected Landscape Area Administration (Správa CHKO). They lie within the cadastral areas of Holštejn, Sloup and Mokrá u Brna, plus two national nature reserves, Vývěry Punkvy and Býčí skála. Two rules apply everywhere: you descend by abseiling, never over the top edge, and on many crags climbing is allowed only from 1 July to 31 December to protect nesting birds. On forbidden crags, the Správa CHKO has had fixed protection removed, so if you can’t find any bolts somewhere, it isn’t an oversight.

QUICK LINKS 📋 Permitted crags · ⚠️ The two rules everything rests on · 🦅 Why the seasonal closures · 🚗 Parking and camping · ❓ FAQ

Where you can climb

The list is based on decisions and measures issued by the Správa CHKO Moravský kras. Always check the validity and current conditions for each crag on the website of the Czech Mountaineering Association (Český horolezecký svaz), where, by its own account, the Správa CHKO keeps adding updates.

Holštejn cadastral area

(decision ref. no. 613/94/MK/Ba of 18 June 1994)

Sloup cadastral area

(decision ref. no. 614/94/MK/Ba of 18 June 1994)

Mokrá u Brna cadastral area

(decision ref. no. 615/94/MK/Ba of 18 June 1994)

Vývěry Punkvy National Nature Reserve and Býčí skála National Nature Reserve

(general measure no. SR/0056/JM/2015 of 5 January 2016)

The busiest crags have long been those around Sloup, Holštejn and Rudice.

The two rules everything rests on

1. Descend by abseiling, not over the top edge. This applies at every permitted site without exception. The reason is botanical: the upper edges of the rock faces are home to the most valuable plants in the entire karst. Relict vegetation that survived the last Ice Age clings on in the cracks of the limestone, and a few minutes of walking can wipe it out. Species growing here include livelong saxifrage, hoary alison and rusty woodsia. One of the permitted crags is, in fact, called Saxifrága, after the Latin name of the saxifrage genus.

You can read more about what grows on the crags in our article on the flora of the karst.

2. Seasonal restriction, 1 July to 31 December. On many crags, climbing is permitted only during this period. The exact dates are stated in the decision for each individual crag, so don’t rely on this article, but check the current wording for the one you plan to climb.

Why the birds matter

The karst’s rock faces are nesting sites, and for some species they offer some of the few suitable places in the region.

Eagle owls, ravens and common swifts all nest here. One of the climbing crags in Pustý žleb is called Rorejsy, which is no coincidence. In winter, the odd wallcreeper strays in.

Above all, peregrine falcons nested on the rocks of the Moravian Karst until 1957, then vanished. Between 1993 and 2001, 26 young birds were released here as part of a reintroduction programme. The result came only after a further fifteen years: in 2016 a peregrine falcon successfully bred in the northern part of the Moravian Karst and raised three chicks. It was the first successful nesting in almost sixty years.

Worth bearing in mind if a seasonal closure ever strikes you as excessive.

Parking and camping

The Správa CHKO cites two recurring problems, and neither concerns climbers alone: unauthorised camping near the crags and vehicles driving off roads and local routes.

In the Moravian Karst, camping and lighting fires are allowed only in designated places, and parking only in marked car parks. There is also a year-round ban on motor vehicles entering Pustý žleb and Suchý žleb, which also affects access to the climbing areas at Macocha and in both gorges. For details, see the CHKO rules and our article on how to get to the karst.

Compliance is overseen by the nature protection rangers.

FAQ

Can I climb any crag where I can see fixed protection? No. What counts is the list of permitted crags, not the presence of bolts. On forbidden crags the Správa CHKO had fixed protection removed, but old ironwork still turns up here and there.

Are there any towers in the karst? With a few exceptions, no; they are mostly walls. Hřebenáč near Sloup is the best-known rock tower in the area.

Where can I check the current situation? On the website of the Czech Mountaineering Association, where, by its own account, the Správa CHKO updates the information. According to published analyses, relations between the Správa CHKO and the ČHS have long been good, and organised climbing does not come into conflict with nature conservation. Problems tend to arise mainly with unorganised climbers.

What if the crag is in a reserve? Both Vývěry Punkvy and Býčí skála are national nature reserves, where you may otherwise move only along marked paths. Climbing there is possible solely on the basis of that 2016 general measure, and only on the listed crags.

Can you climb in the karst in winter? Formally yes, as the seasonal restriction runs until 31 December. In practice, limestone is slippery after rain and frost, and in the northern part of the karst snow lies for almost twice as long as in the south, on average from the end of November to mid-March.

Source of the list of crags and conditions: AOPK ČR, Analyses of the Subject of Protection of the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Area (August 2017), chapter 4.11. The information reflects the situation as of 2017, so check the conditions with the Správa CHKO or the ČHS before you set out.

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