Shinrin-yoku - forest bathing in the mountains
Shinrin-yoku - The "forest bathing cure" with the healing power of the mountain forest
The healing power of mountain forests has been known and firmly anchored in traditional Alpine medicine for centuries. Originally from Japan, "Shinrin-yoku", in English "taking a bath in the atmosphere of the forest", is now increasingly valued in Europe as a serious method for maintaining health and strengthening physical and mental strength. Located in the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park and on the sunny south side of the Alps, our Almchalet Goldbergleiten offers perfect conditions for a forest bathing health holiday.
Regardless of whether you simply need a break, want to consciously slow down or "just" want to actively treat yourself to something for your well-being.
Far away from traffic and the hustle and bustle, in crystal-clear mountain air at 1,300 m above sea level and in a wonderful sunny location, you can experience nature, the forest and the mountains with mindfulness and authentic feeling. Our house is an official partner of the Hohe Tauern National Park. This is not an empty slogan, but means sustainability and knowledge of nature, the mountains and their benefits for our descendants. We live and work according to the basic values of the largest national park in the Alps. We ourselves know the places of power and hidden beauties of our region. And they are on our doorstep, in the truest sense of the word...
Forest bathing means relaxing in the forest, gentle exercise, allowing the sounds, images and scents of the trees, flowers and wild streams to have an effect on you. Simply slow down, relax and unwind! Forest bathing is possible for everyone, and for your children, the forest and numerous small mountain creeks offer many safe play opportunities in the immediate vicinity of the hut. Forest bathing does not mean hours of hiking or top sporting performances.
Mighty waterfalls plunge into the valley, fed by the summit regions of the mystical Schober group, the majestic Grossglockner or the Goldberg massif, at the foot of which our alpine chalet is located. Two of the most famous, the Gartlfall with its ice-cold "Urschreibecken" ("primal scream basin") and the legendary Jungfernsprung ("Virgin's jump"), can be reached from the chalet as a comfortable panoramic hike. Right next to the mountain house, the Frauenbach, a romantic wild stream, flows along the forest in countless cascades. You can do your water meditation there every morning without being disturbed.
Here you can find our special Shinrin-yoku forest bathing offer.
Shinrin-yoku is neither esoteric nor superstition
Since more than three decades, the medical effect of the forest on the human mind and body has been scientifically researched by conventional medicine. In Japan, Shinrin-yoku is now an integral part of state health care and is even paid for by health insurance companies. Numerous medical studies, especially from Japan and the USA, suggest the beneficial effects of forest bathing:
- Strengthening of the body's defenses and immune system
- Relieves respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic bronchitis
- Reduces stress and promotes mental regeneration (specifically proven by the reduction of the stress hormone cortisol)
- Stimulates the production of the body's own defense cells (DHEA, "killer cells")
The absorption of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes as well as phytoncides via the respiratory tract and human skin is medically effective. What sounds threatening at first are actually naturally produced organic substances by forest trees. Terpenes are organic compounds that are produced in large quantities by conifers such as firs, spruces, Swiss stone pines and mountain pines, but also by wild herbs such as thyme and peppermint. While the sesquiterpenes are responsible for the "beautiful scent", the monoterpenes are natural biopharmaceuticals that are produced by the trees for their own protection.
Our "Alpine Fountain of Health" - mountains, forests, waterfalls
The alpine mountain forests of the Hohe Tauern National Park with their rich stocks of spruce, stone pine and mountain pine, and far away from any industry or main traffic routes, offer perfect conditions for Shinrin-yoku treatments and health holidays. Wild thyme and peppermint grow wild right next to our alpine chalet, and we cultivate sage in the best organic quality in our herb garden. In summer and autumn you can make yourself a fresh herbal tea every morning.
In addition, there are the well-known factors such as high oxygen content in the air, intense sunlight, a largely free of air pollutants, physiologically optimal humidity and of course the stress-relieving tranquility of the mountain forest, and simply the joy of our beautiful nature. The sight of this has a direct effect on the parasympathetic nerve via visual stimuli of the color "green" and immediately ensures psychological well-being.
A unique source of health, a "health fountain" in the truest sense of the word, are the mighty alpine waterfalls of the Schober and Goldberg massifs in our Upper Mölltal. Fed by the snowfields and glacier zones of the 3000m peaks, mineral-rich, pure spring water cascades down into the valley in impressive cascades of up to 100 meters. The most famous of them, the Gartlfall and the Jungfernsprung, but also the legendary Neunbrunnen Falls in the deserted Zirknitz Valley, can be reached on foot from the Almchalet as a comfortable forest bathing hike. And these waterfalls are not just beautiful to look at.
Regularly staying in the immediate vicinity of alpine waterfalls has a soothing effect on asthma and similar bronchial diseases, and this can last for up to 4 months after the end of your forest bathing stay. What was suspected more than 200 years ago by the Salzburg physician Dr. Wolfgang Oberlechner has recently been proven by scientific studies at the Paracelsus Medical University of Salzburg and other international research institutions (read here). The medically effective effect is the extraordinarily high content of tiny, negatively charged water ions (OH-), which are created due to physical effects when water droplets fall from great heights and are inhaled by the patient. These ions, the so-called "Lenard ions", were discovered at the end of the 19th century by the Austro-Hungarian Nobel Prize winner in physics, Philipp Lenard. At that time, however, no one thought about the positive physiological effect of these nanoparticles, and it would not have been possible to investigate them with the resources available at the time.
The Gartlfall near Grosskirchheim, one of the strongest sources of asthma-relieving aerosols in the Austrian Alps, is just an hour's walk from our Almchalet Goldbergleiten. Right at the foot of the waterfall, where the ion concentration is highest, there is a large viewing platform with benches where you can sit, read a book or simply relax. According to the latest study results, you should spend around an hour there every day to achieve the best effect. In order to further research the healing effect of the high mountain waterfalls on bronchial diseases, further medical studies are now planned at an international level, in which our national park region also intends to participate.
- Our Almchalet Goldbergleiten, located right next to the forest, is the ideal location for a successful forest bathing stay. The forest begins right outside the cabin door, you can take a deck chair and a book with you into the forest or experience the forest with all your senses on lonely hunting trails. All bedrooms have unobstructed forest and mountain views, and thanks to our secluded location you can sleep peacefully at night with the window open. The chalet is built in an ecologically exemplary manner from local natural logs and is fully equipped with solid wood furniture.
- Here you can find out more about the ecological concept of our mountain house.
The optimal time: spring and autumn
Spring and autumn are the optimal seasons for forest bathing in the mountains. Our Heiligenblut-Grossglockner region has a moderately strong alpine climate, with the temperature differences between day and night and, due to the altitude and the purity of the air, the relatively high UV radiation intensity being the decisive factors. The balanced temperatures in the two transitional seasons in particular offer perfect climatic conditions for forest bathing.
In spring, as soon as the first places behind our alpine hut are free of snow at the end of March, wonderful wild flowers bloom on the edges of the forest. March lilies, blue liverworts and violets, and above all the wonderful snowdrops sprout from the ground in large numbers around the Goldbergleiten. Right around us there are large stands of the rare wild daphne, which not only blooms beautifully from March onwards, but also smells intoxicating. It is these little ambassadors of the reawakening nature that you can carefully discover during Shinrin-yoku in the forest and which will give you new strength.
Autumn, on the other hand, is impressive due to its tranquillity and the lush colors of the deciduous trees. Our forests are not only home to conifers, but also large stands of beech and sycamore trees, which glow in the golden-red colors of the "Indian Summer" until November. In addition to the medicinally effective elements, there are also the mild daytime temperatures, which can easily rise to 20 °C due to the special microclimatic conditions on the southern slope of the main Alpine ridge. The perfect time to find inner peace for yourself.
You should take your time with forest bathing. Scientific studies show that the first positive effects on body and mind can be seen after just two or three days of Shinrin-yoku exercises. Ideally, however, you should have at least a week for a forest bathing stay. Then you can also gain inner distance from everyday life and experience the healing power of the forest more intensely with each passing day.
That's why "hut landlady" Alla, who is intensively involved with natural philosophy and Far Eastern cuisine, has put together a great offer for you:
Shinrin-yoku forest bathing week at the Almchalet Goldbergleiten
As part of our forest bathing week, we will receive an introduction to the basics of forest bathing and the Shinrin-yoku philosophy, learn how the positive effects of forest medicine can be significantly increased through simple measures and personal exercises, and apply these immediately in practice. The culinary highlight is then an Asian-Alpine menu evening in the old farmhouse parlor of the Almhaus.
Services included
- 7 Nights at the Almchalet Goldbergleiten iin the Hohe Tauern National Park including final cleaning, WiFi internet, parking space and all consumption costs.
- 2 guided nature or mountain tours with a national park ranger. You can see the current tour program here.
- Introduction to the basics of forest bathing and the Shinrin-yoku philosophy with "hut landlady" Alla (1 afternoon)
- Kärtnen Card for free use of the mountain railways, swimming pools, museums and other leisure facilities throughout Carinthia (in the summer season April 6th - November 3rd, 2024)
- Shinrin-yoku textbook with many practical exercises and tips for all seasons
- 1 Asian-Alpine menu evening in the old farmhouse parlor of the Almhaus, including drinks accompaniment.
- 1 bottle of wine from a top Austrian winemaker as a welcome gift
- Large map and information package with hiking maps, MTB maps and excursion information.
Shinrin-yoku in autumn
Period 14.09.24 to 06.10.24: Price: from 1.489,- Euros for 2 persons (including Kärnten Card)
Period 07.10.24 to 03.11.24: Price: from 1.358,- Euros for 2 persons (including Kärnten Card)
Period 04.11.24 to 29.11.24: Price: from 1.195,- Euros for 2 persons (Kärnten Card not available after November 3th!)
Shinrin-yoku in springtime
Period 22.04.25 to 17.05.25: Price: from 1.325,- Euros for 2 persons (including Kärnten Card)
Period 18.05.25 to 18.06.25: Price: from 1.584,- Euros for 2 persons (including Kärnten Card)
plus local tax of 2.20 Euro per person per night for guests aged 16 and over, daily arrival
If you want to know more - basics and research
Here we have put together some interesting links for you:
- Easy-to-read introduction to the basics:
- Interviews with the Japanese doctors Miyazaki Yoshifumi and Qing Li, the discoverers of the healing power of forest bathing:
- Scientific publications in the National Library of Medicine NLM (USA, all in English)
- Trends in research related to “Shinrin-yoku” (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan; Yuko Tsunetsugu, corresponding author Bum-Jin Park and Yoshifumi Miyazaki; in: Environ Health Prev Med. 2010 Jan; 15(1): 27–37.
- Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function; Qing Li; in: Environ Health Prev Med. 2010 Jan; 15(1): 9–17.
- Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing) on health promotion and disease prevention —the Establishment of “Forest Medicine”—; Qing Li; in: Environ Health Prev Med. 2022; 27: 43.
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- Studies on the medical effects of aerosols of Alpine waterfalls on asthma and bronchial obstructions (in English)
- Effects of Ionized Waterfall Aerosol on Pediatric Allergic Asthma; M. Gaisberger et al.; in: Journal of Asthma, 2012; Early Online: 1–9
- Characterization of ions at Alpine waterfalls; P. Kolarž et al.; in: Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 3687–3697, 2012
Disclaimer: Forest bathing is not yet recognized as a form of therapy in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and is not covered by health insurance companies. A forest bathing trip is not a substitute for medical treatment for serious illnesses.
