September 1, 2026, 10:48 am | Read time: 8 minutes
The Uckermärkische Seen Nature Park surrounds the spa town of Lychen. It can be wonderfully explored by kayak from the water, moving through a gentle landscape shaped by the last Ice Age. TRAVELBOOK author Robin Hartmann spent two days there and reports on a paddling tour with an Amazon feel, locals weary of city life, and a legendary culinary feast through the Mark Brandenburg.
The first thing we see of paradise is a mirage. At least it seems that way. The Wurlsee near Lychen shines in such supernatural colors under the brightest sunshine that it feels like standing in a daydream. It is just one of about 230 bodies of water in the Uckermärkische Seen Nature Park, and here an old friend and I plan to start a two-day tour with hiking kayaks. The weather for our start is picture-perfect, with only a few lazy cumulus clouds accentuating the otherwise blue sky. At our feet, the Wurlsee glows as if its water were liquid emerald. A first swim at the end of August brings a slightly autumnal chill to the body upon immersion. Then we board our boats and paddle off.
For years, Lychen has been a dreamlike local recreation destination for a carefree weekend for me. It’s only an hour and a half from my hometown of Berlin, about the same from Hamburg. However, I mostly went hiking here, as some of the seven lakes directly around the town can also be circled on foot. Recently, I’ve discovered more joy in hiking on the water. So I eagerly agreed when my friend suggested Lychen as the starting point for our discovery tour in the Uckermärkische Seen Nature Park. Kayaks and a campsite were already reserved. And so I drove my car expectantly toward the next adventure in nature.
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One of the Cleanest German Lakes
The first paddle strokes, and the feeling of being in a kind of beautiful delirium, if possible, increases even more. The Wurlsee, at up to 28 meters, is the deepest of all the lakes around Lychen, and it is undoubtedly the most beautiful. One of the cleanest lakes in Germany, with drinking water quality, and the aforementioned almost unnaturally green-blue color makes our hearts beat faster. The clouds reflect in the smooth water, entire fields of blooming water lilies, a few ducks, sometimes the cry of a bird of prey in the sky. Otherwise, complete silence over the wide, afternoon land.
Through a wide canal completely surrounded by alder swamp forest, we reach the next body of water around Lychen, the rather small Nesselpfuhl. Beautiful houses of the town, founded as a trading post by Margrave John I in 1248, line its shores. In 1899, the spa town, still recognized today, received a now-defunct rail connection, making it an early destination for Berliners. Also, because a lung sanatorium was located here, of which only ruins remain. But it’s surely only a matter of time before a savvy businessman with a lot of money turns it into another luxury resort. Until then, Lychen will hopefully remain the wonderfully simple, honest place it is today.
Expedition Trip
Spreewald feeling as the next narrow canal carries us toward Oberpfuhl. Here, you paddle through the front yards of many people and should therefore behave particularly respectfully. On the shore, the rare swan flower blooms snow-white in numerous umbels, and we soon encounter a charming, quirky obstacle. To reach the next lake, we have to pull our kayaks under a building through a slipway. A bit of groaning, but soon we’re drifting again, and the Oberpfuhl, the largest of the lakes around Lychen we’ve reached so far, welcomes us. The town sign also bears the nickname “Rafting Town”–from 1720, commercial timber rafting played a significant role here for a time. Today, tourists are ferried across the lakes on these vehicles.
Our leisurely paddling tour turns into an Amazon expedition. In a densely branched canal network, we search for the access to the Großer Küstrinsee. We repeatedly navigate around giant trees fallen into the water, even having to yield to a swan family with five young ones. The Küstriner Bach, on which we now travel, covers seven kilometers between the Oberpfuhl in Lychen and the town of Küstrinchen. However, due to obstacles in the water, we soon find no way forward and paddle back slowly. Very slowly, as the silence of the forest surrounding us is a balm for the soul. The canopy of leaves also provides excellent protection when an unexpected short downpour hits us.
Annoying City Dwellers
We now paddle toward a short swimming stop at Zenssee, from where you can see the aforementioned sanatorium. Then we drift back into the Nesselpfuhl and head to a wonderfully located, nameless garden restaurant right on the water. Well, it does have a name, but the operators prefer not to see it in the media. Anyway, there is sometimes a real rush of city dwellers here due to the dreamlike location, who are not always easy to deal with. Along with the beers for refreshment, we also have a good conversation and then sit with our drinks on a floating pontoon in the middle of a field of water lilies. My friend, who knows the place from a previous visit, assures me the kitchen there is also excellent.
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For us, tonight it’s appropriately bagged noodles, prepared on the gas stove. A dreamlike sunset bathes the land in archaic primary colors as we head to the campsite at Wurlsee, located in a light pine forest. After dinner, we demolish an entire arsenal of sweets, then I sink into the soft sand on the beach. Unfortunately, sleep is out of the question, as a group of about twelve-year-old boys seems to consider the area their personal adventure playground even after midnight. Additionally, a group of at least physically much older colleagues shares their Uno game with the entire area in terms of volume.
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After Paddling Comes Feasting
After what feels like three minutes of sleep, the first early risers wake me around seven in the morning. I follow their example and take a wonderful swim that immediately washes away all fatigue. By 10 a.m., we set off again, as we want to cover some distance today. We go over the Nesselpfuhl into the Lychener Stadtsee and then into the Große Lychensee. However, we don’t get far here because a gale-force wind blows against us, whipping the waves dangerously high. With the last strength in our arms, we paddle to the beach of the public swimming area, whose snack bar serves us a few nice sausages despite the yawning emptiness. A tailwind drives us back one last time into the Wurlsee, where we return our boats to the excellent rental “Reiherhals.”
One last swim, and then we set off. But not toward home, rather to a true culinary feast. This first takes us to Lychen’s “Handwerksbäckerei,” where very good sourdough bread is sold at Berlin prices. The attempt to open a branch in Prenzlauer Berg has just failed, a still cheerful employee tells us during our purchase. Now a delicious latte macchiato to go, and we’re off again. Because when looking at our map, I let out a cry of joy when I noticed that the “Ziegenkäserei Capriolenhof” was very close by. I usually buy their specialties in Berlin, but now we would drive directly to the source.
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Culinary Excess
Through the official Santa Claus village of Himmelpfort and Bredereiche, the car jostles over roads paved with cobblestones or bricks. The last five kilometers are particularly picturesque, as they run along the rather narrow, winding Havel on an unpaved forest path. “This is like the Shire,” my friend exclaims enthusiastically as I steer us toward the cheese excess. However, since there is no network at the destination, card payment is not possible, but we gladly sacrifice our last cash reserves for the treasures. I even get the particularly old, long-aged cheese I love from a kind of refrigerator safe.
Now we already feel the pull of Berlin, of everyday life, on the road again, but we still have two exclusive stops on our list. One is “Richard’s Wild” in Dannenwalde, where you can take a variety of game specialties to go. For a small snack, I highly recommend the knackers or meatballs. The store also has other specialties like robinia vinegar and local honey. Our last stop takes us to Teschendorf, where the fish sandwich stand “Fischzauber” is a must-stop on every trip toward Lychen. My friend even gets fresh chanterelles, and so another adventure in Brandenburg ends as always with the wish to return as soon as possible.