September 15, 2025, 4:23 am | Read time: 10 minutes
At the border between Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern lies the Feldberger Seenlandschaft, a unique and primeval natural paradise. Especially on a boat trip, this magically beautiful landscape and its deep forests and waters can be well explored. There’s so much to see that, like our author, you can also embark on a multi-day kayaking tour. From crystal-blue lakes, lonely villages, and a view straight into the heart of the universe.
For a brief moment, the reflection of the clouds on the Schmaler Luzin, one of the magically beautiful waters of the Feldberger Seenlandschaft, creates a unique optical, or rather spiritual, illusion. As my kayak glides silently over the otherwise completely calm water, the clarity of the turquoise blue beneath me makes it feel as if I’m paddling directly over the sky itself. And I feel like I’m in heaven, as the multi-day trip with two good old friends has started spectacularly. I’ve often hiked in the unique area between Berlin and Hamburg, but never a kayaking tour. And it truly offers everything that makes my heart race.
Deep forests, lakes like something out of a fairy tale, dreamy villages, and in between, worldwide solitude in an archaic nature shaped by the last ice age. That’s the Feldberger Seenlandschaft. By car, it’s not even two hours from my home in Berlin, but also easily accessible by public transport. And yet it’s a completely different world, where you can find a lot of peace and perhaps even yourself at the end of a journey there. The movement on the water also contributes to this, a virtually weightless way of getting around. At your own pace, paddle stroke by paddle stroke, you can discover a unique chain of waters.
The Rhythm of Others
Our journey begins in Feldberg, something like the “capital” of the Feldberger Seenlandschaft. Here, you have numerous options to rent water sports vehicles of all kinds from various providers. We choose touring kayaks, as we plan to be on the road for two days and camp along the way. At the sight of the luggage my two colleagues are carrying, I have to chuckle a bit upon arrival. You might almost think we were going on a weeks-long expedition on the Amazon. Nevertheless, we manage to stow everything in the hatches of our kayaks, which are then covered with a waterproof protective cover. And off we go into this other world that will captivate us for the next two days.
The first paddle strokes, the houses of Feldberg and the beautiful church tower slowly become smaller as we begin our adventure on the so-called Haussee. The smartphone cameras are already clicking nonstop, a stark contrast to our everyday life in the big city is hardly imaginable. Above us, the sharp cries of the ospreys, the kings of the Feldberger Seenlandschaft. They glide majestically in the azure sky. And we try to emulate them down here on Earth. Although, gliding is not quite how I would describe the start of our tour; it feels more like a paddle regatta. Especially one friend sets a daring pace, as if he wants to reach the day’s destination in record time. That’s how it is sometimes in a friendship where you don’t see each other as often as you might like. You have to first measure up to each other again, get used to the rhythm of others.
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Like a Mirage
We are already in the Breiter Luzin, one of the five lakes we want to navigate today. Here runs a water-skiing route, and the Feldberger Seenlandschaft is internationally known for the sport and its local representatives. We have to yield to a heavily motorized local who plows through the water as if he were in a Formula 1 car. But soon it becomes quiet again, as we reach, with already slightly aching arms, the most magical body of water in this unique natural paradise. The Schmaler Luzin, a long lake completely surrounded by dense mixed forest, whose otherworldly blue constantly amazes us. Up to 40 meters deep, its water is so clear that you can see the bottom in many places.
A magical world of sunken giant trees and schools of fish is revealed, and as mentioned at the beginning, the sky reflects like a mirage. “It’s so beautiful here,” one of us says from time to time, and nothing more needs to be said. We feel three hearts beating in unison with delight across the boats. Consequently, the pace of our kayaks slows significantly. Arrive? Cover distance? Who would think of such banal things in the face of such beauty? The urge for self-optimization already troubles us enough in everyday life; this is self-healing at the highest level. Especially since the sun shines despite a forecast of rain, as if someone had just turned it on.
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The First Berlin Hipster
Then a familiar, beloved stop at a bathing spot whimsically called Ziegenwiese. One of the perhaps most beautiful places in the Feldberger Seenlandschaft, because here the Schmaler Luzin shines particularly blue. The coloring is due to lime particles in the water reflecting the sun. By the end of August, the water is already autumnally cool, and a few trees are already turning yellow. Occasionally, whole gusts of beech leaves blow into the water, a nearly melancholic hint of the end of another all-too-short summer weighs on the soul for a moment. Rilke already saw it: “Lord, it is time. The summer was very great. Lay your shadow on the sundials, and let the winds loose on the fields.”
Eventually, these winds drive us to the shores of the small town of Carwitz. Home to another German poet, the heavily alcohol- and cocaine-addicted Hans Fallada. Something like the first Berlin hipster, he fled to the Feldberger Seenlandschaft when everything became too much for him. Here, with a view of his Schmaler Luzin, he is also buried. We now face a very special passage, as we want to cross into the Carwitzer See via a narrow channel called Bäk. First, we glide through an archaic mangrove landscape, the roots of countless alders stretch into the water as if they were thirsty. Then, however, we encounter a surprising obstacle, as the Bäk in Carwitz itself is completely dried up at the otherwise very short transition from one body of water to another.
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Where the Whole Town Dances
This means hauling three fully loaded kayaks about 200 meters to the entry point of the Carwitzer See. Cursing, groaning, perhaps even brief thoughts of turning back. But the prospect of spending the night at the nearby campsite, which we want to reach via the water, is too tempting. And shortly thereafter, we land there. First, secure a spot, set up tents, the chronic fear of city dwellers of a lack of space. At the reception, however, they are quite relaxed and assign us a spot right on the beach, 15 euros per person with a tent, for me as a bivouacker, only 8.50 euros. Today, I want to admire a hopefully spectacular starry sky, lying only on my sleeping mat in my sleeping bag. Let me reveal this much: The cosmic ballet of the Feldberger Seenlandschaft exceeded all my expectations by light-years.
Since it’s only early afternoon, we head out again to the lonely bays of the Carwitzer See. While my friends cook something, I swim a long lap. Absolute silence and solitude. We might as well be stranded prehistoric humans. After circling a large island, the golden evening light drives us back to the campsite, where I grill a few sausages for us. Three men and food, prepared over the fire. Is there a more clichéd and beautiful image for a successful outing with old friends? For a few beers, we head to the “Alte Scheune.” There, the whole town dances to good live music. Then the evening ends by the campfire, and my solitary starry hour in the Feldberger Seenlandschaft begins.
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The Moment of the Big Bang
Shortly after nightfall, the stars shine as if it were the night after the first day of creation. Shooting stars race across the sky repeatedly, which exudes an all-encompassing, calming darkness. And this despite the fact that a proud yellow half-moon also stands in the sky. How must this spectacle be during a new moon? Sleep is out of the question anyway, because from all the tents around me, sawmill-like snoring can be heard. So I just keep staring at this natural spectacle, as if I could look directly back to the moment of the Big Bang. Even when my eyes keep closing on their own, I try to stay awake for this unique experience–”No, Mom, I’m not tired yet.” I, a child of the cosmos, and an unforgettable night.
Thick fog still hovers over the Carwitzer See when the first skinny dippers wake me at seven in the morning after a typical campsite sleep. So, first a swim. And soon my friends, much sleepier than I am, are up. A tea, porridge prepared on the camping stove. Plus a few rolls and cocoa from the shop at the “Alte Scheune.” However, its prices must be soberly described as modern highway robbery. But I’ve also had to buy baked goods at the gas station in the Feldberger Seenlandschaft, so I won’t complain further here. Instead, we pack up and paddle off again with heavy hearts. Toward everyday life, where my friends work full-time and are also fathers.
But no one is in a hurry now; once again, we glide leisurely over the magical waters of the Feldberger Seenlandschaft. The sun smiles even more cheerfully than the day before, oh, may this short vacation never end. Once more through the Schmaler Luzin, once more swimming at the Ziegenwiese, then a shortcut through the Seerosen-Kanal. Soon we are back in Feldberg. The weather is so splendid that I decide to stay a few more hours alone. After a carefree swim, I take the bus through places like Koldenhof, Dolgen, and Carpin to Neustrelitz, and from there, with the completely overcrowded regional train, back to Berlin. Traveling with me is the wish we all had. To return soon for another kayaking tour, but this time with a little more time.