Hochseilgarten K1

What makes Hochseilgarten K1 special

The children's course starts at 100 cm and is capped at 140 cm — the children move independently up there, secured, at about a metre and a half. Adults help from the ground where needed.

Companions pay nothing. Anyone who only assists needs no ticket. And for siblings still too small for the course there is a sandpit on the grounds — a small detail that makes the difference when you arrive with two children of different ages.

The links between platforms are built differently each time: sometimes a wobbly bridge, sometimes two tensioned ropes, sometimes only the belay system — and then you have to jump. The operator writes plainly that despite the continuous belay it takes some nerve to reach the next platform.

Tickets are sold exclusively online. Nothing is sold at the gate, and the website calendar shows which days are open. Opening is usually 11 am to 6 pm, and 10 am to 3 pm for school classes.

The park lies in Odenthal in the Bergisches Land, a good half hour from Cologne. The grounds also hold the K1 treehouse.