Kaja Castle Ruins – Kajabach Valley loop from Ruine Kaja

Hiking trails & Routes

Kaja Castle Ruins – Kajabach Valley loop from Ruine Kaja

Moderate

4.9

(119)

229

hikers

Kaja Castle Ruins – Kajabach Valley loop from Ruine Kaja

02:31

9.38km

110m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: October 14, 2026

Tips

Temporary access restrictions

Includes segments with temporary access restrictions.

After 3.27 km for 3.40 km

Closed: • April 1-August 31: 6:00 PM-9:00 AM (otherwise open)

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

5 m

Thayatal National Park Trailhead and Information Center

Highlight • Rest Area

Very good starting point for hikes in the Thayatal National Park, with a large information hut that also serves as weather protection.

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264 m

Kaja Castle Ruins

Highlight • Castle

Relatively well-preserved castle ruins. Definitely worth a detour if you are hiking through the Kajatal from the Thaya up towards Merkersdorf. It is not always open though.

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412 m

Kajabach Valley

Highlight (Segment) • Gorge

This trail leads into the wild and romantic Kajabachtal around the ruin Kaja. In spring colorful spring flowers line the brook, in summer the canyon covered with ferns and mosses …

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2.04 km

Bench with panoramic view over the Thaya River at Stadlwiese

Highlight • Viewpoint

Great rest area with a fantastic panoramic view over the Thaya to the Neuhäusel castle ruins in the Czech Republic.

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3.09 km

View of the Thaya River bend from the Überstieg

Highlight (Segment) • Viewpoint

The crossing is a good way to shorten the loop around the Umlaufberg. The “summit” also offers a fantastic view of the Thaya loop!

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9.38 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

8.15 km

845 m

212 m

115 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

8.44 km

610 m

106 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Tuesday 13 October

18°C

6°C

-- %

Additional weather tips

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Comments

July 19, 2022,Überstieg Umlaufberg - Nationalpark Thayatal

Looks like little. It's a certain challenge at over 30 degrees 😅

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October 8, 2025,🇦🇹 Österreich (Niederösterreich/Nationalpark Thayatal): FGV-Wanderung (WGCZ 25): Entlang der Thaya zur Aussichtswarte "Umlaufblick." 081025 (86/25)

On the third day of our journey to Moravia, we crossed into Austria, more precisely, into the state of Lower Austria. Near the Hardegg district of Merkersdorf, there's a hiking parking lot, which served as our starting point for today.

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June 22, 2022,Nationalpark Thayatal

The smell of hay is wonderful! Such a morning round is something wonderful!

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June 16, 2024,🇦🇹 NP Thayatal - Merkersdorfer Rundweg mit Umlaufschleife

Today the first hike along the Thaya was on the agenda. We strolled down to the Thaya through the wild and romantic Kajabach valley with numerous toad encounters and Sunday bird concerts. We then followed the winding river (it covers 25km in a 10km length) to climb the Umlaufberg. From the lookout point you have a fantastic view of a …

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August 5, 2025,Nationalpark Thayatal 5.8.2025 w915

The Thayatal National Park, together with the neighboring Czech National Park Podyjí, preserves one of the last remaining natural valley landscapes in Central Europe. In a very small space, the Thaya River has created a surprising diversity of habitats and forest types.
The Thaya Valley never ceases to amaze us. Today we parked at the National Park parking lot and …

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August 5, 2025,Nationalpark Thayatal: entlang der Thaya (Umlauf)

We parked at the Kaja Castle ruins and then walked through Merkersdorf to the "Umlaufblick" observation tower. This tower was only completed in February 2025. The 16-meter-high tower offers a magnificent view over the Thaya Valley and the Thaya River. It is designed as a 29-meter-long footbridge and is located approximately 120 meters above the Thaya Valley. After the tower, …

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