A male hiker drinks a tea during the Glocknerrunde, a 7 stage trekking from Kaprun to Kals around the Grossglockner, the highest mountain of Austria. Located in the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park which contrasts impressive, glacier-covered high alpine scenery with an alpine farming landscape carefully cultivated for centuries, the Glockner Circuit offers a unique nature and walking experience. At the end of each day?s walk, mountain shelters or alpine inns beckon to rest, eat and get a good night?s sleep. Alpine huts are equipped and operated only with the basic essentials because of the difficulties in bringing in supplies and disposing of waste, the altitude, the extreme climate and the often long ascents! After any stage of the walk, you have the opportunity to leave the Glockner Circuit and walk down to the National Park villages of Kaprun, Uttendorf, Kals, Heiligenblut or Fusch to spend the night in a guesthouse, inn or hotel. The tour mainly spans high alpine terrain but can be negotiated by anyone with some alpine experience and corresponding fitness and equipment, as there are no glaciers or roping sections along the circuit. A head for heights and surefootedness are necessary. Photo by Menno Boermans / Aurora Photos