When you’re getting ready for a stay in the countryside, you might tell some of your friends you’re going tent camping, while boasting to others about your plan to bivouac. But you should really pick one of those terms and stick to it. Even though plenty of people (and maybe you too) treat these names as equivalent, the difference is fairly striking. Read on and we’ll explain the differences between these widely used terms and suggest where to head for a trip like this. Whether it’s bivouacking or tent camping in Czechia, it’s always going to be fun!
Tent camping in Czechia – why does it make sense again?
Camping in a tent has been my love since childhood, when I went to summer camps or on holidays around Czechia with my parents, because there was no money for the seaside. Paradoxically, since the covid period I’ve noticed plenty of people going back to nature – literally. Instead of hotels and resorts, tents are going up again.
Why? Because camping in Czechia has a magic that no all-inclusive resort can replace. Morning dew, the first coffee on the stove, a beer under the open sky, a small fire… pure calm. It’s a return to peace and to yourself. And on top of that – at a time when everything is getting more expensive, camping is often the cheapest form of travel.
And is it “punk”? Not remotely. Today’s gear handles storms, cold and wind.
The basic differences between tent camping and bivouacking
If you decide to spend a few nights outdoors under the open sky, that’s bivouacking. This way of spending the night comes with less comfort, because all you need is a sleeping bag and possibly a mat. When you leave your temporary lodging, there shouldn’t be any sign you slept there. This is how we bivouacked by the Sázava river in summer, for instance. A sharp eye will spot the cans of beer, which are simply part of bivouacking!
Tent camping, on the other hand, as the name itself suggests, means being outdoors with more comfort – above all pitching a tent or lighting a fire. It’s certainly the more comfortable way, but it isn’t as romantic as bivouacking under a starry sky.
The rules for bivouacking and tent camping in Czechia
The individual rules depend on where you want to spend the night. For example, Act No. 289/2015 Coll., on forests, clearly states that in a forest you may only camp in designated places. That’s because you could damage the forest growth or start a fire by mishandling flames. The law says nothing about bivouacking, though, so there’s nothing to stop you spending the night in a forest that way.
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We find similar rules in Act No. 114/1992 Coll., on the protection of nature and the landscape, where camping is only permitted in designated places. Once again the law doesn’t mention bivouacking, so you can work from the basic prohibitions set out for the public – the ban on moving off marked hiking trails, for instance. At the same time, a National Park administration can ban staying overnight, and therefore bivouacking, in selected places that require special protection.
Generally speaking, though, camping is very popular in Czechia, which is why we’ve often found landowners fairly relaxed about us pitching a tent. On the other hand, it seems to me that park administrators try to do everything they can to offer walkers at least somewhere to sleep. On the Šumava crossing, for example, you can use emergency overnight sites.
If you’re wondering which tent we use on our travels, it’s this one – ultralight according to the maker’s description 😀 the Pinguin Arris. It has to be said it weighs 2.3 kg and packs down reasonably small. Split it between two backpacks, like Zdeňa and I do, and it’s a total breeze.
What kind of tent do we use when we travel?
We’ve been friends for a few years now with this – ultralight according to the maker’s description 😀 – tent, the Pinguin Arris. It has to be said it weighs 2.3 kg and packs down reasonably small. Split it between two backpacks, like Zdeňa and I do, and it’s a total breeze. The tent has a high hydrostatic head and it has never let us down yet.
Where’s the best place to sleep like this?
Whether you go for bivouacking or tent camping in Czechia, we’d always recommend getting familiar with the rules for staying overnight in that particular place. You can use the BezKempu app, for instance, where you can look up suitable places for low-cost travel in Czechia and Slovakia. We use the app quite a lot; in the early days there were only spots like this on it – meadows, clearings… these days the app has moved on.
In Czechia, camping in the countryside isn’t automatically allowed. As a general rule:
- on private land you need the owner’s consent,
- in national parks and protected landscape areas camping outside designated sites is not allowed, see the paragraph above,
- outside protected areas you can occasionally sleep out “wild”, provided you behave respectfully and leave no trace.
You can head off on this kind of outdoor adventure around Europe too. Scandinavia, for instance, is a paradise for travellers who love so-called wild camping. You can also head to Eastern Europe or visit selected Balkan countries without worry (the biggest difficulties tend to be in Croatia). Problems with camping or bivouacking are more likely in Western and even Central Europe. But more on that another time.
