23 reviews

Happy Dog Forest Hike in Bratislava

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21 EUR

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Are you a dog lover? Want to enjoy the beauty of Bratislava City Forests while doing a good deed? Discover a recreational area in the Small Carpathians with me and a dog of your choice from the "Sloboda zvierat" (Liberty of animals) shelter.

Duration: 3 hours

Available in

French,
English

Tour by Erich

Local

Normal guy trying to enjoy life. I was living with a younger boyfriend/partner with whom I was happy and our family supported us, until in December 2016 he passed away of lymphoma. I am running my own eshop with flower bulbs, ornamental and fruit shrubs and trees, perenials, grasses as well as an unusual hostel in our greenhouse. In my free time I am working as a tourist guide presenting several tours. My other leisure activities are hiking, riding a bicycle, swimming, walking with dog or meeting and talking to foreign people. In 2013, I started an association called "Vypestuj Dobro" (= Grow Good), which tries to encourage people to share their surplus of garden produce with the families with children in need. I really enjoy working on it.

Enjoy an unusual hiking experience with a local dog lover
Fill your lungs with fresh forest air
Make a shelter dog very happy!

Description

It has already been three years since my German Shepherd passed away and went to dog heaven. I used to walk him nearly every weekend in local recreational areas.

Along the way I often stopped at a small buffet for a special syrup-sweetened tea and a typical Slovak waffle bar or boiled sausage with mustard and bread. Sometimes it was possible to find mushrooms in the forest, too.

Nowadays when I want to spend some time in nature, I usually go with my partner to a shelter for unwanted dogs and help out by taking one or two of the dogs for a walk.

Would you like to share this experience with me and see where Bratislava locals go to jog, have barbeques, paddle small boats on lakes in summer and even ski in winter?

I’d be very happy for you to join me :-)

What’s included & not included

Transfer from TESCO Lamač to the dog shelter
€5 donation to the dog shelter
Dog on a lead
Dog treats
Hiking experience
Slovak sweet
tea or soft drink

Umbrella

Check availability of the tour:

Check availability

Meeting point

TESCO Extra Lamač bus stop

Reviews from travellers (23)

4.9/5

Great to get out the city and great tour guide!

Reviewed by Jordan • March 19, 2019

Three hours of non stop laughs

If you are looking for something different to do on holiday, then I would suggest doing this. It was such a nice experience to walk for three hours in the beautiful forest park with Erich as a guide. It was mentally relaxing, and we couldn’t stop laughing for the whole trek. Erich is very friendly with a good grasp of the English language. The dogs were pulling throughout the whole trek, which made the whole experience funny. I totally recommend this experience to someone who loves dogs and wants to see the greener part of Bratislava! Well done Erich.

Reviewed by Charmaine • March 02, 2019

An interesting experience

We had a lovely walk with several dogs during our time in Bratislava. I am not very fit, so we did 2 shorter walks instead of the usual longer hike in the forest. This was great and it also meant that we could walk a different dog on each walk.
My only small criticism is that the Pound chooses the dogs that need walking, so you don't really choose the dog you want. We walked some really strong dogs who were challenging to start with but did settle down.
The forest scenery was lovely (we went in autumn) and it was so lovely to see families and groups of teenagers giving up their time to walk and socialise these dogs.
I would recommend it.

Reviewed by Vanessa • November 27, 2018

Highlight of our trip

Erich was the most wonderful guide and host, it was a real pleasure just spending time and talking with him. The forest was absolutely stunning and a rral highlight of the trip, I would definitely go back. Finally the dogs were just wonderful, the shelter is great and it felt like they really enjoyed their long walk. Best thing we did in Bratislava by far.
Thanks so much Erich!

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Reviewed by Orsolya • November 09, 2018

Friendly fun relaxed walk with Erich and rescue dogs

Erich communicated well before we arrived at the Tesco in Lamac so we knew where to meet. A very short drive across the highway to the rescue dog centre where the dogs are chosen for you and you get given treats to give to the dogs.
After getting accross the busy highway roads. Is a nice relaxing 3 hour walk with the dogs through the park/forest. Dogs are on the lead the whole time. We visisted parks, lakes, a cafe where Erich bought us cold drinks and a choclate wafer treat. Passed a refurbished water mill and an old ammuniction bunker from the war.
Erich has alot of knowledge of the history of slovenia and surrounding countries. If you want a break from the normal city escape and love dogs then this is a nice little change of pace

Reviewed by John • October 19, 2018

A great experience!

We really enjoyed the dog walking tour. Erich was a brilliant guide - he was very friendly and had lots of local knowledge of the area and of Slovakia in general which was very interesting. The dogs were lovely and quite energetic, and it was great to be able to help the animal shelter, which we got to look around after the tour. It was nice to be able to take a break from the city and walk around the forest, and we had a nice break with a drink and snack. Overall, a brilliant tour!

Reviewed by Lily Ann • September 14, 2018

Arewarding stroll in the woods

we walked for almost 3 hours with Erich and 3 wonderful love needing dogs . Erich told us about places and a bit of history. all was very interesting and enjoyable.
It felt good to see many people trying to help the shelter dogs.
Thank you for this opprtunity.
Diti & Deiv

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Reviewed by Deiv • August 04, 2018

Highlight of our stay!

The Happy Dog Forest Hike was an incredible way to spend a few hours away from the city! We really enjoyed meeting all the dogs in the shelter and getting to know the ones we took on the hike with us. Erich was a fantastic guide and I would recommend this hike to anyone visiting Bratislava. Despite the thunderstorm, 5/5 stars!

Reviewed by Caoimhe • July 19, 2018

Highlight of our holiday. Couldn't recommend highly enough.

Whether you're a dog lover, a trekking enthusiast, or just want to get a good local knowledge of Bratislava, Erich and his Dog walk tick all the boxes. From the very start we felt extremely welcome as Erich was incredibly friendly and very approachable. The trek itself was picturesque and the dogs were very happy and eager to get going and were delighted to be around us with no resistance to us walking them. I would recommend this to anyone visiting Bratislava and we will definitely be back in the future.

Reviewed by Keenan • July 15, 2018

Great experience!!

We had a great time! Erich is a very nice person and he took us around the forest for hiking with the dogs. We saw amazing places and he explained to us about the surroundings.

If you love dogs and nature you should definatly go!

Reviewed by Anna • June 30, 2018

Great day!

We so enjoyed our day with Erich and the 3 dogs we got to walk thru the gorgeous forest. The dogs were thrilled to go and very friendly. Our 10 year old had a blast!

Reviewed by Nicole • June 28, 2018

Fantastic experience

Went dog walking with my friend and Erich in a beautiful forest. The total experience was very peaceful and enjoyable, Erich and the dogs were good company and I would definitely recommend it to everyone :)

Reviewed by Ali • June 25, 2018

Great tour, feel you’re helping the dogs

I loved this tour, it was the highlight of my trip to Bratislava. Erich was extremely knowledgable about so many topics.
You could see the dogs were well looked after at the shelter despite awaiting their forever homes. The staff at the shelter make sure that you take out dogs who haven’t had a walk that day.
This was a great tour I would recommend to anyone visiting Bratislava.

Reviewed by Vanessa • May 26, 2018

Great experience !

This was a great experience to be a part of. It made the dogs very happy, which made us very happy. I wish that there was a more functional way about getting to the dog shelter. One of us had to sit in the back of the van with no seats. Other than that is was such a fun day. They were very accommodating to our requests which was nice :)

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Reviewed by Matilda • April 23, 2018

Highlight of my trip

We love outdoor walks/hikes and dogs, and if you do too this is probably for you. Bratislava is a lovely city to visit, but if you want to see a small bit of the forest side of Slovakia (apparently 40% of Slovakia is forest!) and help give some shelter dogs their much needed daily walk this is a fantastic idea. Erich is also a very friendly and knowledgeable guy and made it really worthwhile. Thank you so much!!

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Reviewed by Conor • April 15, 2018

Sustainable tourism at its best.

See the beautiful green side of Bratislava, help a local charity shelter, and make a new little friend while you're at it. Nothings better than seeing happy dogs, so me and my partner jumped at this opportunity. Even though we were off season, the forests were calming and serene, and Erich was helpful and flexible for our arrival while also being friendly and knowledgeable during the walk. Would strongly recommend for anyone who is remotely active or likes animals.

Reviewed by Isaac • April 03, 2018

Slightly disappointed

As much as we were grateful for the experience and the kindness of guide. I was incredibly disappointed to see that the tour is falsely advertised. As uploaded in the photo, you can see it states ‘A dog of your choice.’ This was not fulfilled as we were given some of the largest and most aggressive dogs there was. When I asked if we could have smaller dogs we were told ‘All of them need walking.’ This is fair, however they should remove the outlined sentence from the advert. What was supposed to be a romantic walk through the forest turned into a battle to keep the dogs under control and really overshadowed what would have been a lovely day. Although I must say the dog shelter is a lovely area and the dogs have plenty of space to run around and play in. But please, don’t be deceived by this false ad.

Reviewed by Robbie • February 05, 2018

Best part of our holiday

I would recommend this to any animal lovers, amazing forest hike I can’t even put into words how amazing Erich was.

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Reviewed by Morgan • January 26, 2018

Wonderful experience with an amazing guide!

Erich was a wonderful host and we spent a great afternoon taking a bunch of shelter dogs out for a walk in a lovely forest near the city (which I wouldn't have discovered otherwise). Erich was extremely knowledgable and friendly, and we exchanged many stories on our leisurely hike through the forest – the dogs certainly seemed to enjoy the time out as well! I'd recommend this experience to anyone looking to experience a unique slice of Bratislava.

Reviewed by Hillary • January 13, 2018

Great local experience in Bratislava

Erich is a great guide, knows about everything of the city,
and the dogs are super cute and happy that someone took them walk for almost 3 hours !
Definitely one of the highlights in my trip !

Reviewed by Joyce • December 25, 2017

Excellent tour out of the city!

We had a wonderful hike with Erich and the doggies from Sloboda Zvierat. The hike took us through the beautiful and peaceful Bratislava City Forests and we had hours of delightful conversation with Erich and watching the doggies walk, run and explore the forests. Erich was very knowledgeable about the city and Slovakia as a whole and it was great to chat about the history of Slovakia and other topics. Erich also made changes to the hike when he saw that it was necessary, like when the hiking path was icy and slippery. He would check with us often if we are progressing ok. He also extended the hike for us since we had time to continue. The doggies were very happy to be outdoors and their energy level seems limitless! Although they were excited and wanted to keep running all the time, it was actually easy to walk them. They are all well-behaved doggies. The shelter seems to be well-managed. This was the best experience we had in Bratislava and we highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Jason • December 08, 2017

Amazing

This hike was probably the highlight of my trip to Bratislava! Everything ran smoothly, we were advised the best way of getting to the pick up point, collected and taken to the dog shelter. We chose the dogs we wanted to walk and then set off in the direction of the forest. We had roughly a 3 hour hike which led us through some of the most lovely woodland I’ve seen and stopped for a cup of Slovakian cola and a snack. Thoughout the walk our guide, Erich, was extremely knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. Unluckily for us we had to catch a flight in the afternoon so we were pushed for time but we where advised that if this wasn’t the case then we could have extended our walk.
Erich was also a very interesting guy and it was nice to hear some of his stories. He also helped us out with getting to the airport after the hike, he took us to the best bus stop and advised us on change overs.
Overall I had a wonderful time and would 100% book again.

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Reviewed by Zoe • November 21, 2017

This is an excellent tour

This hike / tour was a ton of fun. The dogs are so happy to be outside and and the scenery is beautiful. Erich knew a lot about the area, though he is a quiet guy, so just make sure to pay attention. He was very nice and always checking to make sure we were alright. Over all it was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone. There is the choice between big and small dogs, so children can easily participate.

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Reviewed by Chase • November 20, 2017

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Starting time:

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Total price:

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Go to booking

Full refund if you cancel up to 72 hours before the tour
No booking fees
Pay by credit card or PayPal

Other tours & activities in Bratislava

Featured

23 reviews

Happy Dog Forest Hike in Bratislava

21 EUR

Highlights

Description

What’s included & not included

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Meeting point

Reviews from travellers (23)

4.9/5

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