Kleiner Arbersee is one of those rare places that genuinely surprises you. Tucked away in the Bavarian Forest, this ancient glacial lake is home to something you won't find just anywhere — floating peat islands carrying full-grown spruce trees dozens of years old. It's a living, breathing piece of Ice Age history.

The lake sits wrapped in dense conifer forest, and the atmosphere shifts beautifully with the seasons. Summer brings cool shade and mirror-like reflections on the water, autumn transforms the surrounding woodland into a blaze of colour, and in winter the frozen shores take on a wonderfully remote, untouched feel. The floating islands — the largest stretching 4,500 m² — drift gently near the banks, some reaching up to 3.5 metres thick beneath the waterline. The water itself is strikingly acidic (pH 4.5), which for a long time made the lake entirely fish-free — a fact that makes its recent natural recovery all the more remarkable.

• Gasthaus Seehäusl car park (western shore) — marked circular trail around the lake, approx. 30–45 minutes, easy

• Nature reserve — keep to marked paths at all times
• Stepping onto the floating islands is strictly forbidden due to the risk of sinking through
• Swimming and sunbathing are not permitted
• Dogs must be kept on a lead throughout
• Protected area since 1959; regulations last updated in 1998

Look out for otters and beavers along the water's edge — both have successfully returned to the reserve in recent years. If you're very lucky and very quiet, you might even catch a glimpse of the elusive capercaillie, one of Europe's most endangered birds, which has found refuge in the open forest surrounding the lake.