Oceán is a nature reserve in the Ore Mountains, protected since 1969 for its nearly untouched raised bog ecosystem. Here, dwarf mountain pines cling to the peat, and the silence is broken only by the call of the black grouse.

The reserve sits in the western part of the Ore Mountains, in the Klínovec highlands, close to the summit of Vlčinec (973 m). The landscape is shaped by peat bogs formed over Karlovy Vary granite, with pools of dark water scattered across the moor. The vegetation period lasts only three summer months, with the first frosts arriving as early as September and lingering into May. Frequent fog adds to the damp, atmospheric character of this remote highland bog, especially beautiful at dawn when mist drifts over the peat pools.

How to get there

• Pernink - follow the red-marked trail towards Dračí skála, then take the forest path branching off to the reserve's edge, about 2.5 km, easy hike

Practical information

• Access is limited to the reserve's edge via a forest path - the core area is strictly protected
• Home to protected species such as round-leaved sundew, bog sedge and black grouse
• Nearby, about 200 m from the reserve's northern edge, stands Dračí skála - a rock wall over 100 m long, one of the region's most striking granite outcrops

Interestingly, the dwarf mountain pine makes up around 95% of the tree cover here, making Oceán one of the most exceptional bog habitats in the Ore Mountains, Šumava and Slavkovský les.