Geocaching in the Czech Republic

As we’ve mentioned before, the Czech Republic has plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities. But perhaps you’ve seen it all, or sight-seeing and taking in nature is not enough. Maybe you want more of a challenge. If you haven’t already tried it, perhaps you could consider geocaching – a great way to get involved now is Česká Spořitelna’s Treasure Hunt Competition (see bottom of the article for more information).

Geocaching?
Geocaching [pronounced gee-oh-kash-ing] has been around for about a decade. Basically, it is an updated version of letterboxing or treasure hunt games which requires a person to visit the specific co-ordinates listed on geocaching websites (see website section below).

Other caches can contain an item for trade such as a small toy, CD or in some cases even a book. Geocoins are especially popular, and there are even special Czech ones (see http://wiki.geocaching.cz/wiki/CWG).

Why?
The simple answer given to me by a few geocachers is that it’s fun. You get to travel around and see parts of the country you haven’t seen before plus there is a sense of achieving something when you find the item.

Getting started
First of all, you obviously need some type of GPS device for the coordinates. Then it is recommended to join one of the geocaching sites so that you can look up the lists of caches.

If you don’t have a GPS device, you can still try. However, there will be some problems. GPS devices use the World Geodetic System WSG84, which places the meridian zero longitude 102 meters east of the prime meridian used for most other maps. Even if you can convert the coordinates, some experienced geocachers think that this lo-tech approach is only suitable for obvious caches.

Now the Websites
As stated before, a geocaching website is the other important tool for your treasure hunting. The reason we’ve kept the section separate is that there are quite a few to choose from.

The largest of these is Geocaching.com, owned by Groundspeak Inc. Basic membership is free, though they charge for premium. All that is required to join is an email address. Even if you visit the Czech Republic site Geocaching.cz, you will need membership for Geocaching.com to get the coordinates.

An alternative to Geocaching.com isOpenCaching. The downside – for some – might be that when opened in the Czech Republic many of the instructions are given in Czech. However, it is quite easy to use. In the white box write the city, zip code or coordinates to find if there are any caches.

Another website which will show you coordinates for caches is Navicache.com. Under the heading ‘newest caches’, you can find some locations. However, to search all locations, you will need to register.

Apart from the aforementioned geocaching.cz, there are some regional websites:
Geocaching Plzeň – http://www.gc-plzen.net/news.php
Klub Geocacherů Brno – http://www.kgbrno.eu/news.php
Geocaching na jihu Čech – http://www.geojih.cz/news.php
Geocaching Kladno a okolí – http://geokladno.cz/
Olomoucké geokačerstvo – http://www.geool.cz/news.php
Czech GeoWest – http://www.coolstranky.cz/geowest/news.php

Česká Spořitelna Treasure Hunt Competition
In case this hasn’t enticed you to take part in modern treasure hunting, Česká spořitelna is launching a competition “Hon za Pokladem”, or Treasure Hunt.

The first round of the competition starts on July 27th and runs until August 21st. The second round starts on August 26th and finishes on September 18th. The first prize for both rounds is an LG 42LD420 TV.

To take part in the competition, you will first have to enter. Once you’ve done that, the idea is to find caches around the Czech Republic. For caches and other tasks you receive the following points:
●    5 points for a photo taken at the location where a Česká spořitelna geocache is hidden.
●    4 points for a photo at a ‘significant’ tourist locale.
●    3 points (once only) for liking the page on FaceBook
●    2 points for finding a Czech Wood Geocoin.