Discover the very heart of Switzerland

SUMMARY

Dates: Sunday June 19th to Friday June 24th 5 nights/5 days of walking with some shorter days and time to rest.

Arrive in Zurich by 16.00 on Sunday at the latest. Travel together by train to Sarnen approx. 1.5 hours from Zurich. Overnight at a hotel in Sarnen before starting our hike on Monday after breakfast. A bus leaves at 9.44am and we aim to begin walking 11am ish. Our walk is expected to be a leisurely 6 hours.

Departure is after we finish our walk on Friday. Expect to reach Interlaken by 16.00 in time for trains back to Zurich. If you have flights to catch we suggest staying in Zurich overnight and getting flights on Saturday or Sunday – we can help with accommodation. Or if you need to leave Friday make sure flights are after 10pm.

If guests would like to arrive earlier or stay longer to explore more of Switzerland just let us know and we,and our Swiss partner, can help organise.

Guide: BergFrau(MountainWomen) guide – Claudia from our Swiss partner organisation. English and German speaking.

Walking Grade: 4 goats at a very steady pace. For those women who are looking to stretch themselves and have a challenge in very supportive company.This is one of those lifetime experiences. We do use Gondola’s and local buses and trains to help us over some of the higher ascents.

Base: Accommodation each night as we walk from Sarnen to the Bernese Alps

Price: £1139 per person for the holiday to include:

• Organization BergFrau.ch
• Experienced english speaking local Guide from BergFrau – Claudia
• 1 nights bed and breakfast accommodation on 1st night
• 4 nights bed and breakfast accommodation shared  (mountain hotels). There is an option for a single room on a couple of nights so let us know if this is your preference. 
• 4 x dinner.

Not included:

• Travel to the starting point in Switzerland and return travel from end point. People may come by different routes so we have left this flexible.
• 1 dinner on first night.
• Snacks, picnics, drinks which can be bought enroute rather than carrying too much.
• Tips
• Local travel if required.

DETAILS

This is a wonderful hike through an area of Switzerland that is not one of the usual locations for tourists so not too busy. Because we are hiking through remote areas we will be carrying our own backpacks – you need to be used to mountains and have strong legs and backs! Definitely 4 Goats!

We will provide a kit list but prepare to travel light making sure you have a sleeping sheet, water bottle, sun hat , sandwich wrap(something light to carry sandwiches) and layers of clothes.

We hike from the centre of Switzerland to the “giants” of the Bernese Oberland. The view extends from Pilatus and Rigi in Central Switzerland with views of the mountains of Susten and Grimsel to Rosenlaui, Schreckhorn, Finsteraarhorn, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. For thousands of years, the River Aare has made its way through the rocks in the Aare Gorge – prepared to be impressed.This is a stunning hike.

Our meeting point

The hike starts in Sarnen – a small town about 1hour 30 minutes by train south from Zurich.WalkingWomen will meet you at Zurich Airport and we will travel to Sarnen together. You could arrive at a different airport and we can help with travel plans.

Return trip

We return from Schynige Platte, the highest mountain railway in Switzerland which connects with the Bernese Oberland railway trains from Interlaken. You can make connections to return to Zurich in approximately 2 hours. We end this hike at approx 4pm in time to connect to evening flights from Zurich.

Programme :

This hike is one for those who would love to see some stunning, breathtaking landscapes of central Switzerland and enjoy both walking up and down and along ridges. We walk from place to place and walks will be between 3 and a half hours to 7 hours a day. The highest ascent is 1350m with steepest descent 960m. These are Goat 4 walks or T2 and T3 if you are familiar with Swiss grading. All paths are clearly marked and the pace will be steady. You do need to have strong legs and stamina.

Bring with you – Picnic, drink, snacks, layers of clothes , spare clothes, rain protection, sun protection, sunglasses, gloves, headband, hut sleeping bag, small towel, toothbrush, etc.

Insurance – All participants are responsible for adequate travel, accident and health insurance.

Safety

BergFrau has the legally prescribed permit as a hiking and snowshoe guide and the required liability insurance. BergFrau works with mountain guides for high-altitude tours.

ITINERARY

The following programme is to give an indication of what to expect:

Sunday  – arrive in Zurich by 16.00. Travel together to Sarnen for a night in a local hotel. Local Dinner together.

Monday – 4 hours /6.5km. 860 m up and 380m down. The bus takes us to the end of the Melchtal. Leaving  at 9.44am. From here we climb along the Innenbachtal up to Frutt. We reach Älggi, the center of Switzerland, over a small pass. Overnight in Älggi

Tuesday  – 4.5 hours/8km.840 up and 660m down. At Alp Älggi we watch the dairymen of the Alpine cooperative over their shoulders while they are making cheese. The hike leads to the Seefeldsee and to the Abgschütz. From the Hochstollen we let our gaze wander to the Rosenlaui and Wetterhorn. Descent to Hochsträss and then on to Kaserstatt. We take a Gondola and bus to Reuti and overnight there.

Wednesday – 2.5 hours/6km .240m up and 650 down.Descent to the Aare Gorge. We hike through this natural wonder and go to Meiringen. The Aare Gorge has eaten its way into the limestone cliffs for 10,000 years. The gorge is up to 200 meters deep and sometimes only 2 meters wide.In Meiringen we encounter the stories of Sherlock Holmes. By bus to Schwarzwaldalp where we stay overnight.

Thursday – 4 hours/8km 830m up and 120m down. Today is a long and promising day. We climb up the Geissbach up to the Hohenweg that leads us to the First. We overnight on First in the mountains waking up with incredible views.

Friday – 4. 5 hours/10km 720 up and 720 down. After sunrise we climb up Faulhorn which will be a wonderful way to start the day. We will have a spectacular view of the Eiger,Monch and Jungfrau as well as across Lake Thun. The sunset and sunrise in this area will remain with you. We take the same way back to First and take a Cable car back to Grindelwald.  Departure by train from Interlaken.