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The Swiss Alps

A real walker’s paradise, the Bernese Oberland is justly famed as Switzerland’s most dramatic region. Well-waymarked paths offer thrilling views at every turn, with vivid green meadows - carpeted in flowers from mid-June to mid-July - giving way to jagged peaks. Our routes are fully flexible, enabling you to tailor the walking to suit you.

Nights: 4
Grades: 2 & 3 (there are flexible options)
Terrain: mountains, meadows, forests
Hotels: two 3-star hotels
Meals: dinner & breakfast each day
Climate: summers in the Bernese Oberland are warm and sunny, with pleasant mountain breezes. Temperatures average 16.5°C in June, 19°C in July and August, and 15.5°C in September.

Starting point: Hotel Victoria (3*), Kandersteg. Run by the charming Platzer family, the hotel offers a blend of comfort and home charm. With spacious lounges, a pleasant bar, tennis courts, gardens and an indoor pool with views of the mountains, there is plenty of space to relax.

Day 1: there are numerous walking options for your day in Kandersteg, particularly if you take advantage of the cable car, chairlift or bus to extend your range (pay locally for transfers, except the chairlift to Oeschinensee, which is included). Some very worthwhile routes take in beautiful Lake Oeschinensee (for a gentle walk, you can stick to its shores, for a more strenuous walk, you can ascend into the surrounding mountains for superb views over the water). Another rewarding possibility is a walk through the wonderful Kander Gorge into the Gasterntal, a magnificant, secluded glacial valley that is now a nature reserve. The walk can be extended by ascending some 1,000 metres to the edge of the Kanderfirn Glacier. (up to 18km, 6 hrs)

Accommodation: Hotel Victoria, as above.

Day 2: leaving Kandersteg, you have a choice of routes to reach Adelboden. The easier of the two leads along the west side of valley, passing the famous Blausee or 'Blue Lake' (small entrance fee payable locally) to reach Frutigen, where you catch the postbus to Adelboden (included). The more challenging route leads up another valley for the steep but immensely rewarding ascent to the rocky Bunderchrinde Pass. Here, at over 2,000 metres, the views often stretch as far as distant Lake Thun, and you can look right along the Gasterntal glacial valley. (13km, 3hrs or 17km, 7hrs)

Accommodation: Hotel Adler (3*), Adelboden. Built in traditional Swiss style, the Adler offers a spa complex comprising a sauna, solarium, tecaldarium, whirl-pool and steam bath.

Day 3: one of the most rewarding walks from Adelboden is to follow an undulating path across meadows and through woodland to the breathtaking – and famous – waterfall at Engstligen. You return to Adelboden along a pleasant riverside path. (12km, 4.5hrs)

Accommodation: Hotel Adler, as above.

Prices & travel 2008

*Price includes: 4 nights' dinner & breakfast; return rail from any Swiss airport (please contact us for journey times)
Recommended destination airports: Basel, Geneva or Zurich.
Latest flight arrival time: 1730
Earliest flight departure time: 1400
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