This week long inn-to-inn hiking tour covers the length of the Inn River Valley from near the Austrian border to that of Italy. Staying in the most charming villages and quaint inns, you will pass from the gentler terrain of the lower Engadine with its quaint old villages, through the upper Engadine with its majestic, glaciated peaks and into the wild and dramatic Val Bregaglia with the soaring granite spires of the Sciora range.
The villages along the way range from the tiny antique villages of Guarda and Soglio, both preserved as national treasures, to the pristine Sils Maria and the pleasant resort town of Pontresina. The hiking follows ancient footpaths linking tiny villages, ruins and lively towns, climbs to passes and summits, and traverses the valley above sparkling lakes before plunging into the Val Bregaglia and finishing in the medieval hill town of Soglio.
ITINERARY
Day 1 Arrive Zurich. Transfer by train to Scuol. Meet group for dinner. Overnight in a charming inn in two converted 17th C. patrician homes.
Day 2 We ride the Motta Naluns cable car and enjoy a level walk to Prui, and walk deep into the Val Tasna. After a picnic we continue to Ardez and the ancient hill town turned artist colony, Guarda. Overnight in a quaint inn in a restored 16th C. home.
Day 3 We ascend a remote valley linking tiny hamlets to a beautiful vantage point over the snowy Bernina range and the broad upper Engadine valley. Overnight in a welcoming first class inn in the preserved village of Zuoz.
Day 4 We ascend the remote Val Champagna to Muottas Muragl. A lovely traverse above the Val Bernina offers the finest views of the Engadine, Piz Palu and Bernina. Overnight in a small historic inn.
Day 5 A moderately strenuous day through larch forests and high meadows provides a sensational opportunity to view the sparkling lakes of the Engadine. Lunch at the fabulous Hahnensee is followed by a lakeside walk to Sils Maria. Overnight in a gracious, old world hotel.
Day 6 The most strenuous day of the trek is to the Piz Lunghin (summit optional). The lake below the summit is one of finest viewpoints of the stunning, steep terrain of the Bregaglia. We return to Sils and our elegant, old world hotel.
Day 7 Following a descent of the Maloja Pass, we strike out on a fabulous rough-hewn Roman road, an ancient path connecting long-deserted farming hamlets of the Val Bregaglia. The magnificent granite spires of the Bregaglia tower all around us as we wind our way into the antique, circular village, Soglio. Overnight in a charming country inn.
Day 8 Depart. Typically, same day flights can not be met in Zurich.
