Hiking the Berner Oberland

I love the Berner Oberland. There. I said it.

I love the huge snow-covered peaks and glaciers. I like the tranquil valleys and bucolic farms. I adore the blackened timber chalets with their colorful kitchen gardens, sunny decks and Swiss flags flapping in the breeze. Maybe it’s my German heritage that drives me, but I find the tall glasses of Weiss beer refreshing, and I crave the flavor of rösti when a cool wind blows down from the peaks.

The Oberland is a magical place, and it offers everything a mountain lover could ask for. Not only can you hike, climb, bike, parasail and raft, but you can also bed down in a quiet chalet while the sounds of bells and bleats softly lull you to sleep. Everything is clean. Everything runs on time. Cute little trains, trams and buses whisk you away to every enchanting place you need to go. It’s a Disneyland for adults, though I’ve known a lot of kids that love it too!

We offer guided and self-guided hiking trips in the Berner Oberland region (view them all here). Each trip offers something unique and special.

Eiger Trail: Gstaad to Grindelwald is one of our favorites.

By starting in Gstaad, on the western-most side of the Berner Oberland, the Eiger Trail gives meaning to the word “anticipation.” We’ll start out at a relaxing pace, hiking eastward through remote valleys and sleepy villages, crossing ever-taller passes as the week unfolds. Each night, we’ll settle into cozy chalets and rustic mountain houses, contentedly drifting off to sleep and dreaming of the moment when, on day 6, the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks explode into glorious view.

We’ll spend the last 3 days hiking through, quite arguably, Switzerland’s most famous and visually satisfying region. That’s not to say that we won’t enjoy eye-popping mountain views during the entire hike. We will, but the fact is, there is something to be said for saving Switzerland’s most prized and stunning mountain peaks for last.

Images:
Lauterbrunnen Valley | Carol Dempsey-photoseek.com
Jungfrau Hikers (Eiger Trail and Jungfrau Trail) | Porter Teegarden-porterteegarden.com
Hiker’s Reflection | Tom Dempsey-photoseek.com