Switzerland | Engadine Trek
Visit Switzerland's best kept secret.
Trip Highlights:
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Practice German, Italian and Romansch, as you explore deep valleys, rocky summits and multifaceted glaciers.
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Thermal hot springs and spas dating back to the Roman Era.
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Storybook villages plucked straight out of a fairytale.
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, we 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.
Trip Itinerary
Transfer independently to the ancient Roman spa village of Scuol. Meet your guides and other guests for a welcome dinner. Overnight in a charming inn in two converted 17th century patrician homes.
Ride the Motta Naluns cable car and enjoy a level walk to a beautiful summer alp called Prui. Descend into the Val Tasna and enjoy a picnic surrounded by stunning larch pine and majestic peaks. Continue to the ancient hill town turned artist colony, Guarda.
Distance: up to 12 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 1300/2970 ft.
A short transfer takes us to the tiny whistle stop, S-chanf. Enter the mysterious Val Trupchun as we climb deep into the only Swiss National Park. Our high point and picnic spot is a secluded and protected wildlife viewing station, where we watch the majestic steinbock and fanciful chamois play. Return to S-chanf for a quick transfer back to Guarda.
Distance: 8 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 1800 ft.
Climb to the Segantini hut and enjoy the finest views of the Engadine. Overnight in Pontresina, home of the late 12th century mountain church, Santa Maria, adorned with frescoes dating from the 13th century.
Distance: up to 8 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 1500/3300 ft.
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.
Distance: 10.5 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 2500 ft.
While there are several options for the day, we hope to reach the lake below the Piz Lunghin as well as the summit itself! On this route, we get to take in one of finest viewpoints of the stunning, steep terrain of the Bregaglia. We return to Sils and our elegant hotel.
Distance: up to 8.5 miles. Elevation gain/loss: up to 3540/3400 ft.
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.
Distance: 7.25 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 1170/2290 ft.
Typically, same day flights cannot be met in Zürich.