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Travel
Information
Season:
Mid July to late September, start any day (i.e. finish tour by late September). Note that new snowfall can occasionally occur on the higher passes at any time.
Arrival:
Hourly train service from Zurich airport (2hrs 40mins) and Geneva airport (about 3 hours 30mins), usually involving a change of trains in Bern.
The first Hotel: Kandersteg. The first hotel has offered to collect luggage and clients and their baggage from Kandersteg train station on arrival. Clients should phone from the airport to tell the hotel which train they will be arriving on.
Nearest airport:
Zurich. Alternative airport: Geneva.
Travel options from the UK:
There are daily scheduled flights on British Airways from London Gatwick to Zurich.
Flights may also be possible to Geneva and from regional airports.
For ‘Land-only’ customers there are also low cost flights by Easyjet from London Luton to Zurich.
Easyjet also operates flights to Geneva from many regional airports.
End of Tour: The tour ends on day 8 at Kandersteg.
Swiss
Cards
These optional cards include ‘free’ travel from the airport of arrival to your 1st hotel and from the last hotel back to the
airport, inbetween you enjoy half price travel on trains, post buses, lake steamers and many cable cars as well. They are not likely to save you money on this tour unless you intend to travel on a lot of the cable car options or if you are staying longer and have other travel plans within Switzerland. The Swiss Transfer Card is similar but simply includes journeys from the airport to your first night’s stop and from your last night’s stop back to the airport.
Consult your nearest Swiss tourist office for full details.. www.switzerlandtravelcentre.com
Level of Difficulty
Grade:
Moderate to challenging. For fit walkers who can manage longish days with more than 1000m ascent in a day.
All the walks are on established waymarked trails which can be rocky or
steep at time. Walkers should also have a reasonable head for heights as
some trails are on cliff sides. The longest day can be shortened
(recommended).
Day Stages: Average duration of walking per day is 6 hours. Many of the walks can be shortened if desired by the use of cable cars and local
postbuses.
Waymarking: The route is well waymarked. It is necessary to carry and be able to use a compass / map in case of mist. We also recommend that you call the local tourist office for the weather forecast locally. In case of bad weather or snow conditions making walking inadvisable we provide descriptions on how to reach the night’s destination using public transport. We provide relevant train and bus timetables. The cost of such transfers is not included in the tour price, but there is a 50% discount if you possess a Swiss Card. These are obtainable from the Swiss Centre in London or can be bought at Zurich or Geneva train station’s rail centres.
In late June and early July there can be snow patches on higher trails (above 1800m), while new snowfalls are possible in September.
Baggage
Transfers
This used to be a tour completely covered by baggage transfers, unfortunately some things have got worse in Switzerland over the years and one of those is the transfer of baggage. This used to be based on the national rail and postbus operator, but since the system was privatized bags into some of the further flung mountain destinations take more than a day to travel to their destinations. So on this trip your baggage is not
transported to the hotels for nights 2 & 3, so you will need to bring with you a backpack to large enough to carry an extra set of clothing and footwear as well as wash kit for 3 days: (2, 3 & 4). On the other days the bags are moved between hotels as they are on a normal Sherpa Tour.
What's Included
The price is based on two people sharing a twin or double room and includes
bed & breakfast accommodation on 7 evenings, plus
4 evening meals. Evening meals are at your own expense in Leukerbad on
day 2 and in Kandersteg on days 6 and 7. Also included is the transfer of baggage on days
4, 5 and 6 to the next hotel. Please note that Sherpa pays for one piece of luggage per person to be moved (allow approx.
SFR20 per extra bag per move).
Any local trains, buses or cablecar services that you may use are not
included. Route notes and maps are also supplied.
General Information
Hotels: The hotels described are
our usual choice of accommodation, however if these are not available then
alternatives are used and if these are of a different standard you will be
informed at the time of booking.
Baths/showers: Many
rooms with ensuite/private facilities have a shower rather than a bath,
usually because of limited space. Some hotels/guesthouses may however have
a separate room in the house where a bath is available to guests.
Breakfast:
in countries such as Switzerland are usually buffet style, please don’t
offend your hosts by making up a picnic lunch from the breakfast buffet
unless it has been specifically organised for you. It is important for you
to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when you book your holiday
so that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Single
Supplements: are payable on most of
our tours. The single
supplement guarantees the privacy of your own room, however, rooms can at
times be small and in some places may not enjoy the same facilities as
double/twin rooms.
Language:
When
travelling in less frequented areas you will not necessarily come
across people speaking English. Remember you are experiencing a different
culture, buy a phrase book and try to learn a little of the local
language!
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes your
luggage will have been taken to you room awaiting your arrival. However
don’t be surprised if your luggage is waiting for you to take it up to
your room. Please politely ask someone if you need assistance.
Route
Notes: Please note that one set of
route notes per room booked is included in the cost of the holiday. If you
require more sets of notes then there is a charge of £25 per set ordered.
Route notes are not issued to clients booking escorted departures.
Insurance:
All clients must have appropriate cover for the activities included for
the duration of our trip.
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Accommodation
& Meals
Accommodation
is booked on a bed & breakfast basis with 4 evening meals also included.
These are on night 1 in Kandersteg, night 3 in Crans Montana, night 4 in
Lenk and night 5 in Adelboden. Where meals are not included there is a
good choice of restaurants for evening meals. All hotels are of 3 star
standard. Lunches are not included in the tour cost, however picnic
materials can be purchased on weekdays in each of the towns and villages
we stay at; packed lunches can also be purchased from the hotels if
requested the evening before. On some days you will pass mountain huts on
the route, which offer hearty snacks and drinks, (details in route notes).
q
Night 1, 6 and 7: Kandersteg. A 3-star hotel centrally located
with convenient access to the hiking trails, cable cars and lifts, shops
and the railway station (5 minutes on foot). All rooms have a balcony,
bath/shower, WC, hair-dryer, cable TV, radio and direct-dial telephone.
First night half board, other nights bed & breakfast. Evening meal on
nights 6 & 7 can be obtained either at the hotel or elsewhere in the
village.
q
Night 2: Leukerbad / Loeche-les-Bains. A 3-star hotel in this
pleasant small spa town. TV in all rooms. Terrace restaurant.
q
Night 3: Crans-Montana. Our 3-star hotel is a centrally situated
modern building in this purpose built mountain resort.
q
Night 4: Lenk Here we stay in a
3-star chalet style hotel and many have own balcony. The hotel has a lawn
and sun terrace with alpine views. There is a small pool and sauna open to
guests There is a nearby sulphur spa and public swimming pool.
q Night
5:
Adelboden. A friendly welcome awaits you at this chalet style hotel
(3 star hotel). Pine furniture is much in evidence. Buffet style breakfast
including Swiss cheeses. Sauna, gymnasium and open-air pool.
Outline
Itinerary
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Day 1: Arrive in Kandersteg. There is an hourly train service from
Zurich airport and Geneva airport, changing trains in most cases in Bern.
Journey time from Zurich is 2 hours 40 mins. The hotel in Kandersteg will
send a car to the station to collect you and your luggage if you telephone
them.
q
Day
2: Kandersteg to Leukerbad 14km / 7hrs. The
walk takes you steeply up to Gemmipass (2314m). The route over the
Gemmipass can be considerably shortened by taking the cable car up from
Eggeschwand to Sunnbuel (1920m). You then hike out over the alpine meadows
of the Spittelmatte under and impressive peak called
Altels, and then up the valley and around the ‘Daubensee’ post
glacial lake and then up to its busy ‘lip’ - the
Gemmipass! You are now passing from the Bernese Oberland into the
Swiss Valais. The steep though well engineered path down from pass to the
spa (hot spring centre) of Leukerbad (1411m) can also be avoided by use of
a cable car, but perhaps this just makes the walk too easy!
q
Day
3: Leukerbad to Crans-Montana 23km / 7hrs
40mins. Can be shortened to about 6 hours by catching a bus for the final
stretch to the ski and golf resort of Crans-Montana (1500m). A beautiful
walk through alpine pastures and woodlands with fine views across the
Rhone valley and the Valais Alps, including the Weisshorn and the Grand
Combin.
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Day
4: Crans-Montana
to Lenk 28km / 10hrs. it is recommended that you reduced the walk to
18.5km / 7.5hrs by catching the postbus from Iffigenalp to Lenk. This is a
long hard day, but in reasonable weather it is a beautiful walk. The first
part of the walk there is the option to walk along the ‘Bisse du Rou’;
a high level irrigation canal with a narrow walkway. The views are
fantastic. The trail
passes the Tzeusier dam and climbs over the Rawyl Pass (2429m) under the
Mittaghorn (2685m), which is the highpoint of the whole week’s trek.
Next you make the long steep descent down to Iffigenalp to catch the post
bus to Lenk. Otherwise, if you are intent on walking you drop down through
the idyllic Iffigen valley to the small spa town of Lenk (1086m). The
sulfurous waters here attract people from all over.
q
Day
5: Lenk to Adelboden 12km / 5hrs. This is a
nice walk up to the grassy Hahenmoospass, which has some amazing colourful
wild meadows in June / July. The pass is a popular place for flying model
aircraft, perhaps due to the potentially soft landings offered by the
surroundings! You will also be able to see the summit of the Wildstrubel
today if it is clear (you may have been wondering where it was!). From the
pass it is a casual descent down to Adelboden
which is a smart Swiss town,
which prides itself on its shops and its tennis competitions: there are
also some of the best overall views of the Wildstrubel from the
restaurant. This day can also be shortened by using the bus service from
Lenk up to Buelberg (1661m), from where you ascend to the Hahnenmoospass
(1956m). It is an easy descent with cable car options to Adelboden (1356m)
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Day
6: Adelboden to Kandersteg 16km / 7hrs. A
long ascent, with beautiful views, to the Bundeschrinde pass (2380m). This
is perhaps the most dramatic of the passes that you go over on this route.
This is followed by a steep descent to Kandersteg with fine views of the
Blumlisalp massif and the Oeschinensee Lake. This is a particularly fine
pass - a breach through rocky strata – a bit like a mini Breche de
Roland (in the Pyrenees) but there is nothing mini about the views: it is
a spectacular location and if you are quiet you might see Chamoix or even
Ibex on the crags along here!
q
Day
7: In Kandersteg. Today could be used as a
complete rest day, but there are some great ‘there and back’ walks you
could do including up and around the Oeschinensee Lake. This is a
fantastic egg shaped post glacial lake with a blocked exit under the
Blumisalp and the Doldenhorn group of mountains. There are lower and upper
trails around parts of the lakes, offering varied panoramas. On the other
hand, you could take a little paddleboat out onto the water, ice cream in
hand!
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Day 8:
Depart from Kandersteg. Hourly train service
to Zurich/Geneva airports changing en route in Bern.
On This
Self-guided Tour: we
provide you with Route notes and maps.
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