This is a one-week hotel trek, which starts and finishes at Kandersteg. It follows a circular route around the Wildstrubel using trails that have served since Roman times to link the German-speaking Bernese Oberland and the partly French-speaking Valais. Before the rail tunnels were bored through of the mountainsides and threaded through the adjacent valleys; these mountains formed a natural barrier, and Kandersteg was a hamlet literally at the end of the road. Surprisingly a lot of the trade over the high passes before rail, was done in winter with heavy oxen-pulled sledges. There wasn’t much work to be done on the land at that time of year and the sledges could move quite rapidly. On the other hand it was a very risky business and many were caught out on high passes in blizzards. Most notoriously there is The Gemmi Pass, which has been a principal route through the Alps for centuries. We will also cross the Rawyl, Lotschen and Hahnenmoos passes to link the attractive villages of Leukerbad, Crans, Lenk and Adelboden before completing the circuit in Kandersteg. Our final pass, The Bundeschrinde, due to its beauty and position is perhaps the highlight of the walk. The towering crags above the pass are a superb point for watching Chamoix – mountain antelope – prancing around upon the ledges. You have an extra day in Kandersteg in which you can do a circular walk up to the Oeschinensee: a fantastic post glacial lake. Throughout the tour the scenery is expansive, with views extending across the Oberland, to the 4000m peaks of the Valais, and down the Rhone valley. There are some long days but lifts and cable cars can sometimes be used to shorten some of the walks (not included in the tour price).
 

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 (in 2008, 2 flights per day in each direction). Easyjet also operates flights to Geneva from many regional airports including Liverpool and from London Gatwick.

End of Tour: The tour ends on day 8 at Kandersteg.

 Swiss Travel 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. In between 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. The longest day can be shortened..

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. SFR10 per extra bag per move). Any local trains, buses or cable car services that you may use are not included.

General Information

Baths: it is not normal for your room to have a bath, the main reason being that it takes up a lot of space, some hotels may have a separate room where a bath is available to guests, but in the main expect showers.

Breakfast: in countries such as Switzerland this is 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. 1) 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. 

Luggage: When your bags are delivered to the hotel, sometimes they 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. 

Accommodation & Meals

Accommodation is booked on a bed and 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

q        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 / 6hrs 40mins. 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.

q  Day 4: Crans-Montana to Lenk 25km / 10hrs. Can be reduced to 16.5km / 7.5hrs by catching a bus from Iffigenalp to Lenk. This is a long hard day. The trail passes the Tzeusier dam and climbs over the Rawyl Pass (2429m) under the Mittaghorn (2685m), which is your highpoint of the whole week’s trek. Next you make the long descent through the idyllic Iffigen valley to the small spa town Lenk (1086m). The sulfurous waters here attract people from all over.

q  Day 5: Lenk to Adelboden 12km / 4hrs 45mins. This is a nice walk up to the grassy Hahenmoospass, which has some amazing colourful wild meadows in June. The pass is a popular place for flying model aircraft, perhaps due to the potentially soft landings offered by the surroundings! Adelboden 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).

q  Day 6: Adelboden to Kandersteg 16km / 7hrs. A long ascent, with beautiful views, to the Bundeschrinde pass (2380m). This is followed by a dramatic 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 crowding 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!

q 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.

Escorted Departures 2008

EJWS28 Sat 28 Jun - Sat 5 Jul 2008
Research & development trip, see grades for information

EJWS20 Sat 20 Sep - Sat 27 Sep