HE Travel
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Wengen: Gay Switzerland Hiking Tour
Physical Challenge
Pretty much everyone in Switzerland hikes, and once you’ve experienced a week in the Alps, you’ll understand why. On this new gay hiking trip, you will revel in new panoramas every day. Hike through fields of wildflowers and tiny alpine hamlets, past waterfalls and alongside cold, clear mountain streams. Enjoy this new addition to our Switzerland hiking portfolio.
Highlights
Hike through a beautiful mountain meadow sprinkled with wildflowers.
Stand at the edge of the 6500-foot high lake at Bachalpsee, with the Jungfrau reflected in the silvery surface.
Listen to the cracking of a glacier as you hike above it to lunch at a remote mountain restaurant.
Take a train through a mountain to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe, then walk through an art museum where each piece on display is carved from the ice inside the glacier.
Enjoy meals such as a traditional Raclette or Fondue
Overview
A charming alpine village provides an ideal starting point for our week of hiking adventures. The Swiss Alps are a hiker’s dream, and few places match the dramatic beauty of the Bernese Oberland. Nestled in a scenic mountain valley, the historic village of Wengen serves as our home base. Towering to the south are the legendary peaks of the Eiger, Moench, and Jungfrau, along with three majestic glaciers. In contrast, the northern slopes offer rolling meadows filled with wildflowers, peaceful forests, and crystal-clear mountain lakes. The landscapes are straight out of a postcard.
Throughout the week, we’ll explore both the rugged and the serene sides of this alpine wonderland. Trails take us along the foot of the formidable Eiger North Face, beside icy glacier flows, and across lush fields where cows graze and goats curiously watch passersby.
The itinerary outlined below represents a sample week, though actual hikes may vary depending on weather and local conditions. You’re also welcome to choose your own pace or set off with new companions for an alternate route.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
The tour begins with a scenic train ride to transfer from the airport to our chalet. Switzerland’s rail system is among the best in the world: fast, comfortable, and efficient. As you pass the picturesque lakeside town of Thun, you may resolve to return to this pretty medieval town after your week of hiking.
Changing trains at Interlaken, you’ll see other hikers and climbers, the former easily recognized by the hiking poles that nearly all Europeans seem to favor; the latter by the ice axes strapped to their bulging backpacks.
Our hiking trip begins with an orientation this evening, followed by dinner with our new group of gay friends for the week.
Day 2: Bäregg
Today we will hike towards our lunch location, which is at a remote mountain restaurant that serves a surprisingly sophisticated menu for its unique location. Once we have lunch, we may hike farther bringing us not only closer to the glacier, but to Schreckhorn, a 4078-meter peak. Some hikers might get to the Schreckhorn hut before turning back.
Our final stop is at Gletscherschlucht, the narrow gorge whose vertical walls were carved into the rock by the churning waters of the glacier. A narrow boardwalk, jutting out from the cliff face, gives us a close-up look at the sculpted canyon and rushing waters below.
Day 3: Reflections in a Mountain Lake
This morning most of us will probably choose to ride the lift up the north slopes, to a spot named “First”. But a few energetic souls may elect to hike up and meet us there.
First, we will hike along an easy trail to the blue mountain lake known as the Bachalpsee. A magnificent green pasture filled with cows, and bells tinkling, extends down toward the valley floor. On a calm day, the distant snow-capped peaks reflect in the lake’s waters. Then, the trail thins out, twisting beside a spiny ridge, past moonlike rock formations. Descending past a cascading waterfall, we pass a lush patch of wildflowers. We can easily count a dozen varieties within an arm’s reach: red, yellow, blue, purple, pink, and lavender.
Then, we will enjoy a late lunch at the mountain inn of Bussalp. Here, you will have a choice: to descend by foot, or on one of the ubiquitous yellow “Post Buses” that serves so many small Swiss hamlets.
Day 4: New Perspectives – Free Day
Today there are several enticing options to try!
- Paraglide over the mountain trails gaining a new perspective on Grindelwald valley. No paragliding experience is necessary: You’ll fly tandem with an experienced, licensed pilot.
- Take the train to nearby Thun. A delightful medieval city on a blue lake, dominated by an imposing castle. Toot across the lake on an old steamer then hike along the shoreline.
- An easy day trip. Take a train or boat to Brienz, a charming Swiss town whose artisans are known for their violins and wood-carvings. Then ride Switzerland’s only surviving steam-powered cog railroad to the mile-and-a-half high Rothorn (one of our favorite train rides!).
- Spend time down the valley in Interlaken for urban life and shopping.
- Or check out these mountains on a bike! This would be a good day to rent a mountain bike, take it up a lift, and then ride down to the village (verrrrry carefully!).
Day 5: The Top of Europe
After breakfast, we will ride the Jungfrau cog rail train to Europe’s highest railroad station (3454 meters) on the massive Jungfrau mountain. The journey will take us over deep ravines and through mountain tunnels carved inside the Eiger and Monch. From here you’ll enjoy views of the Aletsch glacier, the longest in Europe. Roam the Ice Palace, carved into the blue glacier and decorated year-round with intricate ice sculptures. Enjoy a run of summer skiing, or slide down the slopes on a snow disc.
Optional, (sometimes closed due to rock falls) continue hiking part of the way back on the recently-opened Eiger trail. This is right under the Nordwand (North Wall) of the Eiger, a vertiginous cliff that has defeated many a mountaineer. We won’t try any mountaineering ascents today, just a scenic hike, crossing the narrow, twisted gorges of glacier-fed streams. Next, we will then follow the winding trail through the forest, until we emerge over (but on the other side of) the “Lower Glacier”.
Day 6: A Waterfall Inside a Mountain
Today’s suggested itinerary begins with a train ride to Lauterbrunnen, a picturesque village set in a cleft between two towering cliffs. Waterfalls spout out along either side, as we walk to Trummelbach Falls. Here, every second, glacier-fed streams pour up to 5,000 gallons of water down a series of ten waterfalls.
Afterwards, we will return back to the village where you can select one of the local cafes for lunch. After lunch, we will hike 930 vertical meters up a switch-backing path from Wengen to Mannlichen. Some of us will want to hike all the segments and others may want to take the cable car part of the way.
From Mannlichen, you can ride a mountain cable car right back, but we hope you won’t: The high alpine trail over to Kleine Scheidegg is among everyone’s favorites. Gently descending as it passes around cliffs and peaks, this trail offers an ever-changing panorama of the mountains: The Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau.
Day 7: Alpine Flora on scenic alpine Plateau
The Swiss alpine peaks have provided magnificent scenery for us this week. On our last day, we wanted to cater to those more serious hikers. The Schynige Plateau offers one glorious option. A narrow-gauge Schynige Platte Cog Railroad engine chugs up to the Schynige Plateau. This will give us a great panoramic view of the imposing 15-kilometer-long Bernese Oberland wall.
Portions of the trail follow a narrow ridge, dropping to views of the Eiger on the right, and to the placid blue waters of Lake Brienz on the left. Spectacular protected alpine flora.
Day 8: Departure
Our hiking week officially ends this morning. If you have early connections, you can depart as early as you’d like. Or you may want to pack up, store your bags, then squeeze in one last hike.
Price Includes
Price includes: 7 nights lodging in a comfortable hotel; Continental breakfast each day; five lunches and four dinners; Peak Pass which covers the various modes of transportation up the nearby mountains near Wengen – but no other locations in Switzerland. Therefore, if only visiting Switzerland for our tour, we recommend that you buy point-to-point tickets after arriving in Switzerland (allows you to pick your route and may be less expensive than a pass). HE Travel provides complimentary Medical & Evacuation Insurance for every US Resident on our group tours who do not have other coverage.
Not included: Transportation to and from Wengen (easily accessible via excellent public transportation); Meals not listed here; Gratuities for guides.
Tour Insurance
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