Classic Swiss Alps Self-Guided Walk

Arrive at the 3 star Hotel Alfa Soleil, well known locally for its excellent
cuisine and enjoy a welcome drink before dinner which is included all week
along with picnics or light restaurant lunches. Below is a suggested
itinerary for the week but you are free to pick and choose when and where you
walk each day.

This easy-going walk to start your week begins with a spectacular cable car
ride (included) up to the Allmenalp, a colourful meadow brimming with rural
mountain charm. There are stunning views across the valley to towering
cliffs, snow-capped peaks and glaciers. Continue into the pastures of the
Alpbach, sheltered by a colossal mountain bowl where marmots 'cohabit' with
farmers and their cattle. An afternoon descent of the Alpbach Gorge takes you
down to the valley floor for a relaxed stroll along the River Kander to the
hotel.

This super walk begins with an exhilarating 20-minute minibus ride (fare
included) along a narrow road carved out of the rock wall. The
UNESCO-recognised Gasterntal is Kandersteg's 'hidden valley', with snow-fed
waterfalls splashing down sheer cliff faces. After an optional,
loop-extension further up the valley, you meander down the River Kander,
through woods and open meadows to the Waldhaus Nature Reserve - look out for
lady slippers, fire lilies and more than 25 varieties of orchid. With the
mighty rock walls of the Balmhorn, Tatlishore and the Atels towering high,
follow the spectacular Klus Gorge where glacial meltwater rushes down over
thunderous waterfalls.

Widely regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Bernese Oberland,
Oeschinensee is one of the most beautiful Alpine lakes in Switzerland. After
a short ride up on the gondola lift (included), follow a marvellous mountain
path up to the Heuberg Viewpoint and picnic spot. The cobalt blue water of
the lake, surrounded by the snow-capped, razor-edged peaks of the Doldenhorn
(3,638m) and the Bluemlisalphorn (3,663m) towering 2,000m above, will be a
lasting memory. Call in at the mountain chalets at Obberbargli and
Underbargli for refreshments and soak up this unforgettable scenery as
bell-toting cows munch at the grass in the pastures below, while dainty
waterfalls trickle down from the Frunden Glacier.

A gentle hour's stroll takes you down to the Natural Park of Blausee - the
Blue Lake (entry included with short boat ride). Here you can wander through
verdant woodland around the little lake, visit the organic trout farm and
enjoy a drink on the lake terrace. Cross the valley at Kandergrund and pick
up the Nordrampe Bahnwanderweg - a fabulous walking trail that in part
follows the impressive railway as it makes huge loops and swirls through
tunnels along the side of the mountain. Enjoy panoramic picnic spots and
great views up and down the valley as you stroll past the evocative ruins of
the Felsenburg tower. Hillside pastures and shady forest then leads you back
to your hotel.

The Sunnbuel cable car (included) whisks you up to nearly 2,000m to begin
today's walk. Enjoy refreshments at the renowned Schwarenbach Hotel, where
Lenin and Picasso have signed the visitors' book. It's then on to the
Daubensee and the famous high Gemmi Pass (2,322m), a major Transalpine route
first used by the Celts. The extraordinary panorama of the Valais Alps to the
south includes the Weisshorn (4,506m) and the Matterhorn (4,478m).

Today starts with a 25-minute train ride (payable locally) through the
Lotschberg mountain rail tunnel (14km long) to Hohtenn. The walk takes you
high above a youthful River Rhone, through a landscape of gorges and hidden
side valleys - and small hillside villages boasting traditional wooden
chalets built on the upper edges of this fertile, vineyard-adorned valley.
You follow part of the Lotschberger-Sudrampe railway trail - superb railway
engineering, viaducts, tunnels and bridges - but you don't need to be a train
buff to enjoy this great little hike.

If pre-arranged, return to Zurich via Kandersteg rail.