Posts by
Troy Haines

You've heard about Hotel Obersteinberg, the wonderfully authentic mountain inn perched high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Like a fairy tale combination of mountains, waterfalls, flowers and cows, the Lauterbrunnen Valley is a gem within a gem. This deeply carved gorge was J.R.R. Tolkein’s inspiration for Rivendell, based on a hiking tour he took here as a young man. So how...

Staying the night at the historic Berghotel Obersteinberg is a highlight for everyone on our Bernese Oberland tours. It’s peaceful, beautiful, and inspiring. And the fresh mountain air is the perfect antidote to the crazy pace of life these days. The rooms are simple and absolutely charming. Private bedrooms come cleanly made up with thick, fluffy duvets, a little side...

Is there such a thing as the BEST HIKE in the Alps?  After leading hiking tours for over 20 years, I have a lot of favorite hikes throughout Switzerland, France and Italy.  But if it comes down to one “best hike”, my answer is easy and always the same... go to Obersteinberg.  Where is Obersteinberg? Obersteinberg is a quiet mountain...

Soglio is an almost impossibly charming village in the Bregaglia valley in Southeastern Switzerland.  Not far from famous St Moritz and cozy Pontresina, this hidden valley and beautiful village are nonetheless firmly off the beaten path.  It's long been one of our favorite destinations and occasionally shows up as an overnight or a dayhike on our Guided Engadine tours.  Soglio...

Engstlenalp is one of our favorite alps.  An historic inn and scenic farm, tucked at the end of a pretty valley above Meiringen.  There are lakes, views, lifts, cheese and great walks.   A visit to Engstlenalp is a great day out anytime, but being right above Meiringen, it works particularly well as a warm-up day before our Bernese Oberland Traverse....

The Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps.  It's a massive river of ice 14 miles long and 3000 ft thick at Koncordiaplatz, its thickest point.  This is what people travel to Jungfraujoch to see, stretching out from the Jungfrau in the Bernese Oberland down toward Valais.  It's spectacular.  Oh yeah, it's pretty popular too... over 1 million...