Out and about – sustainably.
The most tree-rich excursions in Switzerland
31.10.2021
Admiring trees, inhabiting them or even preparing them: All this is possible in Switzerland. We have collected the most fascinating excursion tips for you.
A tree park as an exhibition: Enea Tree Museum, Rapperswil-Jona
Landscape architect Enzo Enea had a unique idea: to save exceptional trees that had been cleared for deforestation, excavate them and replant them and allow them to flourish after a time-consuming transport. This is how the Enea Tree Museum came into being in a lovely, spacious park near Lake Zurich.
On a walk there you can admire over 50 rescued trees of more than 25 species – some of them over a century old. Since 2013, the park has also displayed contemporary sculptures by recognised artists. A fascinating combination of landscape, botany, architecture, design and art. Guided tours are also available on request.
Enea Tree Museum, Rapperswil-Jona
www.enea.ch/baummuseum
Preparing tree-filled menus: Cookery class with Stefan Wiesner, Escholzmatt
Do you know what tea made from Swiss stone pine tastes like? Or oak glacé? You can try both at Restaurant Rössli in Escholzmatt. Owner Stefan Wiesner will also give an insight into his unusual “avant-garde natural cuisine” in workshops: In the “Tree Knowledge and Tree Products for Culinary Art” course, you will not only learn about the tree species in this region, but also how to use parts of them for culinary purposes. At the end, you will prepare a tavolata of tree products with the kitchen team.
Rössli, Escholzmatt
https://spark.adobe.com/page/c6MGBqIVV1rTt/
Walk over the treetops: Neckertal treetop trail, Toggenburg
Experience the forest in a different way: The Neckertal tree-top trail in Toggenburg makes it possible. At a height of between 4 and 15 metres above the forest floor, it gives you a whole new perspective on trees. The 500-metre, barrier-free trail comprises various stations relating to forests and nature geared towards hands-on learning. The viewing platform at a height of 55 metres offers particularly spectacular views. The tree-top path is combined with a ground-level forest adventure trail which also includes a playground, a balancing path and a barbecue area. You can experience the two trails in one to two hours (walk from Mogelsberg station to the tree-top walk: approx. 30 minutes).
Tree-top walk Neckertal, Mogelsberg
www.baumwipfelpfad.ch
Tree-top path and tree tents on the Fräkmüntegg, Pilatus
The Drachenberg near Lucerne offers several tree-filled experiences: On Fräkmüntegg, you can walk from tree to tree on the treetop path high above the ground. Along the way between the thirteen platforms you are protected by nets and can find out more about the forest and its inhabitants in hands-on style from a very distinctive perspective.
www.pilatus.ch/entdecken/wipfelpfad
If you’d like to spend the night in the forest, you will find tree tents stretched out between the trees: so you actually sleep “floating above the ground”, so to speak. The “Tree Tent” package also includes admission to the nearby rope park, a barbecue buffet and breakfast at Restaurant Fräkmüntegg. (Only in summer season)
www.pilatus.ch/entdecken/tree-tents-fraekmuentegg
Spending the night in a tree’s nest: Les Nids, Le Locle
Have you always dreamed of spending the night in a tree house? If so, this is your opportunity! Les Nids tree house hotel awaits adventure-seekers on the edge of a forest in the Neuchâtel Jura mountains. It comprises four tree houses 5 to 8 metres above the ground – complete with bathroom, toilet and kitchen. Large panoramic windows provide sweeping views, while a wood-burning stove warms you in the cold season. Two of the four tree houses are also large enough for families, one of them is barrier-free.
Les Nids, Le Locle
www.lesnids.ch
Ibergeregg Pass tree cabin
Another rustic tree cabin awaits overnight guests in the Mythen region, hidden among the branches of a fir tree on Ibergeregg Pass. Located in the nature reserve, it offers wonderful panoramic views of the mountains and Lake Lucerne. The cabin has a kitchenette, and meals can also be taken at the nearby restaurant. It is child-friendly and also has a wooden terrace.
Baumhütte (Tree Cabin), Ibergeregg
www.baumhütte.ch
Hiking in Europe’s highest Swiss pine forest: God da Tamangur, Lower Engadin
In German, it is simply called “the forest there behind”: The God da Tamangur, at the far end of the Val S-charl in the Lower Engadin. Measuring 86 hectares, it is the highest-altitude and largest contiguous Swiss stone pine forest in Europe. Nature can develop freely in the protected natural forest reserve: Trees are no longer felled, dead trees are left lying and you will encounter many very old, gnarled, impressive specimens. Some of them are over 700 years old. God da Tamangur can only be visited on foot: the best way is to hike from S-charl to Lü in Val Müstair or in the reverse direction (approx. 4.5 hours). Scuol Tourism also offers guided tours of the forest reserve.
God da Tamangur, Val S-charl
https://www.engadin.com/de/arvenwald-god-da-tamangur