ONE COUNTRY, FOUR WAYS Switzerland
Interlaken for Adventurers
Set in the Bernese Oberland, charming Interlaken is set between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, in the shadow of three of the highest mountains in the Alps – the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Surrounded as it is by lakes and snow-capped mountains, Interlaken is made for adventure; from sky-diving to skiing, there’s something for everyone. It’s not known as Europe’s number one adventure sport destination for nothing!
1 GREAT FOR JUMPING INTO ADVENTURE
Located close to Interlaken West station, Adventure Park uses swings, bridges and zip lines to propel adventurers through treetop courses of varying difficulties. The Ropes Park (Seilpark) offers more than 120 different challenges – you could be at ground level or 20m up in the air. Choose the level of difficulty you’re comfortable with and then push yourself a little. You could also opt for a tandem hang-gliding flight with Bumblebee, where your pilot swoops and swerves over the Interlaken valley and Lakes Brienz and Thun. It will seem like an easy ride over breathtaking scenery, until you’re offered steering control.
THE EASIER OPTION: If you’re visiting with kids, the Butterfly Walk at Adventure Park is a fun way to get a feel of the tree challenges without a harness.
Outdoor Interlaken Adventure Park: Currently on a break, Adventure Park reopens in April 2020; 00-41-33-826-7719; www.outdoor-interlaken.ch; Wagnerenstrasse, 3800 Matten; from ₹2,300
Bumblebee Hang-gliding: 00-41-79-454-3464; www. fly-bumblebee.com; Eyacher, 1; 8am – 5.30pm; 15-minute tandem flight from ₹17,000; prior booking recommended
2 GREAT FOR RIDING THE WIND
Grindelwald, just a short distance from Interlaken, offers you a chance to be a child again. The Trottibikes at this remote cable-car station in the Alps are bigger and sleeker versions of your classic toy scooter. Just master the kickoff; gravity does most of the work as you coast down a smooth road into the pastures in the valley. Another great way to take to the air is with the Grindelwald First Flyer. You’re strapped into a glacier-facing airborne chair for the 2,480ft-long zip-line ride, 675 feet above the ground. It takes just 40 high-velocity seconds to get that adrenaline jolt as you fly down a mountain ringed by glaciers.
THE EASIER OPTION: Take a walk around Grindelwald, and come face-to-face with inquisitive cows in peaceful meadows
Grindelwald Trottibike: 00-41-33-828-7711; www.grindelwald.ch; Firstbahn AG, Dorfstrasse 187; mid-May – mid-Oct; Trottibikes available at Bort funicular station near the First Flyer end point; rental with helmet and vail pass from ₹2,180
Grindelwald First Flyer: 00-41-33-828-7233; www.ziprider.com/rides/grindelwald; May – Oct; First Flyer package with Rail, Mountain Cart and Trottibike from ₹6,200, First Flyer from ₹5,040
3 GREAT FOR LETTING GO ON A LAKE
Interlaken (“between lakes”) is flanked by Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, each so clean that fish, finding almost no food in them, struggle to survive. It’s safe to drink and certainly safe to be soaked in, which you will be as you at high speeds and into 360° spins on the crystal-clear waters of Lake.
