A Summer Guide to Engstligenalp and Engstligen Falls

The Engstligen Falls were the first thing we marveled at from our accommodations in Adelboden, Switzerland. I say marveled because our mouths were literally hanging open at the sight of it.

We’re not luxury travelers, so waterfalls within our sightlines aren’t part of the regular itinerary. Spending some time in Adelboden was one of those happy accidents where we were looking for somewhere a little less spendy. The falls were the added bonus.

Reaching them with Adelboden as a base means navigating gondolas, some hiking, and grazing cows, but I believe in you. This guide to the falls and Engstligenalp, the surrounding plateau, will help build confidence within.

What the heck is an Engstligenalp?

Engstligenalp is a high alpine plateau near Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. It sits at about 2,000 meters above sea level. In summer, it’s popular locally for hiking, climbing, and observing cattle grazing in lush meadows.

That last part may be just me. 

In the winter, it becomes a ski and snowshoeing area, but it doesn’t seem like it gets as wild as some of the bigger Swiss resorts.

I’m not going to get into that here, as our visit was during the summer. I can say that I’ve never been in more impressive surroundings for grazing cows. Yes, I’ll mention them a lot.

Fun fact: Engstligenalp hosts one of the largest alpine cattle herds in Switzerland during summer. Traditional cheese-making still takes place here, so it’d be a shame not to honor those traditions with the consumption of copious amounts of cheese.

How to Get to Engstligenalp

The assumption here is that you’re already in Adelboden. If you’re not, I’ll include some information to come about getting to our favorite place in Switzerland.

To get onto the plateau, you’ll likely need to ride a cable car. We walked to the pickup spot from our accommodations, but there is a parking area here, as well. Cable cars are pet-friendly and wheelchair-accessible, but they’re not cheap. 

Note: They were around $40 round-trip on our visit, but you can get a 20% discount on rides for staying overnight in town, as we were. There are some additional perks you can check out on the Guest Card website.

The only other option for summer travelers is hiking up to the plateau. Despite the cost, we stuck with the cable car to give ourselves more time on the plateau itself. We also wanted to make sure to give ourselves time to hike to the Engstligen waterfalls. 

If you’re feeling aggressive, expect your alpine stroll up to the plateau to take at least an hour and 30 minutes, depending on the photo stops involved along the way. 

Add more time depending on your starting point in Adelboden, too. It was a 40-minute walk to the cable cars from our accommodations, and even that piece involved navigating cow patties and cow gates.

You’ll be hiking up to elevation, too. To get from the valley floor to the plateau, you’ll need to climb over 2,000 feet. If you’d like to fuel up before that trek, Restaurant Steinbock looked decent at the cable car station. Hours are super seasonal, though.

Exploring Engstligenalp

No matter how you get up there, the plateau is a 10/10. You’ll see SO many cows, including baby ones (or calves if you’re serious), and resulting cowbell sounds ringing through the air. 

It’s basically everything you imagined Switzerland to be when you dreamed this trip up in the first place.

There are loads of trails that start up here that get you a closer look at the Swiss Alps. You can spend all day hiking here or hitting ski runs in the winter months. I’ll get into the waterfalls next, but you have quite a few options that will keep you on the plateau itself.

For something more leisurely, there is a flat, wheelchair-accessible loop trail that starts at the cable car station. We walked most of this one to check out the views up here and to admire the munching cows. This is generally known as the Engstligenalp Trail.

Expert hikers may be down for something like the Chindbettipass. This beast of a loop is nearly 5.5 miles. You’ll start on the plateau and head to the Chindbettipass, a scenic mountain pass in the Bernese Alps.

The Engstligenalp is also home to a themed hiking trail based on Globi, a famous Swiss cartoon character. You’ll see markers for this one all over the plateau.

We walked our pup Kimmy around for about 45 minutes or so and then returned for a nosh at the Raclette Hütte. Truly, it doesn’t get much better than a charcuterie board of Swiss cheeses and cocktails with the Alps in the background.

Note: If you want to nosh on the same, you may see it labeled as Raclettehütte Engstligenalp on your apps. It’s obviously a good place for raclette, too, if you want something more substantial to eat.

How to Get to Engstligen Falls

To reach the lower section of Engstligen Falls from Engstligenalp, you can take the trail that descends alongside the waterfall or return back down on the gondola. This is what we did, as we had round-trip tickets with bellies full of cheese. 

READ MORE: For the ultimate Swiss cheese adventure, plan a trip to La Maison du Gruyère.

Your total distance on foot from there is nearly 1.5 miles, but it’s a descent. You won’t be climbing at this point, but there are some steep sections to navigate. 

You can also reach the falls from Adelboden if you’re not starting at the plateau. Walk, drive, or take the local bus to the Unter dem Birg cable car station and ride the cable car to the lower station, or hike straight up to the falls. 

On foot, that journey should take you about 90 minutes. You’ll pass through the forest and picnic tables set up for some scenic lunching. 

You can also walk to the falls from wherever your starting point is in Adelboden. I’m just using the cable car station as a marker because it has parking, but it’s a similar trip time from the center of town.

Exploring Engstligen Falls

The lower falls are stunning and powerful. We stood there taking it all in for a while. If you’re a climber, you can access Klettersteig Chäligang, the falls’ via ferrata, at the back of the valley. 

From here, you can hike to an observation deck that gives you another look at this section of the falls. Do not attempt to hike alongside the falls. That’s not a thing, first of all, and super wet and dangerous. Available trails take you back into the woods. 

READ MORE: There are trails out there that have you hiking inside a waterfall. Learn more in this guide to Colorado’s Sky Pond!

If you have more hiking left in your legs, you can ascend to the upper falls from a path that starts at a junction at the base of the falls. We didn’t do this part, as it was still closed to hikers at that point. 

Fun fact: For some perspective, it was July. Theoretically, the trail to the upper falls is open from June throughout the rest of the summer, but there may have been a rockfall or something. Adelboden’s tourist office keeps travelers up to date on closures in and around the plateau.

If that hike is open, it should take you about 45 minutes to get to the upper waterfall. There is an observation deck up there for views of the falls from above. We certainly had some FOMO over this!

In our case, we looped around the bottom of the falls, then returned the same way. If you approach the falls from the opposite way, you’ll see the falls from the start of the hike, which is likely more scenic. It’s just more elevation climb on the return trip that way.

From the falls, you can ride the cable car down or descend on foot.

We walked back to our accommodations from the falls without any issue, but both options give you a nice perspective of one of the country’s highest waterfalls. It was a little over 2.5 miles back to our apartment from the falls along a mostly flat trail.

How to Get to Adelboden

We had a car on our road trip throughout Switzerland. You’ll want the same. There are trains that connect you to local buses in Adelboden, but a vehicle will make it easier to reach other cities nearby if you use the town as a base. 

If you drive, the trip takes a little over an hour from Bern, two hours from Basel, 2.5 hours from Zurich, or 3.5 hours from Geneva. 

Where to Stay in Adelboden

We were traveling with our dog, so we needed something pet-friendly while in town. We found a decent apartment with views of the falls that no longer seems listed online. Adelboden is fantastic, but there isn’t a ton of inventory here. 

Book early if you’re traveling in the summer. Book extra early if you’re traveling in the winter, as this place does get more popular when it’s time for winter sports.

Use the map below for your options in and around Adelboden:

Engstligenalp and Engstligen Falls are worth the effort.

Exploring expansive Engstligenalp was a highlight on our summertime road trip to Switzerland. Visiting one of the highest falls in the country was just icing on top of an incredibly scenic day already.

This is truly one day we’ll never forget. We ate cheese to the sounds of cowbells while surrounded by the Alps, people! I’m not sure it gets much better.

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