3-day trip to mountain village Bellwald, Wallis

We will make a 3-day trip to the beautiful mountain village Bellwald. Bellwald is located in the canton Wallis, which is worldwide known for its beautiful nature and the high mountains.

Program: - 2 days hiking in the area around Bellwald. The hikes will be around 5-6h per day, we will adapt them to the fitness level and the hiking experience of the group. If we get enough registrations we might make two groups, for beginners and advanced hikers. There will also be the possibility to try out outdoor rock climbing on an easy wall for the people who want, if the weather is suitable. (This will be instructed by a non-professional but experienced rock climber).

-1 day excursion on the Aletsch glacier (biggest glacier of the alps, UNESCO World Heritage Site) with an experienced professional mountain guide. We will walk over the glacier under the instruction of the guide. The guide will instruct us on how to behave on a glacier and how to walk in a rope team. He will be on our side all the time and guarantee safety. (No glacier experience or mountaineering material needed!) [Please keep in mind that this also depends on the weather].

Accommodation: We will sleep 2 nights in the group guest house "Wilera" ( https://www.gruppenhaus.ch/de/haus/ferienheim/wilera/682). It’s not a luxury hotel but still a good place to stay and have a good time. There will be between 4 and 6 persons per room, the beds are separated. (Look at the pictures on the website to see what to expect). You will have to bring either a sleeping bag or bed sheet and blanket. On the last day, we must clean the house, everybody must help!

Food: We (ESN people) will cook. We expect that every day some of you (the exchange-students) help with cooking and cleaning the dishes. There will be a simple breakfast (bread, cheese, cornflakes etc.) and a warm dinner. For lunch, we will provide bread, cheese and sliced cold meats in the morning so you can make a sandwich to take with you.

Requirements: -Must be able to walk 5 hours with a (light) backpack. -Proper hiking shoes (Good profile, waterproof, must go over the ankle. You can also rent them in some shops in Zürich) -Suitable outdoor equipment (backpack, waterproof jacket, warm clothes etc.)

Disclaimer: The weather in the mountains at the end of September can vary between nice, warm fall weather and snowstorm. The camp will take place in all conditions, and we will go outside in all conditions. We will adapt the activities according to the weather. We will do our best to do fun, interesting and nice activities under all conditions, but depending on the weather, we are limited. With bad weather, we might do only short hikes and the glacier excursion might not take place. ESN is a non-profit organization. If there is bad weather all the time and we use significantly less money since we can't go on the glacier and can't use the cable cars etc., we might be able to pay you something back (but we don’t give guarantees).

Some impressions of the Bellwald camp from 2021

(The last picture shows the difficult hike option, there was also an easier one, so don’t worry)

Are you an exchange student but don't have an ESN Card yet? You can buy one at the event for 10 CHF! If you dont have one yet but intend to buy an ESN Card, you still can register for this event and pay the reduced price for ESN Card holders (enter a random number as ESN card number).

Price is valid for person below 25 years old (max age 24years and 364 days). People of age 25 and older pay 30 CHF less but have to pay the train ticket from Zürich to Bellwald and back themselves! If you are 25 years and older, please pay 30 CHF less (160 CHF without ESN card, 125 with ESN Card). Please ignore if the system is telling you that your are paying the wrong amount.

Same price with or without half-tax.

Price includes:

-Train ticket both ways (for people below 25 years only)

-2 nights in the house, including all taxes and fees

-Food (Friday: Dinner, Saturday: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Sunday: Breakfast and Lunch)

-All cable cars

-Guided tour on the glacier by a professional guide (not fixed yet)

Not included in the price:

-Train ticket from Zurich to Bellwald for people 25 years and older

-If we make a stop in a restaurant to drink a coffee or beer, you have to pay it yourself. But this is totally optional.

-You have to organize all the hiking material yourself (hiking shoes, rain jacket, backpack etc.) No material is provided.