From the holiday resort of Belalp, a wide footpath leads via Bruchegg to Aletschbord, where the panorama is sure to make you stop and enjoy the views ranging from the Great Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier of the Alps, to the Matterhorn and other 3000 and 4000 m peaks of the Valais. Hotel Belalp is another impressive sight. It was built in the style of the Belle Époque and opened in 1858. Once you have feasted your eyes, start the long descent zigzagging down the sharp turns of the “Steigle”, past the small chapel of Oberaletsch and over the smooth rocks on the way to the next highlight.

The suspension bridge spanning the Massa Gorge at an altitude of 80 m above the Massa River is 124 m long. Obviously nothing for the faint-hearted, but it’s worth stopping in the middle of the bridge. The reward is a beautiful sight of the gate to the Aletsch Glacier. After the subsequent ascent past Grünsee Lake and some young birch trees, you’re back in the Aletsch Forest where Swiss pines and larches are the dominant trees. The area has been under protection since 1933 and the forest is left completely untouched.

About 1 ½ hours later you are up at Riederfurka. This is where the magnificent Villa Cassel is located, a Victorian building from around 1900. It was the private holiday retreat of Sir Ernest Cassel, a very wealthy German-British banker. Cassel frequently hosted illustrious guests, including Winston Churchill who later became the Prime Minister of Great Britain. The villa now houses the Pro Natura Visitor Centre Aletsch, a nature conservation centre with overnight accommodations. At the same time, it is the gate to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Jungfrau-Aletsch.