Hoping to see the Ibex herd in the "Pontresina Steinbock Paradies"

(Post created on May 14, 2026) 

Weekend of April 25 and 26, 2026 -- Every year in the town of Pontresina in Canton Graubünden, the local herd of Ibex descend to the edge of the village to look for the first green grasses before heading up into the mountains again as the snow melts. This is a phenomenon which we wanted to see, and we had heard that the animals had arrived.

Even though we were advised by the tourism office that we should wait another week or more, we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather for the long trip there (4½ hours) which also included an overnight stay two hours further on and a ride over the popular Bernina Pass. 

Because this was a total 6½-hour ride on trains, we broke the trip up with two hikes: The first was a two-hour downhill hike from Vaz/Obervaz to Tiefencastel (photos HERE, first section). The second was the one-hour walk along the Ibex Panorama Trail in Pontresina, where we encountered very many other people waiting for the Ibex, but we only spotted two of them further up the mountain, which wasn't exciting because we have been much closer to these animals on several other occasions. 

But we had the most fantastic weather for the crossing of the Bernina Pass, a trip we have done several times now, but never at this time of year. And as always, a great stay in the Campascio apartment. (Photos to follow)

These photos here are from the one-hour train ride from Tiefencastel via the fabulous Landwasser Viaduct and through the Albula Valley (UNESCO World Heritage Site) to Pontresina, and of the small hike we did on the Ibex Panorama Trail.

PART I: Trip from Tiefencastel to Pontresina

After a two-hour hike down the hill from the upper communities of Vaz/Obervaz (photos HERE), we just made it on time for the 13:44 train from Tiefencastel, continuing on our day's excursion, reaching the start of the next hike in Pontresina at just after 3 p.m. 

Heading eastward now along the Albula River, we pass the town of Tiefencastel, which lies at the junction of the Albula and Gelgia Rivers. 

On this section we are traveling in the newer wagons where you cannot open the windows, therefore most photos unfortunately have a reflection. (Only one second-class wagon behind the locomotive was the older kind... but we had already boarded further back without realizing this). 

A view eastward up the Albula Valley. The village here is called Surava, and this is where we stopped again on the next day heading home, to continue our hike from Tiefencastel along the Albula River. (photos HERE, second section). 

Heading over the Schmittnertobel viaduct, we already get a look at the famous Landwasser Viaduct up ahead, that famous bridge where the railway tracks head straight into the vertical wall before Filisur. 

The train heads over the Landwasserviadukt and straight into the tunnel in the vertical wall. We have crossed this stretch quite often. We once did an excursion to here to get views of the bridge from higher up as well as from below. Those photos are HERE.

VIDEO:

The train of the Rhätian Railway crosses the Landwasser Viaduct

between Tiefencastel and Filisur

Now the train leaves Filisur and starts on its way up toward the Albula Tunnel. This is a final view to the west.

A look back at the pretty village of Bergün/Bravuogn (in the local Rhätoromanisch language) at the north end of the famous Albula stretch. 

A couple of loops later, and we can see the village from above. 

That is the very pretty tower of Bergün's Tuors Tower, the main landmark of the village. We overnighted in the village once, and walked along the Railway Adventure Trail all the way down this stretch, with some very superb views of all the viaducts. Those photos are HERE. 

The train makes its way up the loveliest part of the Albula valley, where there are are many tunnels and bridges and where the train crosses the valley several times as it makes its way up toward the pass. This is such a fantastic feat of railway engineering, that it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also, we walked down this stretch in June 2021, and got a close-up look at all the viaducts (photos HERE). 

As the train crosses a viaduct after emerging from another tunnel, we can see the roadway and railway lines below. The roadway gets converted to a fantastic toboggan run in winter (see also those photos HERE). 

By 14:40 we have emerged from the Albula Tunnel on the Upper Engadin side of the mountains, and are headed toward Samedan where we change trains. There is still a lot of snow in the mountains here near St.Moritz. 

From Samedan, a short train ride to the Punt Muragl station just before Pontresina, from where we chose to take a bus to the main road in town and just below the Ibex Promenade Trail. 

There is a very popular funicular here at Muottas Muragl, and a lovely high alpine hiking trail at the summit, one I have actually never yet done, although it apparently offers some great views!

The river here which runs from Pontresina and enters the Inn River near St.Moritz is called the Flaz river. We had a short bus ride from the Punt Muragl train station to the start of our hike in Pontresina.  

After a trip of an hour and 20 minutes, we arrive at 15:04 at the main road near the Pontresina castle, for the start of our walk from here to the Ibex Panorama Trail, an uphill hike of just 12 minutes and 70 meters altitude gain. 

PART II:  Four-kilometer walk along the Ibex Panorama Trail above Pontresina.

The Ibex are an ever-present feature of this region and in particular of Pontresina and the mountains right above here. In fact, this region is called the "Pontresina Ibex Paradise". After getting off the bus near Pontresina Castle, we had a short, 15-minute uphill section through the town until we reached the higher trail, called the "Ibex Promenade". 

On the way up, a view down onto the Pontresina Castle 

At the junction of the Ibex Promenade, we discovered a map which shows where the Ibex usually spend their time, including where they can often be found when they descend the mountain. In August 2022 we hiked up above here at the Alp Languard, and caught sight of the herd high above us on a crest (specifically, HERE is that photo)

All along the trail were signs displaying information about the Ibex and their "lifestyle". 

Lots of  information about the Ibex along the way. There is also a great website about the Pontresina Ibex Paradise with lots of information (HERE). 

The walk up to the Ibex Promenade and then back down from the tower to the Surovas train station was just about a 4-km walk that took a little over an hour. (Together with the earlier hike we did around Tiefencastel, this means we still got three hours of walking this day). 

And all around you run into the theme of the ibex. 

Another view down to the Pontresina Castle

Walking along the Ibex Promenade with a view of the Bernina massif in the background. Later, we rode the train past there. 

Close-up view of the Bernina Massif. 

There were a lot of people standing on this bridge with long-lens cameras, so I was pretty sure they had seen something, and I was eager to also have a look.

Sure enough, high up on the hillside in that clearing, there was a single animal grazing. 

We then continued along the trail to the little mountain church above the town. It is common for the ibex to hop around the cemetery there, and even eat the flowers from the grave plots. We had high hopes to encounter them there.... we were planning to wait till about five p.m., because the lady at the tourism office told me they usually show up between 4 and 6 p.m. 

We did see some cute birds hopping in the grasses where the snow had just melted. Internet research shows that these are called Fieldfare, a typ of thrush. 

In German, this is called a "Wachholderdrossel". 

And we also spotted another bird, which is also in the Thrush family. It is called Mistle Thrush .

In German, it has a similar name, the "Misteldrossel". A long time ago, when researching how mistletoe propagates, I learned that when these birds eat the sticky berries, the berries stick to their behinds after partial digestion, and the birds wipe their behinds on other tree branches, where the seeds then take root and grow as parasites on other trees. 

Then we arrived at the little Santa Maria Church at the upper edge of the city. No ibex here either!

According to the Pontresina tourism website: "The burial church of St. Mary contains precious medieval wall paintings with Byzantine-Romanesque fragments of high quality." Unfortunately, the church is locked at this time of year, and in the summer months only available to view for a couple of hours in the afternoons. 

Details of the lovely church, but unfortunately no ibex hopping around the cemetery and eating the flowers! It was now 4:30 p.m., and we had originally planned to wait around till 6 p.m., but not having really thought it through beforehand, we had reserved an apartment for the night in the Poschiavo valley near the Italian border, another two hours from here, so we gave up the Ibex sighting idea, and opted for more daylight for the rest of the trip, and headed back down into the town from here.
 

VIDEO from the Internet:

This is the attraction which we had hoped to see,

a video by Pontresina-Engadin of what it's like

to experience the ibex up close....

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Next to the little church is an old tower ruins. It is called the Spaniola Tower, and was erected in the early 13th Century as the seat of the Lords of Pontresina, the most important family in the Engadin. The tower was abandoned in the 15th Century and was a ruins by 1550. It is the only five-sided tower in the Engadin region. 

Heading back down into the town and admiring the Engadin-style architecture. 

Well, there has to be at least ONE hotel sporting the name "Steinbock" !!!

The luxury hotel Walther

Crossing the Bernina River heading to the small train station called Surovas to catch the 17:05 train toward the Bernina Pass. 

While waiting for the train, I could see the people far up the hill lined up along the panorama trail where we had walked earlier. Obviously they were observing something higher up on the mountain, so I zoomed in with my lens... 

... and sure enough, there was an ibex on the hillside. I cannot be sure if this was the same one we had seen before. 

Our train arrives at 17:05 for our two-hour trip via the Bernina Pass in the direction of Tirano.

Final stretch of our day's excursion as the train makes its way to the Morteratsch Glacier, over the Bernina Pass, and down into the Poschiavo Valley, where we rode almost to the Italian border. In retrospect, we were glad we didn't wait any longer for the Ibex, as we had wonderful evening weather with enough daylight still for this great ride. As it is a regional train, you can open the windows for better views and photos, and everyone on the train was obviously having a good time. 

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. 

Location of Pontresina within Switzerland, and the train trip from Tiefencastel via the Albula Valley. 

This is the train trip from Tiefencastel to Pontresina

An Easy Hike through the Schin Gorge from Vaz/Obervaz to Thusis in Canton Grisons

(This blog entry posted on Nov.30, 2022)

Wednesday September 21, 2022 -- The popular stretch of the Rhaetian Railway from Thusis to Filisur (part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Rhaetian Railway Albula/Bernina) passes through a spectacular gorge (Schynschlucht) before the valley opens up at Tiefencastel. We have ridden on this stretch countless times, and were always fascinated by the fact that there was a hiking trail through this gorge high above the railway line.

This trail is actually part of the Regional Trail no.33 "Via Albula/Bernina", of which we have done several sections already, and hope to have completely walked in the future. This sunny day was the perfect opportunity to do this hike through the Schyn Gorge, because it was a panoramic but not strenuous hike which is what we wanted at this point. To add a bit of variety to the excursion, we started in the village of Obervaz (passing through Lenzerheide by bus to get there) to admire some more of those fantastically painted Grisons houses and to get some nice views before heading into the forested gorge. 

The highlight of the day was when we came across a fellow building a huge and old-fashioned community oven like they had in generations past. The oven is fairly new, but a neighbour lady told us she had already brought 70 loaves of bread to bake there!

The 14-km and 4-hour hike ended at the train station in Thusis, after we had looked at and inspected both a privately-owned castle and the quaint Cassian Chapel, both landmarks we have often admired on our train rides through the gorge. 

(Side note: The Domleschg Region, the open valley around Thusis and from where both the Schin Gorge and the Via Mala Gorge are accessed, is replete with castles, fortress ruins and chapels, as this used to be an important trade route. We walked the "Domleschg Fortress Trail" in January 2020, those photos are HERE)

On the train on the way to Chur and Lenzerheide, this is one of my favourite stretches along Lake Walensee.

In Chur, we changed to a bus... this is a view over the old town of Chur, once a powerful seat of European Bishops. 

Passing the lake in Lenzerheide: "Igl Lai" (in Romansch language) or Heidsee. From Lenzerheide we took another bus to the villages of Vaz/Obervaz

We started our hike here in the village called Lain, part of the community of Vaz/Obervaz

Every visit to a village starts with a look at the village church. This one was built in 1681, although there was a church on this spot earlier than this. 

The wonderfully pained façade of the St.Luzius church in Lain already promised an art experience! The church was renovated in 1962 and is a Swiss Heritage Site of national importance.

The artwork inside this little church was simply stunning. This is Baroque Style. 

Various sections of the ceiling display artwork from a variety of unknown artists. 

More ceiling artwork

More details of the interior of the St.Luzius Church in Lain

Starting in the village of Lain, we walked to Muldain where there was an equally fabulous chapel, then we descended into the upper part of the gorge, and walked out to the city of Thusis. A relatively easy 4-hour and 14-km walk. 

This fabulous house stands at the very south end of the village. It is called the Deflorin House and was built in 1652, according to the inscription above the door

South side of the Deflorin House

Details of this lovely painted Grisons House

Following the road now down to Muldain, which is the second of three villages that form part of Vaz/Overvaz

Urs buying locally-made sausages at the farmers's shop

Slightly lower and to the east is the third of the three villages that form this community: Zorton. We didn't have a chance to detour that way. Apparently the lower part of the tower dates from 1218!

Next attraction: The little chruch of St. Johannes Baptista in Muldain. This is also a monument of national significance, and was also a work of art. The date on the bell tower on this one is 1676

Particularly attractive was the painted wood ceiling of the veranda or porch on the front side of the church. 

This is also a Baroque Church, and it was restored in 1990

Also here were loads of interesting details, including fresco paintings a a wooden choir bench which I could have sworn was marble. 

A view into the lovely Albula region of Canton Graubünden (Grisons)

Another attractive building

We are now heading into the Schin (or Schyn) Gorge along Trail no.33: Via Albula/Bernina to the city of Thusis

More lovely old buildings

Here is the fellow who is building a community oven! That lady has already successfully baked two batches of 35 loaves in this oven...

A look behind us at Muldain, as we now head into the Schyn Gorge

One more look eastward up the valley toward the community of Tiefencastel. This is a stretch of the "Via Albula/Bernina" trail which we also still have to walk. 

Now we can look down the Schynschlucht (Schyn Gorge) toward Thusis at the end. Where the gorge opens up is called the Domleschg. Down below on the left is the railway and roadway, and higher up on the right you can see the dirt road which is actually our trail. Also, the Albula River flows down this gorge. 

A zoomed view of the Bernina Express train entering a tunnel on the way to Tiefencastel

VIDEO:

Bernina Express Train from the Rhaetian Railway making a course between Thusis and Filisur and on to the Bernina Region

A look behind us at the trail we are walking... we came down from the top of that cliff

Some interesting sections along cliff walls (there was also a blasted tunnel). This looks like it might have been the old road through the gorge, before they built the modern one further below.

A look far down at the new roadway through the Schyngorge

In September we saw many fly amanitas in our walks through the forest. 

After reaching the power plant at the opening of the gorge, we detoured to the Baldenstein Castle (privately owned) and the St. Cassian Chapel before descending through the village of Sils and finally to the train station in Thusis

Baldenstein Castle, privately-owned. 

Then we detoured via St.Cassian Chapel, a chapel we always see from the train on our way from Thusis through the Schyn Gorge. Unfortunately, we could not access the inside. 

A view toward Thusis and the mountain called Piz Beverin. This whole valley here is called the Domleschg, and it is full of old chapels, castles and fortress ruins. 

The Baldenstein Family must have been an influencial family in this region. I guess the nearby castle must still belong to members of this family. 

Another look back at St.Cassian Chapel as we continue on our way to Thusis

Ahead of us the village of "Sils im Domleschg".

Sils i.D. (Sils im Domleschg) is the name of this village. Behind it and across the river (Posterior Rhine River) is the city of Thusis

VIDEO:

Before reaching the village of Sils, we passed a tiny vineyard, and were surprised by an unusual contraption of flags on wires being pulled back and forth every few minutes, obviously to keep away the birds. What a lot of work for a few vines!

A quick peek into the church in Sils.... this time the artwork was this very beautiful painted organ. 

Crossing the Posterior Rhine River for the last stretch through the industrial part of Thusis to the train station (nothing special to see there, we didn't have time for the old part of town). 

What our 14-km hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. It was a very easy 4-hour hike. 

Heading back out of the Domleschg Region toward Chur... The valley is full of castles and ruins and chapels. We did a hike to all of these castles back in January 2020, those photos are HERE

Somewhere in the Rhine Valley between Chur and Sargans

These are the sections of the Via Albula/Bernina trail which we have done north of the Engadine Valley. Between there and the Italian Border (over the Bernina Pass) we had also walked a few sections. 

Location of the Domleschg Region in Canton Grisons/Graubünden