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

16-km Hike from Motta Naluns (Scuol) to Ardez via Val Tasna

Tuesday August 23, 2022 -- Since we were spending three nights in a historical Engadine House in the very charming village of Ardez, we received guest passes to use the cableway in Scuol to access higher elevations, and so it was convenient that we were close by and didn't have to travel far. (10 minutes by train).

For this first day in the lower Engadine, we chose to walk on the Regional Trail no.87 called "Via Engiadina", Stage 5, from above Scuol to Ardez via a beautiful valley called Val Tasna. As it turns out, it ended up being five hours of walking, but the trail was so good that we were back at our accommodation before we were aware how far we had walked!

It helped that we had over an hour lunch break at a mountain restaurant called Alp Laret, where we tried their "Kaiserschmarren", an Austrian dish kind of like pancakes or crepes but baked in large chunks. The restaurant is popular, so we had to wait a long time for our food. But the lunch break made it easier to continue on the high trail to the back and then out of the valley. The highlight on this tour was the sighting of very many marmots!

We needed to stay away from our residence till 5 p.m. though, because the neighbour's house is currently being renovated (two meters away) and I cannot tolerate the noise of construction (the agent brokering the property was not made aware of the construction), so when we returned to Ardez, we checked out the ruins of the Steinsberg Tower (unfortunately not accessible) and then took our time admiring all the fabulous Engadine houses in this charming village. Each house is decorated with intricate paintings and artwork, each has large arched doorways mostly with a bench next to the entrance, and most have colorful flowers on the recessed shuttered windows. There was a fountain at each corner, many of them made out of wood which is unusual but typical for this region. 

Our routine when we got to our accommodation was cooking a quick meal, showering and inspecting all the many nooks and crannies of this beautiful house. It was like living in a museum, really. Photos can be viewed HERE.

On the 10-minute train ride from Ardez to Scuol, we get a really nice look at the Scuol-Tarasp Castle in the early morning light

Zoomed view of the Scuol-Tarasp Castle

Gondola cable-way from Scuol to Motta Naluns

Because the whole distance walked was over 16 km, and we had a long break for lunch at Alp Laret, it didn't actually seem like the hike was that long (5 hours!) and we barely noticed going downhill. 

The first 30 minutes were on this wide road and I was a bit worried that the whole hike would be like this, but then it changed to a good mountain trail. 

A very good mountain trail and very clear view into the mountains of the Swiss National Park. It took us 90 minutes to walk to Alp Laret.

At Alp Laret we stopped for lunch. Soon after us, lots of people arrived. Due to a mix-up in orders, though, (partly our fault for moving tables), they served my "Kaiserschmarren" to someone else, and I had to wait quite a long time for them to redo the order. 

Such a lovely flower arrangement!

Details of Alp Laret (Chickens checking out the mountain bike) and the yummy Kaiserschmarren.

Our first glimpse into the Tasna Valley after leaving Alp Laret. 

First of many marmots which we saw along the way!

The trail was very good to walk on and the air temperature perfect, so it didn't seem like a long walk at all!

This is a view of the other side of the Tasna Valley, which we later walked along. On that large grassy slope, farmers were cutting and raking up the hay. 

From here the trail went down to the river. 

This farm is called Alp Valmala, and this is the furthest back in the valley that we went. The trail turned and headed back out of the valley on the other side. 

Tasnan River in Val Tasna

It took about an hour to walk from Alp Laret to this point, so another good opportunity for a rest.

VIDEO:

Always a great place to take a break beside a river

Following Trail no.87: "Via Engiadina"

From here at Alp Valmala we head south out of the valley on the right side. 

More marmots

The back of the valley was more interesting than the entrance, so there are more photos in this direction!

Close-up view of the mountains at the back of the valley

Another fat marmot!!

Now we are passing across the grassy slope where the farmers are raking up the hay which has been drying here. 

A look back at the large expanse of mountainside which has been mowed and harvested

After a long stretch through the forest, we finally arrive above the village of Ardez, with a view of the ruins of the Steinsberg Castle. 

After walking about 15 km, we decided to go up to the castle tower, to see if we could access the inside. At the very least, get a view over the village. 

More harvested hillsides, and cows all in a row!

Lovely Engadine houses at the foot of the tower hill

The walls on these houses are very thick, and not always straight! Many have the family crest painted on the wall. Most of these houses were built in the mid-17th Century

This ruin might have been a chapel. It turns out the tower is privately-owned and you cannot access the inside. 

A look down at the roofs of Ardez. The house in the circle is where we were staying, right in the center of the village and not far from the train station (on the left). 

The lovely house in the center of this photo with the two windows is our rented accommodation. As you can see, the house not 2 meters distance is being renovated!

A look eastward down the Engadine Valley toward Scuol. You can just see the castle from here. 

Heading back down from the Tower Hill to go inspect the lovely houses in Ardez

Our hike as seen on Google Satellite Maps

The following photos are of the beautiful buildings in the historical Engadine Village of Ardez, where we stayed for three nights. As we knew there was construction going on on the house next to "ours", we walked around the village till 6 p.m. to make sure it was peaceful by the time we got "home". There was plenty to look at, so not an issue at all!

Interesting fact: As of the census of the year 2000, there were 400 residents in this village, 75% of whom spoke the local language called Romantsch. 

Many fountains in the village, a lot of them made of wood, which looks weird but is common in this region. 

A quick look inside the village church

Many of the houses have a bench next to the large arched doorway. The date on this one is 1656. So lovely. 

This was probably the best-painted house in the village. You can find a picture of this in Wikipedia under "Ardez". The date under the window (center top) reads 1647

I could see this house from my bedroom window (not this angle, though)

So many pretty windows

These are the houses across the alley from where we were staying.

So many attractive doors!!!!

This one is for sale. I wonder for how much?

A look up the main street to the tower on the hill

The Steinsberg tower with the fantastic backdrop of Engadine mountains

This is Chasa Clavazin, the house we were renting for three nights. There is a second house attached, on the left. Attached to the house on the other side is an equally large "barn". We had access to the barn through the house, but the other house is separate. 

Some details on the house called Chasa Clavazin, built in 1619!!

This is the barn section attached to the house, and just as large as the residence portion (many of the houses were built like this)

Urs opening the door to our residence....