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

A Sighting of Ibex in Val Languard near the Bernina Valley

(Photos of the previous day's hike on our way to St. Moritz can be viewed HERE)

Monday August 22, 2022 -- We spent a restful night in a lovely hotel in St.Moritz, a historical Engadine Villa built in 1927 and decorated in Art Nouveau Style, in what we think might have been the original servants' quarters. But the price was reasonable and we made this last-minute decision to overnight in St.Moritz so we could have an early start for our excursion for the day: Alp Languard near Pontresina, a 25-minute bus ride and 15-minute chairlift ride to the start of our hike. Our goal was to cross the Fuorcla Pischa pass into the Fain and Bernina Valleys, through a region where a colony of ibex are known to roam.

It was another fantastic day, and we could not have had better weather for another 4.5-hour hike in the magnificent Bernina region. We anticipated clear views of the Bernina Massif (Piz Bernina at 4049m is the highest peak in Canton Graubünden/Grisons) and were not disappointed. We also spied the colony of ibex high on a mountain crest, which we might just have missed had we not been walking in that direction. (We had been told that the ibex are not shy, and we might even encounter them lying across the trail, but this was not the case, unfortunately). 

We made a detour off the regular trail to a small mountain restaurant called Chamanna Paradis, a good decision because from there we looked directly onto the Bernina Massif with its snow-covered peaks and several magnificent glaciers. We were also the first to arrive in what turned out to be a popular loop tour undertaken by very many people that morning, so we had our refreshments and were on our way before the crowds came. For the rest of our chosen trail past Lake Languard and over the volcano-like landscape high above the tree line and the long descent into the stunning valley, we were mostly alone, with only a few people doing the trail in the opposite direction.

The photos are stunning, and this was our favourite hike of the five days we were in the Engadine. 

A great morning start at our hotel in St.Moritz, with a view of Lake Champfèr and clear skies with good visibility

We very much enjoyed our one-night stay at Hotel Chesa Spuondas. The breakfast buffet was marvelous

First time in St.Moritz.... even though we didn't get to the iconic parts of the city

Heading by bus to Pontresina (to the right off the photo). This is a view to Samedan and the Bever Valley which we walked down the day before, having crossed (I believe) at the saddle top left (from the Albula Pass to the North)

San Gian Church in Celerina is the emblem of the entire St.Moritz-Pontresina region, visible from all sides as it stands alone on an empty plain. The current structure was built in 1478 on the foundations of a much older church (late Middle Ages). The roof of the tower was damaged by lightning in 1682.

Shortly before arriving in Pontresina, we got a good look up the Roseg Valley to the Roseg Glacier, below which we spent a night in a hostel in 2014 on a 2-day trip up the valley. 

The large bus navigates the narrow streets of Pontresina toward the Alp Languard chair lift

Another peaceful 15-minute chairlift ride up the mountain with views of the Bernina massif saves us 500m of ascent once again (to 2320 m above sea level).

Our hike started here at Alp Languard. Behind Urs is the city of St.Moritz, and to the right are Samedan and Pontresina, both larger towns. This here is known as the Ibex Paradise

An interesting close-up of Piz Corvatsch (peak on the left, 3433m) and the summit station of the Corvatsch Cable-way at the back of the Roseg Valley. They seem to have covered parts of the Corvatsch Glacier with fabric in the hopes of preventing too rapid melting. 

Taking into consideration that we had to be careful on parts of the steep descent, this was closer to a 4.5- or 5-hour hike. The regular trail goes up the middle of Val Languard following the river, but we detoured via the Paradis Cabin for a fabulous view of the Bernina Massif and the Morteratsch Glacier. 

The regular trail goes up the Languard Valley parallel to the river. We took a detour via Chamanna Paradis for a fantastic view of the Bernina Massif. The rocky peak behind the cabin is called Piz Albris and that's where the ibex usually hang out

Some pretty birds we saw along the way (Northern Wheatears and Black Redstart -- "Steinschmätzer und Hausrotschwanz")

From here on the ridge we can see below into the Bernina Valley and onto the Bernina Massif and the beautiful Morteratsch Glacier

A close-up view of the Morteratsch Glacier an the Bernina Massif. The main peak, Piz Bernina, is on the right

Piz Bernina is the highest mountain in Canton Graubünden/Grisons, just over 4000m

This is Chamanna Paradis, small and unassuming, but they offered a very large variety of refreshments and other food! We were the first to arrive this morning. 

Cake and refreshments as more people arrived. By the time we were done, it was getting to be a regular thoroughfare. (Most hikers were doing a loop tour up here). The lady who runs this mini-restaurant said that sometimes at night, the ibex come right down here, but at this point it was too hot for them. 

Continuing from the Chamanna Paradis (upper left) up-valley to Lake Languard

From Lake Languard we had to climb up the hillside on the left. 

Lake Languard is at about 2600m above sea level. From here it's about another 3 hours to the train station at Bernina Suot, down in the Bernina Valley

Hiking up the hill above Lake Languard

A rescue helicopter had landed near the Chamanna Paradis. We had passed some hikers going up to the cabin, and one of them looked poorly. He had low blood sugar and we were able to help him with sugar packets. We hope it wasn't him who then needed medical attention. 

A look down to Chamanna Paradis and St.Moritz below, as we arrive at the next upper part of the Languard Valley

From this upper plain it was a relatively easy and only slightly uphill hike to the pass at Fuorcla Pischa

Because we were hiking to the pass from this side, we could see the crest really well ahead of us, and Urs spied a bunch of spikes along the crest. With the binoculars and the zoom lens, we could see these were about 10 ibex with massive horns! All males of advanced age.

It is hard to believe that these animals can carry such large horns! A small distance from this herd, we then saw a small female come over the ridge. Usually males and females are in separate herds. 

Val Languard

Just a short distance now toward Fuorcla Pischa, where we will cross into the Bernina Valley

Urs looking for more ibex on Piz Albris

Here we are at the highest point of our hike, almost 2900 meters, and it was quite warm here! The landscape is barren and looks like a volcano landscape. 

Forget about hikers in flip-flops (the bane of experienced hikers), this guy is barefoot!

We find this landscape very beautiful. The "lakes" are actually only one lake called "Lej da Pischa" (Pischa Lake)

Lunch at Fuorcla Pischa

We spent 30 minutes up here, which is a relatively long break for us!

Heading across the large upper Pischa plateau

First view of the Bernina Valley, with the reservoir lake Lago Bianco in the background (water drains both north and south) and behind that the descent into the Poschiavo Valley. At the back the fabulous Bernina Massif and the cableway called Diavolezza which accesses the ridge from where you can look onto the Pers Glacier. 

And the magnificent Val da Fain which we are descending into (before heading out into the Bernina Valley). The peak on the right is called Piz Alv

VIDEO:

Panorama view of Val da Fain and Val Bernina before our descent.

Time to head down the (relatively) steep 600-m descent. Only the top part was a bit tricky, but no issue for us. 

After this section, the trail became hard-packed and easy to walk. 

A look behind us to where we descended. From here it looks difficult, but it wasn't really

This section and the zig-zags lower down were an easy descent. 

A close-up of Lago Bianco at the Bernina Pass, and beyond that the Poschiavo Valley and the mountains of the Valtellina (Italy, Tirano). The waters from the lake on the North side eventually reach the Black Sea via the Rivers Inn and Danube, and the waters on the South side eventually reach the Mediterranean via Poschiavo, Adda and Po. 

Another look up the beautiful Fain Valley

Close-up view of Piz Palü in the Bernina Massif, the Pers Glacier, and the summit station of the Diavolezza Cableway. 

I might have had a hard time making it up there if we had started on this side. Plus, we aren't even half-way down to the river at this point!

Another cute marmot

The final 100 meters were a bit rough, but then we got onto this easy road for the final leg to the Bernina Railway line. On the left is the Diavolezza base station. We are going to the Bernina Suot station on the right, another 30 minutes from here. 

At the Bernina Suot train station. Piz Alv is the name of this peak, and below it is the Val da Fain where we just came out of 

Gasthaus Bernina Suot, another fabulous Engadine building

The Glacier Express train on its way to the Bernina Pass. Urs noticed that even though the stop lights on the road had long been flashing, that car still tried to cross before the barriers came down. He thought better of it, but was caught between barrier and railway line, which is often a recipe for disaster. He was lucky that the space was wide enough to not be scraped by the train. 

On our way now back to Pontresina by train, we get a view of the Morderatsch Glacier and Mt. Bernina from below

We have also done many hikes in the Bernina area, including a 2-day hike into the Roseg Valley with overnight in the Coaz Alpine Hostel and return via the Corvatsch cable car to St.Moritz

On the way from Pontresina in the Upper Engadine to our next adventure in the Lower Engadine, we pass by many such cute train stations

Walking through the cobblestone streets of Ardez, looking for our accommodation for three nights

The Steinsberg Tower in Ardez

The upper two photos are of the 17th-Century Engadine House we spent three nights at (Named Chasa Clavazin, and beautifully renovated in 1923 (I believe) and is preserved as a historical monument). The bottom two photos are views out the window from the residence. 

Location of our hike in the Bernina region near St.Moritz, and then where we spent the next three days near Scuol (in Ardez) at the very far southeastern corner of Switzerland near South Tirol (Italy)