Alps Hiking

The animals in our mountains leave traces everywhere. Signs of their daily activities give interesting clues about their life style and behaviour. Unfortunately, many of these signs go unnoticed by most of us mountain hikers, …

Continue reading “Woodpeckers, Integral Birds in the Alps”

Stage 1 – Vaduz (Gaflei) Liechtenstein to Sargans, Switzerland What an adventure! Hiking across Switzerland from Liechtenstein on the east to Lake Geneva on the west. It’s 370km/230 miles conveniently cut into 19 scenic stages. …

Continue reading “Stage 1 – Vaduz to Sargans – Hiking the Via Alpina 1”

“As I’m descending, I’m letting it all sink in, the bird sounds, the colourful flowers, the magnificent views, and of course the….”

Many of our mountain flowers depend on insects for pollination and many insects depend on flowers for nectar and pollen as food. On sunny days, this intimate relationship between insects and flowers causes beautiful scenes …

Continue reading “Flora in the Alps: Pollinators in High Elevations”

Are there any fish in the high alpine lakes? Well yes! Species that you might see swimming around are: Common minnow – Phoxinus phoxinus Rainbow trout – Oncornhynchus mykiss River trout – Salmo trutta fario …

Continue reading “Wildlife on the Tour du Mont Blanc: Fish in High Alpine Lakes”

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) or lammergeier has a wingspan up to 2.8 meters! It’s without a doubt the most impressive bird you can see while hiking in the Alps. However, not that long ago, …

Continue reading “Bearded Vultures and Their Astonishing Comeback”

When you think of spotting wildlife on the Tour du Mont Blanc, you might dream of seeing a marmot, an alpine ibex or a golden eagle, but our mountains our also home to some very …

Continue reading “Wildlife on the Tour du Mont Blanc: Reptiles and Amphibians”

A lot of hikers like to know which mammals they might see while hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc, because spotting wildlife is always an exciting moment. Whether it’s a majestic ibex on a mountain cliff, a fluffy marmot bathing in the sun or a red squirrel scurrying up a tree, a wildlife sighting always adds something magical to your hike. So, here’s a list of mammal species in our region, hopefully you’ll get to see some!