Switzerland: Alpine Hikers
Has anyone used this tour service? They provide self-guided tours that sound great.
Ellen
Menlo Park 11/5/09
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Hi Ellen. I haven't used Alpine Hikers, so I can't speak to them directly but I do have a little knowledge I can share based on my experience hiking in the Julian Alps.
One thing to keep in mind: Switzerland, like Slovenia, lists trails by the time it takes to hike it, not by distance/elevation gain like we generally do in the states. You might want to look into the actual kilometers/elevation gained each day before signing onto the tour. My five-day trek was more strenuous than I anticipated and I didn't train adequately. It was still beautiful and fun!
On a side note, I did a self-guided cycling tour in Austria/Czech Republic and it was great, especially since they provided us with a cell phone for emergencies, a GPS device, excellent maps, and very thorough route descriptions. Self-guided can really be the way to go (e.g. you don't have to wait on a group if you're faster, or feel like the poky puppy if you're the slowest). I was very glad, however, to have a private guide in the Julian Alps since I found their trail markings (and occasionally lack thereof) confusing.
I'm sure hiking in Switzerland will be great!
Hi---I've done four different 2-week hiking trips in Switzerland, 3 of which I planned on my own, for myself and family members.
I took a look at the self-guided hiking trips offered by Alpine Guides. They look great---they go to some of the same areas I would choose, and offer a good selection of hikes.
It looks like a great option for a first-time hiking trip to Switzerland.