TRAVEL

WHEN you tell someone you’ve been to Switzerland in summer, they’re bound to ask – after the oohs and aahs: “What’s there during summer? What can you do then?”

Some months ago, I might well have been the one asking those questions. As Switzerland is so well known for winter tourism, it’s all too easy to think that that is the only season anything happens there.

This summer, I was pleasantly surprised to find there is much in store for the ardent traveller or occasional tourist within the mountains – even when the ski slopes are still bare of snow.

Our group of 150 writers and journalists were there to sample some of Switzerland’s best treasures – its nature parks – in the canton of Valais, where you can explore and experience the outdoors in as many ways as you like. All you need are good shoes for hiking and walking, and a jacket to keep warm (the temperature can drop from above 20°C to about 5°C when you go up the mountains).

Located in the heart of the Alps, Valais is not only home to some of the highest peaks (like the Monte Rosa and Matterhorn) and deepest valleys of the country (it covers a part of the Rhone Valley); it is also home to a rich blend of history, culture and gastronomic delights.

The first hint of good times in store for you at breakfast, lunch and dinner are the acre upon acre of green grapevines sunbathing on systematically terraced slopes you see as you approach Valais by train.

True to its topography, Valais is the largest wine-producing region of the country, with 5,200 hectares of vineyards responsible for about 45 million litres of wine per year – 40% of the country’s annual production.

Tasting its award-winning wines is just one attraction in Valais. Finding out more about the people and stories behind the wines can also be rewarding. Recreational and educational hiking tours through the vineyards are available for inquisitive oenophiles and aficionados. If you visit during autumn, you may just be in time for the annual wine festivals and hikes.

Venture further away from town centres like Valais’s capital, Sion, and you’ll get the second hint from the cows grazing lazily on the meadows and hillsides. Melted cheese made from the milk these cows produce is the essence of traditional meals in Valais. Indeed, no meal is complete without cheese – served as it is, or blended in with the dishes.

If you are a cheese lover visiting Valais, the Raclette, I was told, is a dish you should not miss. In what looks like a variation of the cheese fondue, the semi-firm raclette is usually scraped off a large cheese over a charcoal fire and served with potatoes and a glass of Fendant (a white wine). Although the cheese is also produced in France, Australia and the United States, you should taste the original version made like it was generations ago in Valais – with unpasteurised, fresh milk.

In between meals, the Pfyn-Finges Regional Nature Park and Binntal Nature Park are amazing places to work off calories. In the former, you can take a leisurely walk or arrange a guided tour of Switzerland’s largest fir forest, where the Rhone River flows through. Picnics on its meadows or beside its peaceful lakes fringed by scenic views of the Alps can be a good idea, if you are in the alfresco mood.

Those looking for more challenging trails and activities like mountain biking will find the Binntal (Binn Valley) park more interesting. Situated in the Goms district in upper Valais (between 1,000m and 2,927m above sea level), the trails are decidedly tougher, and there is a wider variety of walks and hikes to choose from.

Take the medicinal plants and mineral excursions, which are half-day or full-day guided walks up or down the Binn Valley, and you’ll discover many therapeutic shrubs and colourful crystals.

I did not try the mineral excursion, but the medicinal plants excursion was an enjoyable experience. Locating herbs and berries growing in the wild on our way down from Bellwald (the highest village in Goms) was enlightening, more so for a person like me, who has only seen cranberries and blackberries packed in a plastic container or a glass jar.

Other trails that take you through the old mountain villages, from small ones with only six inhabitants (that’s what they call residents there) to larger ones with hundreds, will provide chances for you to interact with the locals and find out more about their culture. At some of the villages, you can even stop by the stores, which offer local artwork (paintings and wood sculptures) and crystals (including quartz and tourmaline).

But if you are just looking for a quiet time to kick back and while the time away in the comfort of your holiday accommodation, there are plenty of campsites, bed-and-breakfasts, portal apartments and mountain huts scattered across the mountains, where you can wake up to fresh air, and snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Perfect timing

Although Valais is famed for its winter tourism (think Zermatt), not many know it is also a place to rest and relax, or enjoy the sunlight and scenery while you put some muscles to work in summer.

But being with nature does not detract from the admirable Swiss punctuality, an editor in our group found out. After unloading all the suitcases from our compartment, he found himself stuck on the train, which pulled away before he could step out.

Mid-August to early September is a good time to visit. As summer recedes and autumn arrives, the combination of cool (but not cold) weather, sunny days (about 300 in a year) and flora in full bloom can take your breath away, as it did mine.

To find out more about Binntal and Switzerland’s other nature parks or Unesco World Heritage Sites, visit mySwitzerland.com/nature or contact the Embassy of Switzerland in Malaysia at 03-2148 0622.