“Humongous!” That’s probably the kind of word that first springs to mind when you see the Great Aletsch Glacier for the first time. But you don’t just have to gaze from far away on the fascinating 20-kilometre-long white giant with its 10 billion tonnes of ice. If you take a guided glacier tour, you’ll find yourself becoming almost one with the biggest glacier in the Alps. If you’d like to safely explore the Great Aletsch Glacier with an experienced mountain guide during your stay in the Aletsch Arena, you’re in for an unforgettable experience. Guided glacier tours are available daily at the tourist destinations of Riederalp, Bettmeralp and Fiesch-Eggishorn.
10 billion
tonnes of ice from right up close you get to see on a glacier tour.
800 meters
thick is the Great Aletsch Glacier near Konkordiaplatz.
79 square kilometers
is the measured area of the Great Aletsch Glacier.
Experience the biggest glacier in the Alps up close, safely roped to your guide. Stunning and unforgettable! Local guides will show you the fascinating phenomena of the perpetual ice as they divulge fascinating facts about the Great Aletsch Glacier and its history. There are a number of different glacier tours to choose from every day from June to October. The tours take one to two days.
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Visitors are only allowed onto the Great Aletsch Glacier as part of a guided tour.
| Weekday | Riederalp | Fiescheralp |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | - | Aletsch Glacier trip (Jul/Aug) |
| Tuesday | Glacier tour UNESCO (Jul/Aug) | Aletsch Glacier trip |
| Wednesday | Glacier tour UNESCO | Aletsch Glacier trip (Jul/Aug) |
| Thursday | Glacier tour UNESCO (Jul/Aug) | Aletsch Glacier trip (Jul/Aug) |
| Friday | - | Aletsch Glacier trip |
| Saturday | - | Aletsch Glacier trip |
| Sunday | - | Aletsch Glacier trip |
The mountain guides in the Aletsch Arena are absolute mountain pros and know the region and the Great Aletsch Glacier like the back of their hands. During your glacier tour, they will ensure your safety and keep you plied with facts and stories about the biggest glacier in the Alps. A number of one- and two-day glacier tours take place every day from June to October.
There’s no reason why a beginner can’t enjoy the experience of a guided tour on the Great Aletsch Glacier. The one-day guided excursions are fine for anyone who has some hiking experience and feels sure-footed. A certain basic level of stamina is an advantage for the multi-day tours.
The tours on the Great Aletsch Glacier are suitable for adults and children from the age of six with hiking experience.
Yes, you can take children from the age of eight on a guided tour (8 years old for Riederalp / 10 years old for Fiesch). The adventure on the biggest glacier in the Alps is an absolute highlight in the Aletsch Arena for children because it combines an exciting experience with an awareness of nature and the environment.
Yes, glacier tours are sustainable. During your excursion on the Great Aletsch Glacier, you will become aware of the consequences and extent of climate change through the glacier melt. Also, you travel to the glacier by cable car and on foot.
You need to bring good equipment and enough food. Everything else is taken care of by the mountain guide you book your tour with. He knows whether or not an outing is possible weather-wise.
The usual one-day tour on the biggest glacier in the Alps takes around six hours in total. Of those six hours, you spend two hours or so on the glacier itself.