Top 5 summer adventure activities in Interlaken

The best activities in Interlaken

Discover our top 5 not to miss activities while visiting the beautiful Interlaken region. We have selected for you the best activities that will offer you the most for your money and will show you the greatness of the Interlaken landscape.

Canyoning

You are sporty and you love being outdoors and in the water? Then Canyoning is your thing! A combination of hiking, swimming, jumping, abseils, and endless fun makes Canyoning probably the activity where you get the most for your money. We highly recommend the “Grimsel” tour. As the name says, you will be entering the Grimsel glacier canyon about an hour away from Interlaken.

Description of the canyoning trip:

The trip starts twice a day, either in the morning around 8 am or in the afternoon around 1 pm. We prefer the morning trip but either way, it is an experience. After you geared up at the Outdoor Interlaken base and got to know your group and guide for the day, it is time to hit the road and drive up to the Grimsel area. The trip starts with a 50 meter rappel down into the canyon. Even though this may scare you, you can be sure that you are in safe hands. The guides are properly trained and give you the confidence to handle every obstacle.

Cost of the Grimsel tour:

The Grimsel canyoning trip takes a half-day whereof you will be spending a good half of it in the canyon. Be assured, for around CHF 160.- per person, you get a full load of entertainment.

White Water River Rafting

You love water but hiking and jumping isn’t really your thing, river rafting might be just your choice. As with every adventure you will tackle with our partner, Outdoor Interlaken, the trip starts and ends at the Outdoor Interlaken base in Matten, next to the legendary Barracuda bar.

Description of the rafting trip:

First of all, you will be gearing up in wetsuits, helmets, paddles, etc., and get to know your crew and guide. After you’ve got your nickname for the day, it is time to hit the road and drive up to the river entrance. Before jumping into the boat, you will be led through the safety talk by the guides and learn some paddle skills on dry land. Those will become handy as only a few seconds after you have entered the river your crew will have to work together as a team on your way down, through bigger and smaller rapids, all the way to the Brienzersee.

Cost of the rafting experience:

What we love most about rafting is the fact that it is a great family activity and with roughly CHF 120.- per person, even though on the more expensive side, a unique experience which will be talked about for ages.

Kayaking

Out of all the lakes I have seen on my travels, lake Brienz, or the “Brienzersee” as we say, is still the most beautiful one in my opinion. With its turquoise color and temperatures around 21° degrees celsius (about 70°F) in summer, surrounded by lush forest on one side and small fisherman villages on the other, the “Brienzersee” has to be on your bucket list when visiting Interlaken. Our favorite way to do so is by a guided kayak trip, offered by Hightide Kayak in Bönigen.

Description of the kayaking journey:

Your trip starts at the Hightide Kayak base at the “Strandbad” in Bönigen. First of all, you gear up. Depending on the weather and water temperatures you will be wearing a wet or drysuit. Due to the dry suites, trips can even be run in winter. After you have got your kayak, it is time to hop on and get familiar with your gear. This trip is suited for all levels, beginners will get in touch with the basics whilst even pros can learn from the experienced guides or at least share stories about paddle trips all around the globe. After gliding through the water and enjoying the breathtaking view for about 30-40 minutes, you will be landing on the other side of the lake, right below the medieval castle of Ringgenberg which can be visited and offers a great view across the surrounding area. After the visit to the castle, it is time to hop into your kayak and navigate back to Bönigen. On your way back, you will have enough time to enjoy once again the view and improve your paddle skills. Back at the base, I suggest dipping into the lake and enjoying an ice cream at the Bönigen beach.

Paragliding / Hanggliding

Truly the best view of Interlaken is the bird's eye view! When relaxing on our rooftop terrace or walking along the Höhematte, you will realize that the sky is full of paragliders and hang gliders. The perfect flying conditions and the stunning panoramic view makes paragliding and hang gliding the number one activity in Interlaken and should be on your bucket list as well. If you are keen to try it, simply head over to the Höhematte, the big landing field in the middle of the town, and look out for the booking desks. The companies we usually work with are Paragliding Interlaken, Twin Paragliding or Skywings for paragliding, and Bumblebee for hang gliding. The main difference between the two is the way of flying. Whilst paragliding is a chilled and relaxed way to discover Interlaken from above, hang gliding is much faster, way more fun and due to the small numbers of passengers per trip there is more interaction between you and the other passengers and pilots.

Whether you paraglide or hang glide, you will be taking off from Amisbühel, Beatenberg and within 10-20 minutes, depending on the weather, you will be flying all the way down to Interlaken.

Glacier Canyon Swing!

Do you fancy jumping 90 meters into a glacier canyon? Well, then here you go! The glacier canyon swing in Grindelwald is the latest and probably most extreme addition to Outdoor Interlaken's activity portfolio. I have done it and I loved it. Even though it is scary as hell.

Description of the canyon swing activity:

Like all the trips of Outdoor Interlaken, Switzerland's biggest adventure company, the trip starts at the base where you hop into a van that brings you up to Grindelwald. After a short walk up a hiking path, you find yourself standing at the edge of a 100-meter cliff. Deep below, you can hear the roaring white water and see the visitors who are waiting for the next one to jump down into the gorge. One after another gets the harness on, taken care of a guide, stands on the edge, and jumps. The closer you get to the edge, the more nervous you get and when it is finally your turn, you almost feel relieved that the waiting is over. The jump and swing itself is something you will have to experience first hand as it is an absolutely unique feeling and in my opinion definitely worth the money you spend.

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