Islands with a view in the sea of forest

High above the valley of the young Aare, this hike runs from Hasliberg to Meiringen. One of the highlights along the way is the charming clearing of the Riebgarti.

A considerable part of this hike is in the forest. The tour is therefore also well suited for high summer. Between the trees there are repeated impressive views of the wide valley floor of Innertkirchen and Lake Brienz.

Several times the trail crosses clearings in the mountain forest. One of these islands is the Riebgarti, a scenic gem that has been cultivated for centuries. The terrain is characterised by steep, rocky slopes and flatter, graceful meadow sections with individual trees and groups of trees. The hiking trail runs right through it. The managers of this graceful oasis were honoured with the cultural landscape award of the Oberland-Ost region in 2018.

In wet weather, the section from Hundschüpfi to Bergschwendi is a little tricky: the path is quite narrow and, on the sloping terrain, somewhat exposed in places. Over the Bodenfluh, where the highest vineyard in the canton of Bern is located, you descend to Im Obren Wylerli and reach the valley floor of Meiringen on the old Grimsel trail over the Wylerli.