Canyoning Grimsel with Outdoor Interlaken in Switzerland

No doubt about it, this is most adventurous thing I’ve done in all of my traveling. Canyoning in Interlaken, Switzerland down the Grimsel Pass is a one of a kind experience. Truthfully, there’s not much of a purpose of going to Interlaken if you don’t take advantage of the hundreds of outdoor activities that dominate the town. While I’ve been to Interlaken a couple of times, nothing can compare to the day I was introduced to the Alps on a whole other level.

Here’s Canyoning Grimsel with Outdoor Interlaken:

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Booking Canyoning in Interlaken

There are numerous outdoor activity options to choose from in Interlaken like hanggliding, river rafting and skiing. Looking to partake in something that’s nearly not as extreme, we learn about canyoning.

There are 3 different canyoning options on the Outdoor Interlaken website:

• Canyoning Chli Schliere is a more extreme adventure with 3-4 hours in the canyon. It’s only recommended for people with above average fitness levels and an experience with swimming. The price starts at around $175 USD.

• Canyoning Ticino is a little more extreme than the previous because it’s a two-day expedition. You’ll start out canyoning the intense Chli Schliere on the first day. On day two, you’ll tackle one of Ticino’s famous emerald canyons. This trip is only recommended for those with above average fitness levels.

• Canyoning Grimsel is an adventure for everyone. Since this was a new activity for me, I went with the easier option. The Canyoning Grimsel tour is also shorter, spending about two hours in the canyon. The price is around $159 USD.

The Grimsel tour departs twice a day and since we’re morning people, we opted for the earlier slot. Given a specific time to be at Outdoor Interlaken, we are supplied with a wetsuit, water shoes and a helmet.

*TIP: Some of the helmets have a Go-Pro attachment on them which we weren’t aware of before we arrived. Buy a water-resistant case and bring it along to document your own journey down the canyon!

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Prepping for the Canyoning Experience

What to bring:

• Bathing suit (wear it under your clothes)
• Extra change of clothes (something warm because it’s freezing after the wetsuit comes off)
• Go-Pro with water-resistant case
• Extra money
• Towel

What not to bring:

• Valuables
• Anything that’s not waterproof

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Getting to Grimsel Canyon in Interlaken

Our group piles into the van and we take off towards the canyon with our two guides. The drive up winds and turns around snow-capped mountains, supplying me with some of the most gorgeous views ever. After about an hour, the van pulls over to let everyone dress into their gear.

Be sure to wear your bathing suit underneath your clothes because there’s no privacy out here!

After suiting up, our guides instruct us to walk up the road about a 1/4 mile and wait for further direction. This is about the time I start getting nervous! Wondering where exactly the canyon is, I realize that it’s about 150 feet down over the edge of the guardrail. Heart pumping and palms sweaty, our guide hooks up all of the rappelling gear and asks who wants to go first. I really couldn’t stand there any longer and think about what was to come so I pipe up and off I go.

Climbing over a guardrail while looking down at a canyon over 50 meters below me, my adrenaline’s sure pumping. On the descent, the rocks are so incredibly slippery I fall down multiple times. As soon as my feet touch the chilling waters of the canyon I look back up at the rest of my group, now just teeny tiny blips staring at me from above. Within a half hour, everyone is officially down in the canyon and we’re ready to explore.

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The Canyoning in Interlaken Adventure

We all begin navigating our way down the canyon at the directions of our guides. The first obstacle is a small rock slide with a 15 foot jump.

The next part of the experience is probably my least favorite section. Apparently this part of the adventure is normally a rock slide but at this point in the season, the waters in the canyon are too shallow for that. The guides set up a zipline instead, heading straight through the waterfall. With powerful gushing water, I’m getting constantly whipped into the side of the canyon. Getting out of it seemed forever as I couldn’t breathe in anything but water.

After that traumatic experience, we travel down the canyon on foot for a while. Entering narrow areas with large rocks, we climb up and meet high ledges to jump over. Coming to a stopping point, our guides discuss with us the next zipline step. We’re instructed to hold our ropes tightly until we get to that point to ensure that we don’t release ourselves prematurely. Since we’ve been navigating for over an hour in the water, our hands are frozen so it’s hard to make a fist. I manage to hold on but once I release myself, I do an ultimate back-flop into the water. Completely knocking the air out of me, everyone that went after me was able to see what not to do!

After only a few more minutes, the adventure is over and I can’t really believe it as it seems like it went so fast! In a field of dandelions beneath the Alps, the guides set up a table of deli meat, bread and different ingredients, accompanied by a large cooler full of beer. We sat in that field, chatting about the amazing adventure we just embarked on while sipping on some ice cold beers, the perfect way to end the day.

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