Blatten-Belalp
Blatten-Belalp is a mountain tourism region in the Swiss canton of Valais, spread across the municipality of Naters on the right bank of the Rhône. It is a rural, high-alpine destination that climbs from the valley floor at Naters (673 m) up the steep Natischerberg to the village of Blatten and the car-free Belalp plateau, with views of the Great Aletsch Glacier and the Aletschhorn. The region is dominated by high mountains and the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch, rather than by a lake, and is crossed by the Massa river and its gorge. It combines unspoilt nature, traditional villages such as Mund, Birgisch and Blatten, and a lively cultural calendar of alpine events. The car-free Belalp forms the central hub, reached by cable car from Blatten, and offers a dense network of hiking and biking trails as well as a winter ski area.
Summer activities
In summer Blatten-Belalp is a hiking and biking paradise in the Valais mountains. A roughly 60-kilometre network of trails leads past the Great Aletsch Glacier, along historic irrigation channels (Suonen) such as the Massaweg and into the Gredetschtal valley, with highlights including the suspension bridge over the Massa gorge and family theme trails. Around 15 kilometres of mountain-bike trails run along the UNESCO World Heritage plateau, complemented by a bike skills park and a pumptrack. Climbing, via ferrata, canyoning in the Massaschlucht, paragliding and Trotti-bike descents round out the active summer offer.
Winter activities
The Belalp ski area offers over 56 kilometres of groomed pistes for skiers and snowboarders, from gentle runs to the steep Hohstock freeride descent with up to 60 percent gradient, plus a snowpark and fun slopes. The award-winning Hexenland children's area lets young beginners learn to ski for free. Away from the pistes, winter hiking and snowshoe trails lead to panoramic viewpoints over the Aletsch Glacier, while a 7.1-kilometre sledging run descends from the Belalp to Blatten. Paragliding and indoor attractions such as the World Nature Forum round out the winter offer.
Culture and entertainment
Blatten-Belalp keeps alpine tradition alive through a lively calendar of events, including the Aufalpung, the Schäful shepherd weekend and the Alpabfahrt cattle descent in summer, and the Natischer Advent market and the 'Belalp Hexe' spectacle in winter. The region hosts concerts, readings, art exhibitions and folk festivals, and is home to a cluster of small museums, among them the World Nature Forum in Naters dedicated to the UNESCO World Heritage, a saffron museum in Mund and a fortress museum.
