Parc Ela
Parc Ela is a Swiss nature park in the heart of Graubünden, uniting the three language cultures of Romansh, German and Italian. Named after the Piz Ela between the Albula valley and the Oberhalbstein, the park stands for valuable landscapes, lived culture, innovative projects and products, and a network of people working together on future-oriented ideas. It is a rural, high-alpine region of mountain villages, alpine pastures and passes rather than a lake or big-city area, with the Albula valley and Surses as its central hubs. The park is renowned as an insect oasis, hosting a third of Switzerland's insect species on just over one percent of the country's area, and it preserves traditional cultural landscape elements such as historic hay barns. Visitors can explore the region on the multi-stage Parc Ela Trek, which crosses alpine passes and pastures at over 2000 metres without descending into the valleys.
Summer activities
Summer in Parc Ela is defined by hiking and nature experiences. The centrepiece is the Parc Ela Trek, an 18-stage route that circles the park on the alpine level at over 2000 metres, crossing passes such as the Septimer and Julier and alpine pastures without descending into the valleys, with overnight stays on alps and in mountain huts. Guided ranger excursions explore the turquoise Lai da Palpuegna and its larch forest, while wildlife-watching tours at dusk seek out red deer and other animals in the Val Tuors and Val Faller. The Savurando Parc Ela combines a day hike with a riddle trail and regional culinary rewards, and mushroom excursions, insect-discovery afternoons and biodiversity events round out the offer.
Culture and entertainment
Parc Ela is a region of lived culture rooted in its Romansh, German and Italian heritage, where traditional alpine farming shapes the landscape. The park actively preserves cultural heritage such as the historic 'Tgamons' hay barns, restored as witnesses of traditional agriculture. A lively programme of exhibitions and events runs through the year, including the 'RömerZeitReisen' exhibition on Roman archaeology in Bivio, a bee-focused exhibition at the Ortsmuseum Bergün, the annual Käferfest insect festival in Lantsch/Lenz, culinary events such as the Senda Culinarica in Savognin honouring painter Giovanni Segantini, and the 'Berge lesen' mountain-literature festival.
