Camping in the Bernese Alps

This past weekend, we ventured to the Bernese Alps in Switzerland to a small town, Kandersteg.  We had heard about a particular lake in the mountains, Lake Oeschinensee, and we added it to our list of places to visit.  When looking up hotels, the search results were limited, so we decided to try out camping.  We have never camped as a family, but thought Switzerland would be the perfect place to start.

On Saturday morning, we arrived in Kandersteg, about  2 1/2 hours away from Geneva.  We immediately boarded the cable car to begin our hike to see the lake.  After a short hike across pastures and through pine forests, we had arrived and the view was amazing.  Even though it was cloudy, we were blown away by the natural beauty.  It was fun to see people along the lake making fires with the wood around them and enjoying a true outdoor picnic.  After our hike, we took a row boat on the lake.  

The hiking trail we took along the lake-

Beautiful-

Happy little hikers! 

Our boat guide-

Cow grazing along the lake-

After our descent down the mountain, we headed to the campground to set up camp.  The girls were so excited to be camping!!  Our friends arrived shortly after, and we started the grill to prepare for dinner.  Unfortunately, they didn't allow bonfires at the campground we were staying at, so we made dinner and s'mores on the grill.  It was a perfect Americana night!  It was a very chilly night, 40 degrees, but we all survived out first night camping as a family!  Camping in Switzerland is definitely a humbling experience.  Everyone around us had a story about a mountain they had just climbed, or were planning on climbing.  

So excited! 

Making s'mores- 

View from our campsite-

On Sunday, it was a beautiful day so we knew we had to spend some more time in the area.  We went to Interlaken for lunch and enjoyed the view.  After that, we headed to one of our favorite places in Switzerland, the Beatus Caves.  We stumbled upon this place two years ago on our trip back from Interlaken and knew we had to revisit.  We have never done the cave tour, we mainly go for the breathtaking views.  Once again, it did not disappoint.

Lake Thun 

It was such a memorable weekend.  It was so fun to see the joy of camping through their eyes- definitely makes it worth it, plus no mosquitoes was a HUGE plus!!!

Camping requires a lot of luggage-  

Maybe next time we will stay for two nights!