Down the gorge
Slides, jumps and abseils down a mountain gorge. The beginner canyon, the bigger days, what you need, and why it is the best thing to book when the peaks are in cloud.
Canyoning is the best thing to do here on a day when you cannot see the mountains. You climb into a wetsuit and helmet and follow a guide down a mountain gorge: sliding down smooth rock chutes, jumping into pools and abseiling down waterfalls. It is wet, cold, loud and enormous fun, and the view does not matter because you are inside the rock.
| Saxeten | Chli Schliere | Grimsel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Beginner | Experienced | Experienced |
| Time | About 3 hours, 90 minutes in the water | A full day | 5.5 to 6 hours |
| Good for | A first canyon | Your second or third | A big day out |
| Season | Roughly April or May to October | Summer | Summer |
Canyoning, SaxetenThe beginner canyon near Interlaken: slides, jumps and abseils, about 90 minutes in the water.SummerBook now →
Canyoning, Chli SchliereA full-day, bigger canyon for people who have done one before.SummerBook now →
Saxeten, just outside Interlaken, is where most people do their first canyon. The operator we checked runs it from age 12 with a maximum weight of 125 kg, and allows about three hours including transport and kitting up, with roughly ninety minutes actually in the water. You wear a buoyancy aid the whole time, so you do not need to be a strong swimmer, though you do need to be comfortable in cold water and willing to jump when the guide tells you to.
Chli Schliere and Grimsel are for people who have done one and want more: longer, with bigger jumps and abseils. Do Saxeten first.
Cloud and drizzle do not matter. Heavy rain does, because it raises the water level in the gorge quickly, and the guides check conditions every day and cancel or switch canyon when it is not safe. That is what you are paying them for. Go with an established operator with qualified guides, and treat a cancellation as a good sign rather than a nuisance.
More: every adventure activity near Lauterbrunnen, paragliding, skydiving, canyoning, rafting, Canyon Swing and bungee, Lake Brienz, winter.
Activity photos: © Outdoor Switzerland AG, used with their permission for tourism publishing; paragliding photo: Airtime Paragliding; kayak photo: Hightide Kayak School. Photos show the activities described, not an endorsement of this guide.
Common questions
Not strongly, for the beginner canyon at Saxeten. You wear a buoyancy aid that keeps you afloat in all the water sections. You do need to be comfortable in cold water.
For the Saxeten beginner canyon it is 12 with the operator we checked. Limits vary by operator and canyon, so check the booking page.
In cloud and light rain, yes, and it is one of the best things to do on a grey day. After heavy rain the guides cancel or switch canyon, because the water rises quickly.
Roughly late spring to October, depending on the canyon and the water levels.
On the valley floor, twenty minutes from Interlaken by train and a short walk from Lauterbrunnen station.
Nightly ranges for our own three places, before cleaning. What you actually pay moves with the dates, the length of stay and how far ahead you book, so treat these as the shape of it rather than a quote. Dollar figures are converted at 1 USD = 0.835 CHF, set 15 October 2026.
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