Welcome to
Canoeing in Switzerland

The picturesque small town of Saint-Ursanne lies on the river Doubs. The river makes a wide bend here, forming an almost 30-kilometre-long stretch on Swiss territory. Switzerland’s rarest fish species can be found in this section of the Doubs: e.g. the apron or “King of the Doubs”.

St. Petersinsel, i.e. St Peter’s Island, in Lake Biel is a popular beauty spot. Valuable reed banks, marshes, blanket mires and rich meadows make up a large part of the peninsula and provide shelter for numerous rare and threatened species.

Heat-loving vegetation thrives along the shores of Lake Lucerne thanks to the mild climate conditions. Sweet chestnuts have been common in central Switzerland since at least the 14th century and were an important source of nutrition in the past.

The Grimsel region in the heart of the Aare Massif is characterized by impressive granite rocks. The contrast between the wild natural landscape and the use of man-made technology to generate hydro-electric power is impressive.

The Aubonne valley has an enormous arboretum extending over an area of 130 hectares. Three thousand species and varieties of trees and shrubs from all over the world’s temperate zone can be seen here.

The bizarre pyramid rocks of Euseigne in the canton of Valais were formed by erosion processes. Blocks of stone on top of the pyramids protect the softer moraine material below from erosion.

The impressive reed and lakeshore mire landscape of the Frauenwinkel is the largest nature reserve on Lake Zurich. The area, which also includes the islands Ufenau and Lützelau, has belonged to Einsiedeln Monastery for over one thousand years.

The Hochrhein (“High Rhine”) region between Konstanz and Eglisau is a unique lake and riparian landscape. The power station in Rheinau and plans to make the Rhine navigable as far as Lake Constance were opposed in the 1950s. One consequence of this was the introduction of an article on nature and heritage protection into the Swiss constitution.

An extremely varied landscape extends from the southern side of the Lukmanier pass. This popular hiking area is famous for its rich flora. This abundance is related to the varied geographical features of the region. The Gotthard Base Tunnel was recently excavated deep inside the mountain.

The “Bolle di Magadino” on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore is one of Switzerland’s most important wetland areas. It provides innumerable migratory birds with a resting place as they cross the Alps. Despite being officially protected, this nature reserve is under threat from various human activities.

The Napf is a forest-rich region, in which the utilization of wood has long played an important role. The farmers and forestry people developed a sophisticated system of forest management in which only individual trees are felled (selection forest).

The river Reuss follows a relatively natural course between Bremgarten and its confluence with the Aare. Land near Fischbach and Sulz, which was reclaimed from the Reuss in the 19th century, is now being returned to it.

The rivers Aare, Reuss and Limmat meet at Turgi in the canton of Aargau. Some alluvial sites have been preserved in the Wasserschloss (i.e. “water castle”), as the area is known. The canton of Aargau aimes to preserve and upgrade the existing alluvial sites remaining throughout the canton with its Alluvial Site Protection Park.

The southern shore of Lake Neuchâtel is a unique natural area in the Swiss context. Large parts of the lakeshore are protected. The extensive Fanel protected area is located at the mouth of the Broye Canal on the south-eastern end of the lake.

The Weissenau on Lake Thun is a nature reserve which provides habitats for numerous species of flora and fauna. Significantly, in future, the regulation of the lake water level will take the interests of nature conservation into account along with those of flood protection.

The Val de Réchy, which is located to the south of Sierre, is an untamed natural valley. Its unspoiled state, natural streams, mountain lakes and blanket mires with their interesting flora make Val de Réchy a very worthwhile hiking destination.

The Vallée de Joux is a secluded mountain valley in the Jura mountains in the canton of Vaud and a very popular location for hiking and cross-country skiing. The varied landscape with extensive forests, meadows, rocky dry meadows and wetland meadows harbours a rich variety of fauna and flora.

The landscape of the Walensee region is most impressive. Together with nearby Glarnerland, the region provides an object lesson on the history of the earth. The decades-long controversy surrounding the Glarus Overthrust provided important insights into the formation of the Alps.

It’s worth taking a detour in a southerly direction on the Grisons side of the Oberalppass. The source of the Vorderrhein (i.e. “Upper Rhine”) is located here. The Alpine landscape in the Maighels valley with its numerous blanket mires has remained largely intact.