Marmots
6 places to see and hear marmots in the wild, in 6 countries from Germany to Italy: when each one peaks, where to go on your own, what it costs and what you will hear. Wild animals only, no zoos.
Best time, place by place
| Spectacle | Country | Peak | On your own? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marmots, ibex and chamois in the Berchtesgaden Alps | Germany | 20 Jun – 31 Aug and 1 Nov – 30 Nov | You can go on your own |
| Mercantour summer: marmots, ibex and wolf country | France | 20 Jun – 31 Aug | You can go on your own |
| Alpine ibex, chamois and marmots | Switzerland | 1 May – 5 Jun and 10 Nov – 31 Dec | You can go on your own |
| Marmots, ibex and vultures, Hohe Tauern | Austria | 20 Jun – 31 Aug and 1 Dec – 31 Dec | You can go on your own |
| Marmots, ibex and chamois in the Julian Alps | Slovenia | 20 Jun – 31 Aug and 10 Nov – 31 Dec | You can go on your own |
| Alpine summer: marmots & ibex | Italy | 10 Jun – 31 Jul | You can go on your own |
Where to go, north to south
Marmots, ibex and chamois in the Berchtesgaden AlpsMarmot whistles echoing off the Watzmann east face, chough flocks, chamois sneezes, ptarmigan on the Steinernes Meer plateau, golden eagle; cowbells on the alpine pastures; in autumn, roaring stags in the Klausbachtal.
Mercantour summer: marmots, ibex and wolf countryMarmot alarm whistles across high cirques, ibex hooves on rock, alpine choughs and lammergeier wingbeats; wolf howls are possible but rare and never guaranteed.
Alpine ibex, chamois and marmotsIbex horn-clashes in the December rut, hoof-clatter on rock, chamois alarm hisses, marmot whistles echoing, chough flocks, water pipit; the wind.
Marmots, ibex and vultures, Hohe TauernMarmot alarm whistles bouncing between glacier-polished walls, chough flocks, ibex hoof-clatter, the wing-rush of a griffon passing at 20 m, ptarmigan; glacier streams and cowbells below.
Marmots, ibex and chamois in the Julian AlpsMarmot alarm whistles echoing off limestone walls, chough flocks, ptarmigan croaking above the treeline, chamois hissing alarm sneezes; in autumn the roar of red deer from the valleys below.
Alpine summer: marmots & ibexPiercing marmot alarm whistles echoing across cirques, cowbells far below, alpine choughs, streams.