Alpine ibex, chamois and marmots
Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) — 1,800 in the Piz Albris colony; chamois; Alpine marmot; bearded vulture (Engadin). Pontresina (Engadin), Augstmatthorn (Bernese Oberland), Creux du Van (Jura), Gemmi (Valais), Switzerland.
Best time: 1 May – 5 Jun and 10 Nov – 31 Dec (May to June, November to December). Where: Steinbock-Promenade, Pontresina, Augstmatthorn (Habkern / Harder ridge), Creux du Van (Val de Travers) (Switzerland). Time of day: First light to about 09:00 (Creux du Van before 08:00) and from 16:00 to sunset.
- You can go on your own
- Low cost
- Binoculars helpful
- Sound 3/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
- Peak 1: 1 May – 5 Jun — May to early June: ibex at village level in Pontresina; marmots from June
- Peak 2: 10 Nov – 31 Dec — Mid November to December: chamois rut (Nov–Dec) and ibex rut (Dec–Jan) — horn clashes through the day
Active from 15 Apr to 31 Dec (April to December) in a typical year.
Time of day
First light to about 09:00 (Creux du Van before 08:00) and from 16:00 to sunset; December ibex clashes through the day, mostly late morning once the sun is on the slopes.
- Morning: sunrise → 09:00
- Evening: 16:00 → sunset
What will you hear?
Ibex horn-clashes in the December rut, hoof-clatter on rock, chamois alarm hisses, marmot whistles echoing, chough flocks, water pipit; the wind.
Binoculars?
Binoculars helpful. Ibex within metres on the Pontresina promenade and Creux du Van rim; binoculars for chamois and the December clashes on the cliffs.
Where to go
- Steinbock-Promenade, Pontresina — From mid April to early June the Albris herd grazes the meadows above the village, within metres of the path. Map
- Augstmatthorn (Habkern / Harder ridge) — Very approachable ibex herd on the ridge above Lake Brienz; steep exposed trail. Map
- Creux du Van (Val de Travers) — Switzerland's oldest reserve; c. 17 fearless ibex plus chamois on the rim before 08:00; hunting-ban area. Map
- Gemmi pass (Leukerbad) — Ibex on the cliffs; cable car; quiet in the shoulder seasons. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Pontresina: the Steinbock-Promenade from the village, free. Augstmatthorn: from Habkern or the Harder Kulm, a steep exposed trail. Creux du Van: from Noiraigue (train) on foot, before 08:00. Gemmi: cable car from Leukerbad (ticket) or walk. Check wildruhezonen.ch for seasonal bans.
Cost: Free on trails; Gemmi cable car CHF 42 adult return (2026); Harder Kulm funicular (check current prices).
Field-recording notes
Ibex are visual and largely silent outside the rut — the recordable events are the December horn-clashes (Augstmatthorn and Pontresina in early winter, on snow, with avalanche risk to respect) and the marmot colonies. In Jagdbanngebiete (federal hunting-ban areas) off-path walking is allowed in summer if no animal is disturbed, but Wildruhezonen ban it seasonally — check wildruhezonen.ch. Pontresina in May has village noise and the Bernina railway; Creux du Van fills with people from 09:00. Helicopter traffic in the Engadin and Bernese Oberland is heavy on summer weekdays.
Sources
- Graubünden – Steinböcke in Pontresina
- Pro Natura – Steinböcke am Creux du Van
- Wildruhezonen.ch – interactive map
Similar spectacles
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.
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.
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.
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.
Alpine summer: marmots & ibexPiercing marmot alarm whistles echoing across cirques, cowbells far below, alpine choughs, streams.
Ibex, chamois & isard rutHorn clashes echoing off rock, snorting and hissing males chasing across scree, and the snow-muffled silence of winter valleys.
More: all spectacles in Switzerland · ibex · chamois · marmots · mountain wildlife · Switzerland in May · Switzerland in June · November · December