Marmots, ibex and chamois in the Berchtesgaden Alps

Alpine marmot, Alpine ibex (Steinernes Meer/Hagengebirge herd), chamois, red deer (rut in the Klausbachtal); golden eagle, alpine chough, ptarmigan. Nationalpark Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany.

Best time: 20 Jun – 31 Aug and 1 Nov – 30 Nov (June to August, November). Where: Jenner summit / Königsbachalm, Wimbachgries (Wimbachschloss – Wimbachgrieshütte), Klausbachtal – Hirschbichl (Ramsau) (Germany). Time of day: Marmots and chamois from first light to about 10:00, before thermals and the cable-car crowds.

• 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: 20 Jun – 31 Aug — Late June to August: marmots
• Peak 2: 1 Nov – 30 Nov — November: chamois rut on the high slopes

Active from 1 Jun to 30 Nov (June to November) in a typical year.

Time of day

Marmots and chamois from first light to about 10:00, before thermals and the cable-car crowds; again from 16:00 to sunset. Autumn stags in the Klausbachtal at dusk.

• Morning: sunrise → 10:00
• Evening: 16:00 → sunset

What will you hear?

Marmot 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.

Binoculars?

Binoculars helpful. Marmots are habituated at the Jenner; binoculars for ibex and chamois on the walls and eagles overhead.

Where to go

• Jenner summit / Königsbachalm — Cable car access; marmots and chamois on the meadows; busy by 10:00. Map
• Wimbachgries (Wimbachschloss – Wimbachgrieshütte) — Gravel valley with chamois and marmots; overnight at the hut for dawn. Map
• Klausbachtal – Hirschbichl (Ramsau) — Valley of the 'wild feeding' red deer station and golden eagle watch; rut in late September audible from the valley road. Map

How to go on your own, and what it costs

Jenner: cable car from Königssee (ticket) or the 3 h walk up. Wimbachgries: park at the Wimbachbrücke car park (paid) and walk the valley; overnight at the Wimbachgrieshütte for dawn. Klausbachtal: park at Hintersee/Klausbachhaus and walk the valley road (Almerlebnisbus in season). Marked trails, no camping.

Cost: Free on trails; Jenner cable car €47 adult return (summer 2026); car parks (check current prices).

Field-recording notes

National park core zone: marked trails, no wild camping, no drones; huts allow dawn starts. Königssee tourist boats (electric, quiet) and their famous trumpet echo at St. Bartholomä are an acoustic feature in themselves. Helicopter supply flights to huts in summer mornings; Salzburg airport traffic is occasionally audible. Marmots near the Jenner are habituated; on the Steinernes Meer they are wild and whistle at 300 m. Afternoon thermals bring wind and thunderstorms — mornings only.

Sources

• Nationalpark Berchtesgaden
• LBV – Landesbund für Vogel- und Naturschutz in Bayern

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More: all spectacles in Germany · ibex · chamois · marmots · mountain wildlife · Germany in June · Germany in July · August · Germany in November