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European Alpine Adventure

ACTIVITIES:
AGES: 14-18
DATES: June 27 - July 10
COST: $3495 - including round-trip airfare from VA to Europe

Join us for a taste of Europe, Adventure Links style! We’ll meet up at our base camp in Clifton Virginia to get to know each other via the Challenge Course and pack before we take a group flight to Frankfurt, Germany. After clearing customs we’ll get our bearings and set off paddling on a Canoe tour in Bad Wimpfen, exploring medieval cities and castle ruins along the way.  We will take a train towards the heart of the Alps: Luzern, Switzerland, with a quick stop in Heidlberg to see the sights. Near Interlaken we’ll Hike through the Valley of the 72 Waterfalls before going to the largest remaining glacier in the Alps, Aletschgletscher. There, we can take a cable car to the top and Hike along above the glacier to get a true sense of its enormity. After more Exploring in small villages and Day Hikes in the countryside we’ll Raft the rapids of the Rheinschlucht, better known as the “Swiss Grand Canyon” with its 900 ft tall granite walls. We’ll further tour the region by Road & Trail Biking, climbing over the Kunkels Pass then coasting through the Tamina Valley. Following a quick stop in Liechtenstein we’ll be on to our final adventure atop Mt Saentis and our flight home out of Zurich. Each night we’ll Camp in local campgrounds and stay in hostels that have been found to be quite camper-friendly by our staff. We’ll have plenty of chances to eat local fare in the villages & towns, plus we’ll buy the provisions that we cook in the local markets.

Instructor Bryan Rooney With thirteen years of German, six years of French, and a degree in Outdoor Experiential Education under his belt, Bryan is qualified and motivated to facilitate international adventure outings for youth.  Thanks to two scholarships, he had the incredible opportunity to work and study in southern Germany for two and a half years, including two summers as a canoe guide and an internship for an alpine mountain bike tour company.

To express your interest or for more information, please contact Adventure Links at (800) 877-0954 or via email.

Sunday - Day 1: Arrival and Team building
Drop off at Hemlock @ 1pm. Ropes course for team bonding, bike training and packing process.

Monday - Day 2: Flight
Our journey begins with an 8 ½ hour flight to Frankfurt Germany.  We will leave Washington Dulles International in the afternoon and arrive in Germany the following morning. 

Tuesday - Day 3:  Bad Wimpfen and Canoe Tour
After clearing customs, we will board a train heading towards Bad Wimpfen.  We’ll take a stroll through this ancient city that was originally founded by the Romans in 96 AD, with many buildings dating back as far as 9 centuries.  Following our tour, we’ll head down to the Neckar River and paddle down stream past several castle ruins and medieval cities in 4 person canoes until we reach our camp for the night, with an impressive view of Guttenberg Castle.

Wednesday - Day 4:  Heidelberg and Train-ride to the Alps
Today we’ll be heading by train to the city of Heidelberg where we will again visit an ancient roman city of this region, with its 13th century hillside fortress.  After checking out the city, we’ll jump back on the train and make our way towards Switzerland.  Tonight we’ll be staying in a backpackers hostel in the lakeside city of Lucerne in the heart of the Alps. 

Thusday - Day 5:  Interlaken and the Valley of the 72 Waterfalls
After stopping for lunch in Interlaken, we’ll get those hiking legs warmed up and take in the breathtaking views of this narrow alpine valley, lined with jagged rocky peaks, on our hike through the Valley of the 72 Waterfalls.  Then we’ll continue on our way to Morel campgrounds, which set us up for our next day’s activity.

Friday - Day 6:  Aletschgletscher Hike
The Aletschgletscher is the largest remaining glacier in the Alps.  With the help of cable cars, we’ll reach the top and be able to hike along above the glacier to get a true sense of its enormity.  We’ll sleep at Binn Campgrounds.

Saturday - Day 7: Camping Binn A relaxing day at Binn campgrounds, possible dayhike, play in creek.

Sunday - Day 8: Drive over Furkapass to Carrera
Day hike in the area then settle in at Carrera Campground.

Monday - Day 9:  Rafting in “The Swiss Grand Canyon”
Today we’ll be hitting the rapids of the Rheinschlucht, better known as “The Swiss Grand Canyon”.  This 7-mile stretch of river will carry us past sections of 900 ft. tall granite walls.  We’ll sleep comfortably tonight in the same campgrounds as the previous night (Carrera) that overlook the gorge.

Tuesday - Day 10:  Mountain biking
This is day one of our 2-day bike tour.  Our hard efforts climbing over the Kunkels Pass will soon be rewarded as we become engulfed by the 9,000ft peaks that make up the Tamina Valley…where we’ll be spending the evening sleeping at Eggwald Campground.

Wednesday - Day 11: Mountain biking
It’s all down hill from here.  Today we’ll have it easy, just a gradual slope downwards into the valley on mostly paved bike paths.  Nothing technical, so we’ll be able to enjoy the spectacular views passing us by.  Following the bike tour, we’ll hit the road again back to the hostel in Lucerne where we stayed the first night in the Alps and spend the evening checking out the many treasures that the old town has to offer.

Thusday - Day 12: Day hike around Santis
We’ll drive through Liechtenstein, day hike, and sleep at Santis Campground.

Friday - Day 13: Leave Santis arrive Luzern
We’ll spend the day exploring Luzern, spending the evening and night there too.

Saturday - Day 14: Fly out of Zurich
Drive 1 ½ hr from Luzern to Zurich and fly back to Dulles. Shuttle back to Hemlock for 4pm pick up there when we must say our goodbyes.

Return to the Summer Introduction page.

Request for Proposal - 800.877.0954 - www.AdventureLinks.net
13220 Yates Ford Road
Clifton, VA 20124