30 Jul 2023
I have been blessed to have traveled to all 50 US states, all the Canadian provinces, and 29 countries in Europe, and this trip was clearly the best of all i have done. Most of that credit goes to God for putting so many beautiful mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls all in one country. Much credit goes to Echo trails as well for making it first class and packing in so many experiences and beauty in 12 days. Getting to experience so may trains including a steam engine and cogwheel, funiculars, cable cars, gondolas, and boats was great. Hiking to a cheese farm and having fresh fondue was awesome. Making our own chocolate in Interlaken was outstanding.
Having a small enough group and a long enough tour to get to know others well was a great bonus.
I felt the communication could be better if everyone was on one platform (whats App for example to make sure everyone got the same info at the same time when changes were made or we planned to meet somewhere after doing different things).
This trip is not for people that are not comfortable with walking a lot, potentially in heat, for a ten hour or more tour day. Most of the tour day is not walking but there are some tight travel connections and some hiking.
Regarding hiking, I think it would be beneficial to use a rating system like one i am familiar with that goes 1 to 5 for difficulty of terrain and A to E for elevation up and down.
The food and lodging was very good and the guides were very knowledgeable and invaluable regarding transportation knowledge, and were very friendly and helpful even to someone like me who can be irritating
by asking a lot of questions.
P.S. This trip is not for someone looking for a bargain. Switzerland is one of the most expensive places I have been but it was well worth it.