When I last complained about my internet connection dropping out in Appenzell, a few people suggested I should change my provider. But here in Kiental, even the best provider wouldn’t help me. There’s simply no signal here. And it’s this remoteness that makes Kiental a real jewel of the Bernese Oberland.
At work, my colleague and I agreed that we couldn’t understand why anyone would ever think of building houses and living here, in such a remote mountain valley. And what’s more, to build hotels at the end of the 19th century. But if it weren’t for the fact that a local entrepreneur had a road built at his own expense, there wouldn’t be the steepest PostBus route in Switzerland. Today, it is home to the PostBus Discovery themed trail (PostAuto-Erlebnisweg), which tells the stories of the typical yellow buses, local legends, and the power of nature here.
Kiental – how to get there
As the name suggests, we will use the PostAuto – the iconic yellow bus – for this trip. The starting point is the village of Reichenbach im Kandertal. You can get there easily by train or car – there is a paid P+R car park behind the train station in the direction of Frutigen.
From there, take PostBus line 220. It runs daily from May 24 to October 19, 2025.
Connections are not very frequent, so I recommend planning (and checking the SBB app). You will see several buses at the station stop – but don’t worry, the drivers will sort you out according to your destination. The large yellow bus only goes to Kiental, while two smaller minibuses continue to Griesalp. That’s where you need to go. Fares are paid directly to the driver – via Twint or in cash – but if you want to be prepared, buy your ticket in advance via the SBB app and show your QR code. The fare from Reichenbach to Griesalp is CHF 11.90 with a Halb-fare Card. If you want to drive to Kiental and go to Griesalp from there, you will have to pay in cash (there is no internet signal here). No, it’s not because I have a bad operator, but simply because the bus driver told us so.
The steepest PostBus route
The journey from Reichenbach to Griesalp takes over 40 minutes. But it’s a truly memorable experience! The steepest PostBus route in Switzerland starts at Lake Tschingelsee (more on that below) – with a maximum gradient of 28%. The road is narrow, winding, and quite adrenaline-pumping, but the drivers are masters; hats off to them. Even when negotiating bends and sounding the typical warning horn “Tü-ta-ta,” they still manage to point out points of interest along the route, such as the Pochtenfall waterfall, or tell the legend of the witch and the devil at Hexenkessel. If you miss a few details due to the Swiss dialect, don’t despair – along the way, there are information boards with descriptions in high German of all the points of interest, including this legend.
Incidentally, the road from Tschingel to Griesalp was built at Christian Bettschen’s expense in 1898.
PostBus Discovery Trail
The PostBus Discovery Trail was opened in 2018. On the approximately two-hour hike down to Kiental, 13 stops tell the story of the landscape, the four elements, and the yellow bus itself, which has been traveling along this steep mountain road for more than a century. In the past, of course, these were horse-drawn post coaches.
Griesalp
The starting point is the Griesalp, Kurhaus stop. This mountain terrace is surrounded by the impressive peaks of the Blüemlisalp massif, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Grand Hotel Griesalp was built here at the request of British tourists, and the place became known for its outdoor ice rink and curling rink. Countless other mountain trails start from here, as can be seen from the signpost in the photo below. The PostAuto-Erlebnisweg trail is (how else?) marked with a sign featuring a small yellow bus.
View of Lake Tschingelsee
One of the first stops on the route (the third station) is one of the most photogenic spots on the trail – a view of the valley lake that was created after a landslide in 1972. An information board explains how the landscape is changing due to the retreat of glaciers and how the lake is gradually turning into a wetland.
Pochtenfall Waterfall
The roaring sound of water will accompany you throughout the entire upper part of the trail. The Gamchibach stream carves its way through the rock walls, creating interesting formations. In just half a kilometer, it overcomes a height difference of over 200 meters. According to the information board here, Gamchibach has an average flow of only 150 l/s in the driest month of February, while in June, during the thaw, it reaches up to 4,600 l/s. And during heavy storms, the amount of water can briefly increase to 25,000 l/s. A short detour along a marked footpath (about two minutes from the main road – over a metal bridge) takes you directly to the waterfall viewpoint.
And as the bus driver told us, don’t confuse this Pochtenfall waterfall with the waterfall of the same name in the Suldtal valley near Aeschiried (you can find it on the Alpiner Bänli-Rundweg trail).
Hexenkessel
One of the most interesting stops on the entire route – and also one where you’ll need a little imagination. According to an old local legend, this is where the witch’s house once stood, next to this wild cauldron of roaring water. Anyone who wanted to pass by had to pay her Weggeld – a toll for passage. Those who did not pay were said to be cursed.
One day, a messenger from the devil himself appeared at her house to collect her savings. The witch, who was busy stirring her potion, noticed him, recognized his intentions, and, in her anger, drowned him in the cauldron of boiling liquid. When the devil found out, he flew into a rage, snatched the cauldron, and destroyed the entire house with a huge explosion. Nothing remained of the witch – only a deep crater, which is still called Hexenkessel, the witch’s cauldron. And here is a small wooden statue of a witch near the bridge – can you find it in the photo?
By the way, other places in the Kiental area are associated with various legends. You can find out more at the local tourist center.
Tschingelsee
Lake Tschingelsee was not formed naturally, but after a dramatic event. On the night of July 18-19, 1972, heavy rain and hail caused a landslide from the Ärmighorn peak. A huge amount of rock and mud blocked the lower part of the Tschingelalp valley. Within a few hours, streams from the mountains accumulated behind a six-meter-high barrier and formed a lake almost 800 meters long.
Tschingelsee literally became a child of disaster, yet it also brought new life to the valley. Rare plants and birds quickly settled in its surroundings, and the area was declared a nature reserve in 1987. Today, the lake is home to typical alpine flora and small pools that change with the seasons – sometimes the water level is higher, other times the water disappears between rocks and sandbanks.
Interestingly, Tschingelsee is still changing. With the retreat of the Gamchi Glacier, the stream is bringing more and more gravel into the valley, so the lake is gradually silting up and shrinking. However, after heavy storms or snowmelt, it temporarily returns to its original size.
There should also be a fire pit near the lake; however, a warning sign indicated that this section of the trail was closed due to a landslide. But even the “detour” (a short stretch along an asphalt road) was not to be dismissed, with its beautiful views.
Zur Alpruhe
Just behind the Zur Alpruhe inn, the route rejoined the main trail.
Along the Chiene stream
I thought this part of the journey would be relatively “boring,” but the opposite was true. The path led along a stream, partly through a forest, along the edge of pastures, and I even had to wade across the stream once (see photo above—I really don’t know what it looks like here when there’s a lot of water).
Then a wide mountain valley opened up before me. At the penultimate stop, called “Zwei Giganten im Blick”, a pair of legendary peaks appear before you: Niesen and Blüemlisalp. Niesen, nicknamed the “Swiss Pyramid,” rises to a height of 2,362 meters and dominates the entire valley up to Lake Thun with its perfect triangular shape. Opposite it stands the majestic Blüemlisalp (3,661 m above sea level), part of the UNESCO Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage Site. At the PostAuto stop in Kiental, simply hop back on line 220, which will take you back to Reichenbach in less than half an hour.
Summary
- Officially, the PostAuto-Erlebnisweg Griesalp–Kiental is 7.3 km long, but according to my smartwatch, I walked an extra kilometer.
- The signpost at Griesalp states that the walk takes 2 hours and 10 minutes at a brisk pace, with no long stops.
- However, if you stop at the individual panels along the way, have a picnic, or decide to sit on the terrace of one of the mountain restaurants, you should allow for more time. I walked at a fairly brisk pace, making numerous stops to take photos, and the route took me a total of three hours.
- Be sure to check the PostBus timetable in advance. Connections from Kiental to Reichenbach are not very frequent, so it’s worth allowing a little extra time – especially if you’re traveling with children or are tempted by a coffee with a view of the mountains along the way.
- As for my subjective assessment of the route, I found it really interesting – I enjoyed the driver’s commentary on the PostAuto journey, the wealth of additional information along the path, and the information boards at the “bus stops”, which I found cute.
- I found the route here.
