Oeschinen Lake, a picturesque Swiss destination, has become a popular feature on social media, with the hashtag #oeschinensee being mentioned nearly 140,000 times on Instagram alone. As a result, the location has become overcrowded with tourists, leading to overflowing rubbish bins and frustrated locals.

To address this, from May 2025, visitors will be able to purchase online tickets in advance for the gondola lift from Kandersteg to Oeschinen Lake, with tickets available for specific time slots. In cases of bad weather or illness, tickets can be rebooked. This is reported by swissinfo.ch.

The goal is to improve the distribution of visitors on the mountain and reduce waiting times, according to Christoph Wandfluh, chairman of the Kandersteg-Oeschinensee gondola lift. While reservations are not mandatory, those who make a reservation will be guaranteed a spot and avoid waiting.

Better experience for visitors

Wandfluh believes that better distribution could result in fewer visitors heading up the mountain at specific times compared to previous years. His main priority is that this initiative benefits nature.

“Oeschinen Lake is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so we can’t trample the area to death.”

He also pointed out that visitors will enjoy a better experience if the area isn’t overcrowded. Wandfluh further explained that the aim is not to stop tourists from coming, but to raise awareness and provide guidance.

In the past four years, rangers have been present to inform visitors about the rules of conduct in the area. Additionally, for the last six months, a social media program has been running to reach visitors ahead of their trip.

Misbehavior of the guests

“We want to make people aware that they are not coming to a town or village, but to a mountain where it can get a bit hilly,” said Wandfluh. In the past, there have been repeated incidents where hikers attempted difficult sections of the trail in sneakers or even flip-flops, or ignored the barriers.

For example, during the Ascension Day holiday last year, on May 9, many people were on the Heuberg route above Oeschinen Lake. Despite the route being marked as closed on information boards and online due to the risk of wet snow avalanches, visitors ignored the warning.

This information was apparently not clear enough for many people. A disaster occurred: a wet snow avalanche triggered a rockfall, resulting in four injuries and one death. Additionally, 62 people had to be airlifted from the area by helicopter.

“We want to prevent people from coming to us ill-prepared,” said Wandfluh.