The Chalet provides accommodation for 202 people in 32 rooms with between 2 and 22 beds in each. Most rooms are equipped with tables and chairs, providing a (small) living area. Five fully equipped electric kitchens allow several groups to live together while also having their own space. The Chalet provides several common rooms, central heating, modern sanitary facilities with constant hot water, souvenir shop, meeting facilities, postal service, public telephones, coffee bar, and a laundry.

The Tower, a self catering accommodation on the campsite, has accommodation for 57 persons, comprising 4 rooms with 12 beds and 1 room with 9 beds, and provides ideal privacy for one group at a time. In addition to showers and toilet facilities for both boys and girls, there is also a large, picturesque recreation room with an open fireplace and balcony, as well as a fully equipped electric kitchen.

The Campsite can accommodate up to 1,200 persons on more than 50 different sites. While close to other groups, each group can be sure of their own pleasant campsite with an adequate supply of wood for cooking; other campsite equipment is also available. All sites have running water nearby and there are toilets and showers with hot water close at hand.

The Centre also has an Alpine hut in the nearby Ueschinen Valley. All groups staying at the Centre have the option to be catered for by the Centre staff while staying here.

A full time Director, assisted by an international team of volunteer staff staying from three months to several years, is responsible for the Centre throughout the year.

KISC is not associated with any one National Scout Organization.

The Centre is governed by the KISC Association with over 700 members world wide, who meet every two years at our General Assembly and elect a Committee, in which WOSM has two permanent seats, and a Steering Committee. These Committees look after the long term strategic direction of the Centre and plan for the future. We also have a Foundation that owns, and helps us manage the development of, our building and grounds. The operational running of the Centre is done by our Director and Staff team- the Pinkies

Kandersteg is easily accessible for groups, by car, train or plane. Groups travelling by road will find car-parking facilities at the Centre. The Centre can help groups with their transport by arranging coach transfers at a competitive rate, for groups over 25. For a quote and booking please contact the Programme Office. We can also provide luggage runs from the local train station to the Centre, if booked in advance through Reception, and for a small fee.

By Road

Most European motorways will bring you to Spiez - 30 minutes north of the Centre. Travellers from the South use the Goppenstein car-train through to Kandersteg.

By Plane

The main international airports are located in Geneva, Zurich, Basel and Milan. Zurich and Geneva have their own train stations and the train system is punctual, multi lingual and easy to use.

By Train

Easily located for most European countries with routes via Bern, Basel or Brig. For Swiss train timetables and prices visit www.sbb.ch/en.

Google Maps can help you plan your travel to Kandersteg. Click here for an example of a trip from Zurich Airport to Kandersteg or see the map below. Other routes are also available.

KISC is in the Berner Oberland region of the Swiss Alps. We are at 1,200m above sea level, in the Kandersteg Valley. We are in an excellent location for exploring the mountains. On our Campsite we have a rare protected Wetland or Fillefalle that’s home to numerous rare and protected plants and insects. We have 17 hectares of woods with a wide diversity of wildlife, from Kingfishers to Squirrels to Steinbock. We manage the woodlands with the help of a qualified forester.

Through our grounds flows the beautiful River Kander, which consists of melt water from the Kanderfirn Glacier 14 kilometres upstream. The River Kander changes, with the seasons, its flow and colour, serene and blue in the Autumn, gently clear and crisp in the Winter, wild ferocious and murky in the Spring and in the Summer, strong and fast with a cloudy blue grey colour. There are also numerous freshwater streams.

The rock faces on the surrounding mountains provide fantastic examples of folded rock and illustrate beautifully the powerful forces of nature and geology that brought the Alps into being.

Kandersteg village is rich in history and heritage. Travellers have been crossing these valleys for hundreds of years to use the Gemmi and Lötschen Passes at the head of the valley. The passes are traditional North - South trading routes. We have access to many kilometres of hiking paths in the surrounding mountains as well as climbing routes and bike paths.

KISC is adjacent to the newly extended UNESCO Natural World Heritage Property of Jungfrau - Aletsch – Bietschhorn. The extension (first inscribed in 2001), expands the Natural World Heritage Property to the east and west, bringing its surface area up to 82,400 ha., up from 53,900. The Natural World Heritage Property provides an outstanding example of the formation of the High Alps, including the most glaciated part of the mountain range and the largest glacier in Eurasia. The Natural World Heritage Property features a wide diversity of ecosystems, including successional stages due particularly to the retreat of glaciers resulting from climate change. The site is of outstanding universal value both for its beauty and for the wealth of information it contains about the formation of mountains and glaciers, as well as ongoing climate change. It is also invaluable in terms of the ecological and biological processes it illustrates, notably through plan succession. Its impressive landscape has played an important role in European art, literature, mountaineering and alpine tourism.

KISC runs a Snow and Ice programme on the Fründen Glacier, the Kanderfirn Glacier, the Wildstrubel and the Petersgrat. This is a great opportunity for Scouts to learn about and to play on glaciers.

KISC runs activities in the peaceful Gastern-valley. It is one of the most beautiful alpine valleys in all of Switzerland. This narrow valley is bordered by the towering walls of Balmhorn and Doldenhorn massifs. The river Kander flows from the Kanderfirn Glacier down through the valley, where you go from rocky harsh terrain with goats, steinbock and marmots to beautiful woodlands with a vast array of rare wildflowers and especially orchids.

KISC has a hut in the Ueschinen Valley, unlike the gentle and delicate nature in the Gastern Valley, Ueschinen Valley is wild and harsh, with its rocky environment and avalanche scars.

We have a series of information boards and posters describing our Eco Practices in the buildings and around the Campsite. Examples can be found in the additional documents.

We have an Eco Adventure room where our guests can take some time and browse through our Eco Activity Leaflets, sit and relax on our comfortable sofas, play some of our new eco-exciting board games, talk to our plants, read up on the local environment or just have a fair trade coffee and relax with the latest National Geographic magazine.

We have a Nature Zone, a place of peace and tranquility where guests can appreciate the breath taking surroundings. Located next to our protected Wetlands (The Fillfalle) guests can observe rare alpine plants and butterflies, listen to the gently flowing waters of the Fillfalle as well as use our Weather Stone and our ‘Bare Foot’ Foot Path.

Our environmental practices are very much ingrained in the running of the Centre. Our Environmental Policy is designed to minimise our impact upon the environment - be that locally or globally (i.e. the reduction of harmful emissions from our buildings and vehicles).

KISC’s impact on the environment and it’s adherence to the Environmental Policy is assessed every 18 months. An Action Plan containing specific targets, actions and goals will be created for the next 18 months. At the end of this time an Environmental Audit of the Centre will be done and a new Action Plan created. Click here to download our Environmental Policy as a PDF file.

Our Environmental Team made up of Long and Short Term Staff regularly analyse and audit our performance, giving ideas on how we could lessen our impact. This method of working helps us to take the best ideas from all over the world and tailor them for our needs making our Centre more environmentally friendly everyday. We also have a set of Centre Goals each year, this year three out of ten are based on our environmental performance.

- Reduce the total amount of rubbish (amount of pressed and un-pressed containers) compared to 2007 with 10% or reduce the cost spend on its removal with 5% compared to 2007.

- Reduce the amount (kilos or litres) of cleaning products, washing powder and chemicals used by 10% compared to 2007.

- Reduce the amount of electricity (KW) and litres of heating oil used by 5% in relation to the amount of overnights compared to 2007.

Here are a few examples of our Environmental Practices:

• We have a very advanced system of recycling and reusing for guests and staff.
• We use Bicycles and trailers wherever possible instead of the vehicles.
• We have a maintenance man to repair instead of replace broken items.
• We use a wood burning stove to heat the chalet and our water.
• The timber used in the wood burner comes mostly from our own managed forests and is dried for two years to maximise efficiency.
• We use energy saving light bulbs, timers and sensors to reduce our energy consumption.
• We use solar energy to heat the water in our new campsite shower blocks.
• The Tower is heated using water (heat – exchange system) from the Lötschberg train tunnel.
• We use eco friendly chemicals for cleaning.
• We have an eco friendly laundry system.
• We buy Swiss products wherever possible from local suppliers.
• We buy fair-trade coffee and tea for staff and guests.
• During Staff training here, a very large emphasis is put on the eco practices and our staff are strongly encouraged to improve their eco footprint personally, professionally and in their staff accommodation

- We are nearing completion of the EU ECO Label for the Centre
- New ecological heating system for the Tower
- Constant development of the Environmental Policy and the reduction of the Eco Footprint of the Centre
- Installation of a 2nd wood burning heating system in autumn 2008
- Installation of a grey water system in the fully renovated bathrooms of the Chalet

- Extension of the solar power/heating options at the main building in the autumn of 2008
- Completion of the EU ECO Label for the Centre
- Full Environmental Audit of the Centre in all aspects and approval of a new Action Plan for 2009-2014
- Constant development of the Eco Adventure Programme with the help of local authorities and organisations and a yearly increase in participation rates

The language of the Centre is English but we do have some activity leaflets available in Italian, French German and Spanish and where possible we do try to assign staff that have a common language with the guests.

Our Website and most of our information will be available in English, Italian, French German and Spanish in Summer 08.