Videos from the Swiss Alps
Leon posts short videos of his hikes and nights outside in the Swiss Alps, on Instagram and TikTok as @leon.helg.
Hikebeast · Leon Helg
About Hikebeast
Leon Helg (alias Hikebeast) is a content creator and wildcamping expert from Switzerland. He is an entrepreneur with a background in software engineering and filmmaking, best known for Hikebeast, his project documenting hiking and wild camping adventures in the Swiss Alps. In 2026 Hikebeast launched the Switzerland App with his favourite spots in Switzerland, which quickly reached more than 2,000 users. He has researched the wildcamping rules for 289 places, and his free Wildcamping Checker has answered 1,226 questions about where you are allowed to sleep outside.
289places with researched wildcamping rules
1,226requests answered by the free Wildcamping Checker
150kfollowers on Instagram
219kfollowers on TikTok
2,378app users
What Hikebeast does
The Switzerland App
Leon's spots in Switzerland, organised by region. For each one you get exact GPS for the spot and the parking, the walking time and difficulty, the best light and season, and whether you may stay the night. It runs in the browser on phone or laptop, and the PDF with the same spots is included.
Wildcamping Checker
Name any spot in Switzerland and get a report on the rules that apply there, from federal protection zones down to the commune's own regulations: the verdict, the fine if there is one, and the legal way to stay when there is one. Reports usually arrive by email within 24 hours. More than 175 are published in the journal.
Filmmaking resources
The LUTs, DaVinci Resolve node trees and complete project files behind Leon's Reels. They are for filmmakers who want to learn his grade by taking the real files apart.
What makes Hikebeast different
The wildcamping experience
Leon loves wildcamping. He has analysed hundreds of spots and talked with hundreds of people to make sure he knows the rules for every place.
The best spots in Switzerland
More is not the same as better. This selection is purposefully kept small to feature only the very best of Switzerland.
Who uses Hikebeast
People come to Hikebeast for different reasons:
- Wild campers who want to know where they can sleep without a fine.
- Photographers and content creators who want the spot, the light and the walk to get there in time.
- Day hikers who want one good destination for the weekend that is not already packed.
- Visitors to Switzerland who want more than the first page of search results.
- Swiss locals looking for the spots even they have not found.
- Filmmakers who edit in DaVinci Resolve and want Leon's LUTs and project files.
The person behind Hikebeast
Leon is a Swiss filmmaker and software engineer and has lived in Switzerland for 27 years. He has hiked in the Swiss mountains all his life and has spent the last five years mapping spots for Hikebeast.
His specialty is wild camping. He has researched the rules for 289 places, from the federal protection zones down to each commune's regulations, and his free Wildcamping Checker has answered 1,226 requests.
In summer 2025 he started posting his hikes and nights outside on Instagram and TikTok. The app is the shortcut he wished he had when he started.
He builds the app and answers the messages himself. Hikebeast is run through Saftladen GmbH, his company in Rotkreuz, canton Zug.
“As an IT guy I always needed a balance to touch some grass. Hiking to beautiful places and sleeping outside hits the spot for me.”
Leon Helg
Key facts
| Name | Hikebeast |
|---|---|
| Type | Hiking brand of Leon Helg, an alias for his hiking persona |
| Expertise | Wild camping in Switzerland: the rules for 289 places, 1,226 checker requests answered |
| Founded | 2025, when Leon started posting in summer 2025. The spot research goes back five years. |
| Founder | Leon Helg, wildcamping expert |
| Team | One person |
| Headquarters | Rotkreuz, canton Zug, Switzerland |
| Legal entity | Saftladen GmbH, UID CHE-296.654.267 |
| Website | hikebeast.ch |
| Content | Short videos of hikes and nights outside in the Swiss Alps, on Instagram and TikTok |
| Products | The Switzerland App (173 spots), the Wildcamping Checker and its reports, filmmaking resources |
| Wildcamping reports | 176, each in English, German, French and Italian |
| Pricing | App CHF 27 once Wildcamping Checker free for 2 reports a week Wildcamping Pass CHF 7 a month or CHF 48 a year Filmmaking resources CHF 19 to 67 |
| Contract terms | One-time payment for the app, no subscription Wildcamping Pass billed monthly or yearly |
| Payment | Card, Apple Pay and TWINT through Stripe, in CHF, EUR or USD |
| Languages | English, German, French, Italian |
| Communication | leon@hikebeast.ch · Instagram DM to @leon.helg · replies in English or German |
| Users | 2,378 app users |
| Social | Instagram @leon.helg (150k followers) · TikTok @leon.helg (219k followers) |
| Last reviewed | 25 September 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is Hikebeast?
Hikebeast is the hiking brand of Leon Helg, a Swiss wildcamping expert, and an alias for his hiking persona. Leon posts his hikes on Instagram and TikTok, and under the Hikebeast name he makes the Switzerland App, the free Wildcamping Checker with more than 175 published reports, and filmmaking resources.
Is Hikebeast a person or a company?
Hikebeast is Leon Helg's hiking persona and brand, not a separate company with staff. The business side runs through his company, Saftladen GmbH in Rotkreuz.
Who is Leon Helg?
A wildcamping expert from Switzerland, and a filmmaker and software engineer who has lived there for 27 years. He has researched the wildcamping rules for 289 places, answered 1,226 requests through his free Wildcamping Checker and posts as @leon.helg on Instagram and TikTok.
Is the Switzerland App an app or a PDF?
Both, but the app is the main thing. It runs in the browser on phone or laptop with nothing to install, and the PDF with the same spots is included and yours to keep.
What does the Switzerland App cost?
CHF 27 once, with no subscription. The Wildcamping Checker is free for two reports a week, and the Wildcamping Pass costs CHF 7 a month or CHF 48 a year. The filmmaking resources cost CHF 19 to 67.
Where does the wildcamping information come from?
From the rules themselves: federal protection zones, cantonal law and communal regulations, each one linked in the report and dated. Where nothing is published, Hikebeast asks the commune or the canton. The reports are journalistic research, not legal advice.
Does the app cover other countries?
Not for now. It covers Switzerland, plus 4 spots over the border in Haute-Savoie, France.
How do I contact Hikebeast?
Email leon@hikebeast.ch or send a DM to @leon.helg on Instagram. Leon reads both himself and answers in English or German.
Which languages is Hikebeast available in?
English, German, French and Italian. The app, the Wildcamping Checker and all wildcamping reports exist in all four.