As of: 26 September 2026

Wild camping in Val Morteratsch

Val Morteratsch is the glacier valley above Pontresina, and its one place for a night is the grassed moraine terraces by the Chamanna da Boval, at 2'528 m. They lie in federal game reserve Bernina-Albris: camping banned, CHF 150. The lawful bed is the hut, 146 m away.

Leon Helg
Leon Helg · Legal situation checked in September 2026
What do these mean?

Illegal A specific rule bans it, usually with a fine, and it can be enforced. Sleep somewhere else.

Not allowed No real place to camp here. A gated site, a developed area, or nowhere sensible to lie down, even if no fine is attached.

It depends You can sleep here, but there's a condition first: ask the landowner, book a spot, stay inside a set zone, or use a bivvy instead of a tent. The report says which.

Tolerated No rule clearly allows or bans it, but a single night is accepted in practice and nobody enforces against it. Normal for high bivouacs above the treeline.

Legal Camping one night is fine here. Either a rule allows it, or we checked every law and found nothing against it. Still: pitch late, leave early, no trace.

What "wild camping" means here: one night. A small tent or a bivvy bag, up towards evening, gone in the morning. Not a base camp, not a camper van. Most Swiss bans are written against camping; whether a single night also falls under them depends on the exact wording, so this article checks that wording. The full difference: wild camping vs bivouacking.

Wild camping in Val Morteratsch: one glacier valley, one place for a night

Wild camping in Val Morteratsch is a question about a valley, and a valley is not a pitch. Val Morteratsch is the side valley of the Val Bernina above Pontresina, in the Upper Engadine: it opens at Morteratsch station on the Rhaetian Railway's Bernina line, at about 1'900 m, and runs south up the Morteratsch glacier to Piz Bernina. It has a station, a forefield, a glacier, two flanks and one place above the tree line where a night would actually happen. The station, the forefield, the hut trail and the hut are all in the commune of Pontresina; Italy begins on the main ridge at the head of the valley, about 4 km south of the hut.1

That place is the Boval terraces. On the west side of the valley the hut trail climbs along the lateral moraine to the Chamanna da Boval of the SAC's Bernina section, at 2'495 m. Around and above the hut lie grassed moraine terraces with low ridges, a small lake and the paths to the hut. This report's pin is on them: LV95 2'791'064 / 1'143'580, WGS84 46.41633 / 9.92415, at 2'528 m, 146 m north-north-west of the hut, on ground that slopes about 1 degree. Flat ground is not scarce up here: the terraces spread over a few hundred metres between 2'528 and 2'568 m. Dry, level, well above the tree line and on a marked trail two hours from the station: if anyone slept in this valley, it would be here.19

Everywhere else fails before the law comes in. The glacier is not a pitch. The forefield on the valley floor, Plaun da Morteratsch at about 1'950 to 2'100 m, lies below the tree line, is crossed by the braided channels of the glacier river and carries the Gletscherweg, a busy educational trail. The east flank under Munt Pers averages 33 degrees and has no trail. Isla Persa, the rock island at 2'547 m, can only be reached across the ice. Between the hut trail and the glacier lies the steep inner wall of the lateral moraine, whose only near-level spots are rubble at the edge of the ice, around 2'210 m. And Chünetta, the viewpoint at the mouth of the valley, is on the west side, in the forest. So the verdict is for the Boval terraces; the rest of the valley comes in where it changes your plan.1

The rule: game reserve Bernina-Albris, and the hut trail is its line

The west side of Val Morteratsch is federal game reserve no. 17 "Bernina-Albris". Its object sheet describes the mountain chain between the Val Roseg and the Vadret da Morteratsch, plus the Piz Albris ridge between Alp Languard and the Val Bernina, and names the protection of animals and birds from disturbance among its aims. The reserve has an integral and a partial part. The Boval terraces and the hut lie in the integral part; for camping the difference does not matter, because the sentence below has no zones.41

Inside a federal game reserve one sentence of the federal ordinance decides the night:

"Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen."Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, Art. 5 Abs. 1 lit. e. In English: free tenting and camping are prohibited; the use of official campsites is reserved; the cantons may grant exceptions.

There is no official campsite inside the reserve. The exception belongs to the canton alone, and Graubünden's hunting and reserve law publishes none for Bernina-Albris: no landowner, no alp and no commune can give you a night inside the line. The same article bans hunting in the reserve, says animals must not be disturbed, keeps dogs on the lead and bans drones.25

The fine is fixed: Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005 of the federal Ordnungsbussenverordnung, "Freies Zelten oder Campieren in eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebieten", CHF 150. The CHF 20'000 you may read online is the hunting act's ceiling in ordinary proceedings, not a camper's fine, and the act punishes negligence as well, so not having checked where the line runs does not help.3

Where the line runs. Graubünden's ordinance on wildlife reserves describes each boundary in words. For Bernina-Albris it runs from the railway crossing at Surovas along the upper trail to Chünetta and the trail to the Boval hut, then along the moraine path to Sass dal Pos and Piz Bernina. The hut trail is the line, and everything uphill of it, to the west, is inside. For about 2.3 km the marked path and the boundary run within a few metres of each other. Near the hut the line leaves the path and follows the crest of the lateral moraine, about 120 m east of the hut and 194 m east of the pin, so the last stretch of the path, the hut and the terraces are all inside. The federal inventory and the cantonal map draw the same line.51

You can see it twice. On the ground, the canton marks the boundaries of federal game reserves with red and yellow paint, and "Rot befindet sich auf der Seite des Wildschutzgebiets": the red faces the reserve. On your phone, open map.geo.admin.ch with the layer "Hunting Ban Reserves", the federal game reserves, and compare it with your GPS position. On the terraces you are not near the edge: you are almost 200 m inside it.51

Without a tent: what the ordinance says about a bivvy bag

The federal ordinance's verbs are "Zelten und Campieren", tenting and camping; the official French text says "camper librement", the Italian "piantare tende o campeggiare". None of the three versions names the bivouac, and no court has decided whether a night in a bivvy bag in a federal game reserve counts. The federal wildlife layer for Bernina-Albris repeats "freies Zelten und Campieren ist verboten" and says nothing more.24

Pontresina's rule is more precise and does not settle it either. It defines camping as "das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen zur Übernachtung", putting up tents, caravans and motorhomes for the night, and a bivvy bag puts nothing up. That reading is arguable, neither the commune nor a court has confirmed it, and it does nothing for the reserve, which has its own ban.62

So a bivvy bag on the Boval terraces is an open question, not a permission. This report does not tell you it is allowed. The terraces lie in a reserve whose rules exist to keep wildlife undisturbed, and in the protection zone of the hut's spring, and the hut is 146 m away.48

Pontresina bans camping on its whole territory anyway

Take the reserve away and the answer would still be no. Pontresina's police law, the Gesetz über die öffentliche Ordnung, Sicherheit und Ruhe, adopted by the Gemeindeversammlung on 3 April 2023, has an article headed "Campingverbot". The partial revision adopted at the ballot of 28 September 2025 changed two other articles and left it as it was:6

"Auf dem Gebiet der Gemeinde Pontresina ist das Campieren, d.h. das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen zur Übernachtung, nur an den von den Behörden bezeichneten Stellen erlaubt. Ansonsten ist das Campieren ohne Bewilligung des Gemeindevorstandes untersagt."Polizeigesetz der Gemeinde Pontresina, Art. 26 "Campingverbot", in force since 1 May 2023. In English: on the territory of the commune of Pontresina, camping, that is putting up tents, caravans and motorhomes for the night, is allowed only at the places designated by the authorities; otherwise camping without a permit from the Gemeindevorstand is prohibited.

There is no altitude and no season in it: the ban runs from the village to the main ridge.6

What it costs. Pontresina prices it in its list of fixed fines: item 15, "Unzulässiges Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund", camping where it is not allowed on public ground, CHF 100, in the version in force since 1 August 2026; the same CHF 100 line stood as item 16 before. Outside the fixed-fine procedure the police law's range is CHF 50 to 10'000 (Art. 46 para. 1). If you live outside Switzerland and do not pay on the spot, you leave the amount as a deposit.76

Inside the reserve, one fine, not two. The police law reserves offences that federal or cantonal law already punishes (Art. 46 para. 4). On the Boval terraces the ticket is the federal CHF 150, and the communal CHF 100 does not come on top.63

The place the authorities designate. There is one, the Campingzone Plauns, where the building law allows a campsite to be built and run (Baugesetz, Art. 81). That is Camping Morteratsch, 1.3 km from Morteratsch station and outside the reserve.810

A permit, and why it does not help on the Boval side. The second sentence of Art. 26 lets the Gemeindevorstand, the communal executive and the commune's top police authority, allow camping elsewhere. The request has to go in about four weeks ahead (Art. 44 para. 2), it is granted if no overriding public or private interests stand against it (para. 3), and the processing fee is CHF 100 to 500 (Art. 45 para. 1). But a communal permit cannot lift the federal ban: inside the reserve only the canton can. Questions about the rule go to the Gemeindeverwaltung Pontresina, +41 81 838 81 81, gemeinde@pontresina.ch.62

The same Art. 26 applies at Pass La Stretta, Pontresina's border pass above the Val dal Fain, which has its own report. How the levels fit together across the country is in the national overview.

Other layers in the valley, and why they do not change the night

Real, but none of them bans a night. The terraces lie in BLN object 1908, "Oberengadiner Seenlandschaft und Berninagruppe", a federal landscape inventory that binds the authorities, not you; the Silvaplanersee report meets the same object. The forefield is federal floodplain no. 1238 "Vadret da Morteratsch", which Pontresina implements as a nature protection zone with building rules and no rule on access or camping. At the pin, a communal landscape protection zone sets building rules only, and a spring protection zone guards the hut's water: relieve yourself well away from the terraces. The wildlife rest zone Chapütschöl, no. 154, on the east side of the lower valley, is closed on foot and to winter sports from 20 December to 30 April. And the one camping article in Graubünden's hunting law, Art. 13 of the hunting ordinance, is written for hunters.815

The path, the season and the hunt

The path. From Morteratsch station the Boval hut path climbs about 600 m over some 4.5 km. The hut grades it T2 to T3, the SAC's route portal T2: about 2 hours up and 1.5 down, with a steel cable as a handrail on the steeper passages of the last part. You can walk the first part on the upper path through the forest or on the Gletscherweg on the valley floor; the two meet at the Chünetta junction. From there you walk on the reserve line, and near the hut inside it.915

Winter. The hut says its summer path is not passable in winter because of avalanche danger, so access is over the glacier only. The hut is staffed until 18 October 2026 and closed from 19 October 2026 to 25 March 2027, with no winter room open in between.9

The hunt. Graubünden's high hunt runs until 30 September 2026, and the ibex hunt from 5 October to 8 November. There is no hunting inside the reserve, so the hunters are in the lower valley, outside it.52

Dogs and drones. On the whole west side dogs go on the lead and drones stay in the pack, all year: both are rules of the reserve, not of the hut.24

How it is possible: a bed at Boval, or a tent at Plauns

There is no lawful night outside on the Boval side and no consent route to one: a landowner cannot lift a federal ban, and the canton publishes no exception. The lawful night in Val Morteratsch is a bed in the hut next to the terraces, or a tent at the one place Pontresina designates for camping.256

Chamanna da Boval CAS, 2'495 m, +41 81 842 64 03 (while staffed), boval@bluewin.ch. About 90 places. Staffed until 18 October 2026, then closed until 25 March 2027. Per person and night: half board CHF 75 for SAC members, CHF 87 for others; bed only CHF 39 or CHF 46; a double room costs CHF 20 more per person. Book online until 18.00 two days before you arrive; later, call.9

For a tent: Camping Morteratsch at Plauns. At about 1'860 m, 1.3 km from Morteratsch station and outside the reserve, it is the Campingzone Plauns, open all year. In 2026 an adult pays CHF 13 a night and a one-person tent CHF 5, about CHF 18 together; in the high season, 27 June to 16 August, CHF 17 and CHF 6. Online you can book a single night within 30 days of arrival, and the campsite says walk-ins with a small tent usually find a place outside the high season. +41 81 842 62 85, mail@camping-morteratsch.ch.108

Other beds. The Hotel Morteratsch at the station is open for the summer season until 25 October 2026, +41 81 842 63 13. On the east rim of the valley the Berghaus Diavolezza, at 2'978 m, is reached by cable car and charges CHF 142 per person in a four-bed room, with half board and the cable car, at summer rates until 15 November 2026, +41 81 839 39 00.10

  • Chamanna da Boval CAS, 2'495 m, 146 m from the terraces. About 90 places, half board CHF 75 for SAC members, CHF 87 for others; staffed until 18 October 2026; +41 81 842 64 03.9
  • Camping Morteratsch, Plauns, about 1'860 m. The one place Pontresina designates for camping, open all year; about CHF 18 a night for one adult with a one-person tent; +41 81 842 62 85.108
  • Hotel Morteratsch, at the station. Summer season until 25 October 2026; +41 81 842 63 13.10
  • Berghaus Diavolezza, 2'978 m, on the east rim. CHF 142 with half board and the cable car, summer rates until 15 November 2026; +41 81 839 39 00.10
  • Not on the Boval terraces, not anywhere uphill of the hut trail, not on the forefield or at the ice. Game reserve, CHF 150; below the tree line or on moraine and ice; and Pontresina's ban on the whole commune.236

General rules for wild camping

This applies wherever you are genuinely allowed to sleep outside, which in Val Morteratsch means a pitch at Camping Morteratsch. It is not legal text, it is decency and common sense in a valley whose west side is a game reserve, where sheep graze the alp in summer and the ground around the hut protects a spring.

  • No fire. An open fire has no place in the mountains. A gas stove is enough.
  • Pitch late, strike early. Set up towards evening, gone again early. A bivouac is one night, not a base camp.
  • Leave no rubbish. Everything you carry up you carry down, organic scraps and toilet paper included.
  • At least 50 metres from any water for the big business, so you do not foul what people and livestock drink.
  • Stay small and quiet. A small group, no speaker, no drone, dogs on the lead, and the alp staff's word goes.

Disclaimer

This article reflects my research and assessment to the best of my knowledge, as of September 2026. It is based on the publicly accessible and official sources linked below. It does not replace legal advice and is not a binding statement of the current legal situation.

The verdict rests on the boundary of federal game reserve no. 17 Bernina-Albris as published in the federal inventory and described in Graubünden's ordinance on wildlife reserves, on Art. 5 of the federal ordinance on game reserves and the federal list of fixed fines, on the absence of any published cantonal exception, and on Art. 26 of the Pontresina police law with the communal list of fixed fines in force since 1 August 2026. Whether a tentless bivouac counts as camping under the federal ordinance has not been decided by a court, and the commune has not said how it reads its own definition. That the federal fine replaces the communal one inside the reserve follows from Art. 46 para. 4 of the police law; no published case shows how it is applied. The protected-area boundaries and every distance here are taken from the published geometry, which is as accurate as the data and not as a marker on the ground: where paint and map seem to disagree, stay on the safe side. Prices, dates and seasons are taken from their publishers as of September 2026 and can change; nothing posted in the valley was checked on site. Before every tour, check the current sources yourself and follow instructions on site. A genuine emergency bivouac in distress is a separate question from a planned camp. Anyone who spends the night outside bears responsibility for their own conduct and any consequences themselves. Hikebeast, Leon Helg and Saftladen GmbH accept no liability for decisions made on the basis of this text, and call on no one to break applicable law.

Frequently asked questions

Can I camp in Val Morteratsch?
Not where anyone would. The one place in Val Morteratsch above the tree line where a night would happen, the grassed moraine terraces next to the Chamanna da Boval at 2'528 metres, lies in federal game reserve no. 17 Bernina-Albris, like the hut and the whole west side of the valley. There Art. 5 Abs. 1 lit. e of the federal ordinance on game reserves (VEJ, SR 922.31) bans free tenting and camping, with a fixed fine of CHF 150 under Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005 of the federal fixed-penalty ordinance (OBV, SR 314.11); only the canton can grant an exception, and none is published. Pontresina also bans camping on its whole territory outside the places it designates (Polizeigesetz, Art. 26), CHF 100 on public ground. Outside the reserve the high valley is ice, moraine wall and a forefield below the tree line. Sleep in the Chamanna da Boval or at Camping Morteratsch.
Where exactly does the game reserve start?
At the hut trail. Graubünden's boundary description of reserve no. 17 Bernina-Albris (VWSG, BR 740.200, Anhang 1) runs the line from Surovas along the upper trail to Chünetta and the trail to the Boval hut, then along the moraine path to Sass dal Pos and Piz Bernina: everything uphill, to the west, of the path is inside. Near the hut the line follows the crest of the lateral moraine, about 120 metres east of the hut and 194 metres east of the terraces, so the hut and the terraces are well inside. On the ground the line is painted red and yellow, with red on the reserve side (VWSG, Art. 5 Abs. 2), and on map.geo.admin.ch you can switch on the layer "Hunting Ban Reserves" and compare it with your phone's position.
Is a bivvy bag without a tent allowed?
Nobody can tell you it is. The federal ordinance names free tenting and camping (VEJ, SR 922.31, Art. 5 Abs. 1 lit. e), not the bivouac, and no court has ruled on a night in a bivvy bag in a federal game reserve; the federal layer for Bernina-Albris repeats "freies Zelten und Campieren ist verboten" and says nothing more. Pontresina defines camping as putting up tents, caravans and motorhomes for the night (Polizeigesetz, Art. 26), which a bivvy bag arguably is not, but that does not open the reserve. So it is an open question, not a permission, on terraces that are a game reserve and the protection zone of the hut's spring. The Chamanna da Boval is 146 metres away.
Can I get a permit from Pontresina?
Not for the Boval side. Art. 26 of the Pontresina Polizeigesetz allows camping away from the designated places only with a permit from the Gemeindevorstand, the communal executive; the request has to go in about four weeks ahead (Art. 44 Abs. 2) and costs a processing fee of CHF 100 to 500 (Art. 45 Abs. 1). But a communal permit cannot lift the federal ban in game reserve no. 17 Bernina-Albris: under Art. 5 Abs. 1 lit. e VEJ only the canton can grant an exception, and none is published. Outside the reserve the valley has no ground above the tree line worth the request. The one place Pontresina designates is the Campingzone Plauns, Camping Morteratsch (Baugesetz, Art. 81). Questions: Gemeindeverwaltung Pontresina, +41 81 838 81 81, gemeinde@pontresina.ch.
Where can I sleep instead?
In the Chamanna da Boval CAS at 2'495 metres, 146 metres from the terraces: about 90 places, staffed until 18 October 2026 and closed from 19 October 2026 to 25 March 2027, half board CHF 75 for SAC members and CHF 87 for others, bed only CHF 39 or CHF 46; book online until 18.00 two days ahead, later by phone, +41 81 842 64 03. For a tent: Camping Morteratsch at Plauns, about 1'860 metres, the one place Pontresina designates for camping, open all year; one adult with a one-person tent pays about CHF 18 a night outside the high season. Or a room at the Hotel Morteratsch by the station, open until 25 October 2026, or at the Berghaus Diavolezza on the east rim, CHF 142 with half board and the cable car.
Leon Helg

Leon Helg

Swiss filmmaker and software developer. Spends his free time in the Swiss Alps and maps his favourite spots for Hikebeast. Posts as @leon.helg on Instagram and TikTok.

Swiss Guide Wildcamping Checker Color Grading

Sources

  1. Official geodata, queried on 26 September 2026. Federal identify service at the pin, LV95 2'791'064 / 1'143'580 (WGS84 46.41633 / 9.92415), swissALTI3D 2'528.5 m, tolerance 0, with a bogus-layer control returning HTTP 400 and the Kiental game reserve returned as positive control. Commune Pontresina from the current-year boundary, as are Morteratsch station, the forefield, the hut path and the hut; the Bernina exclave of Samedan begins 1'684 m west on the Piz Boval ridge, and Italy on the main ridge about 4 km south of the hut. Federal game reserves: object no. 17 "Bernina-Albris", type "Gebiet mit integralen Schutzbestimmungen", at the pin and at the Chamanna da Boval (LV95 2'791'139 / 1'143'455, 2'495 m, 146 m south-south-east of the pin); nearest boundary point 194 m due east of the pin (LV95 2'791'258 / 1'143'583) and 120 m east of the hut, on the crest of the lateral moraine; lower down, the hut path runs within about 10 m of the boundary for about 2.3 km. The cantonal map of Graubünden draws the same polygon ("Bernina-Albris", no. 700), 6'588.8 ha in both. Also at the pin: BLN object no. 1908 "Oberengadiner Seenlandschaft und Berninagruppe". Near: federal floodplain no. 1238 "Vadret da Morteratsch", glacier forefield, 276.92 ha, 210 m; wildlife rest zone no. 154 "Chapütschöl", east side of the lower valley, 2.88 km. Empty at the pin: wildlife rest zones, parks, mires, amphibian sites, dry meadows, Ramsar, Emerald, forest reserves, military areas. Terrain (swissALTI3D): slope at the pin about 1 degree, the flattest ground 1 to 3 degrees between 2'528 and 2'568 m; a small lake 182 m from the pin; the east flank below Munt Pers at a median slope of 33 degrees, without a trail; Isla Persa, 2'547 m, surrounded by glacier; between the hut path and the ice the inner wall of the lateral moraine, near-level only in rubble at the ice edge at 2'208 to 2'220 m. Upper forest line model of the Federal Office for the Environment: the pin above the forest line of 1961 to 1990 and of 1981 to 2010; the forefield at Plaun da Morteratsch and Morteratsch station below it already in 1961 to 1990. swissTLM3D: the hut path is a mountain trail. map.geo.admin.ch (game reserves), identify at the pin. ↩
  2. Verordnung über die eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete (VEJ), SR 922.31, version in force since 1 February 2025. Art. 2 para. 1: "Banngebiete sind die im Anhang 1 aufgezählten Objekte", among them "17. Bernina-Albris Kanton GR". Art. 5 para. 1: "In den Banngebieten gelten folgende allgemeine Bestimmungen: a. Die Jagd ist verboten. b. Tiere dürfen nicht gestört, vertrieben oder aus dem Banngebiet herausgelockt werden. ... c. Hunde sind an der Leine zu führen; davon ausgenommen sind Nutzhunde in der Landwirtschaft. ... e. Das freie Zelten und Campieren ist verboten. Vorbehalten bleibt die Benutzung offizieller Zeltplätze. Die Kantone können Ausnahmen bewilligen. ... f bis. Der Betrieb von zivilen, unbemannten Luftfahrzeugen ist verboten ..." The official French text of lit. e reads "il est interdit de camper librement", the Italian "è vietato piantare tende o campeggiare"; none of the three names the bivouac. fedlex.admin.ch (VEJ). ↩
  3. Ordnungsbussenverordnung (OBV), SR 314.11, Anhang 2 Ziff. 12005: "Freies Zelten oder Campieren in eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebieten (Art. 18 Abs. 1 Bst. e und Abs. 3 JSG, Art. 5 Abs. 1 Bst. e VEJ)", 150 francs. Jagdgesetz (JSG), SR 922.0, Art. 18: a fine of up to 20'000 francs in ordinary proceedings (Abs. 1), negligence punishable as well (Abs. 3). fedlex.admin.ch (OBV), fedlex.admin.ch (JSG). ↩
  4. Federal Office for the Environment, inventory of federal game reserves, object sheet "17. Bernina-Albris Kt. GR" in the 2023 revision set: "Das Banngebiet liegt südlich von Pontresina im Oberengadin und umfasst den Gebirgszug zwischen dem Val Roseg und dem Vadret da Morteratsch sowie den Höhenzug des Piz Albris zwischen Alp Languard und Val Bernina." Objectives: "Erhaltung des Gebiets als vielfältigen Lebensraum für wildlebende Säugetiere und Vögel", "Schutz der Tiere und Vögel vor Störungen". Special measures: "Das Banngebiet umfasst einen integralen (I) und einen partiellen (II) Teil." "Ausserhalb des Schutzgebietes sind Perimeter bezeichnet, in welchen Wildschäden vergütet werden (III)." The reserve covers 6'588.8 ha; Morteratsch station and the campsite at Plauns lie in such a compensation perimeter, outside the reserve. Federal layer of wildlife areas (Wildtierschutzgebiete), "Bernina-Albris (Nr. 17.00)", legally binding, protection period 1 January to 31 December: "Hunde sind an der Leine zu führen; der Betrieb von Drohnen ist verboten; freies Zelten und Campieren ist verboten; kantonale Bewilligung erforderlich für sportliche Anlässe (gemäss Art. 5 VEJ)". object sheet JBG 17 Bernina-Albris (PDF). ↩
  5. Canton of Graubünden, read on gr-lex on 26 September 2026. Verordnung über die Wildschutzgebiete (VWSG), BR 740.200, of 21 August 2018, version in force since 1 September 2023. Art. 5 para. 2: "Die Grenzen der eidgenössischen Jagdbanngebiete und der kantonalen Wildschutzgebiete sind im Gelände mit roter und gelber Farbe gekennzeichnet. Rot befindet sich auf der Seite des Wildschutzgebiets." Anhang 1, Jagdbezirk VII, "700. Bernina-Albris": the boundary runs from "Bahnübergang Surovas" over the "Oberer Wanderweg nach Chünetta", the "Wanderweg zur Bovalhütte" and the "Moränenpfad" to "Sass dal Pos (3266)" and "Piz Bernina (4048.6)", then along the national border and back through the Val Roseg to the starting point. None of the VWSG, the hunting operations ordinance, the cantonal hunting act (KJG, BR 740.000) or its ordinance (KJV, BR 740.010) contains an exception for camping in the reserve. Verordnung über den Jagdbetrieb (JBV), BR 740.025, version in force since 1 August 2026, Art. 13 "Campieren und Biwakieren": "Für die Ausübung der Jagd sind das Aufschlagen von Zelten und Blachen zur Übernachtung sowie die Übernachtung in Motorfahrzeugen, Wohnwagen, Anhängern und dergleichen nur auf gekennzeichneten Campingplätzen erlaubt." Amt für Jagd und Fischerei Graubünden, hunting dates 2026: Hochjagd 3 to 13 and 21 to 30 September, Steinwildjagd 5 October to 8 November. gr-lex.gr.ch, BR 740.200, BR 740.025, gr.ch, hunting dates. ↩
  6. Gemeinde Pontresina, law collection, read on 26 September 2026. Gesetz über die öffentliche Ordnung, Sicherheit und Ruhe in der Gemeinde Pontresina (Polizeigesetz), adopted by the Gemeindeversammlung on 3 April 2023, in force since 1 May 2023; the partial revision adopted at the ballot of 28 September 2025 changed Art. 30 and Art. 40 only. Art. 3: "Der Gemeindevorstand ist oberste Polizeibehörde." Art. 26 "Campingverbot": "Auf dem Gebiet der Gemeinde Pontresina ist das Campieren, d.h. das Aufstellen von Zelten, Wohnwagen und Wohnmobilen zur Übernachtung, nur an den von den Behörden bezeichneten Stellen erlaubt. Ansonsten ist das Campieren ohne Bewilligung des Gemeindevorstandes untersagt." Art. 44 para. 2: where the permit lies in the Gemeindevorstand's competence, "muss in der Regel vier Wochen vorher ein entsprechendes Gesuch gestellt werden"; para. 3: a permit is granted if the requirements are met "und keine überwiegenden öffentlichen und privaten Interessen entgegenstehen". Art. 45 para. 1: "Für sämtliche Bewilligungen und polizeiliche Massnahmen gemäss diesem Gesetz werden Bearbeitungsgebühren von CHF 100.00 bis CHF 500.00 erhoben." Art. 46 para. 1: a fine "von CHF 50.00 bis CHF 10'000.00"; para. 4: "Vorbehalten bleiben Tatbestände, welche bereits durch das eidgenössische oder kantonale Recht mit Strafe bedroht sind." Art. 47 para. 4: from persons without residence in Switzerland a deposit "im mutmasslichen Umfang von Busse und Verfahrenskosten" may be secured, also outside the fixed-fine procedure. Gemeindeverwaltung Pontresina, Via Maistra 133, 7504 Pontresina, +41 81 838 81 81, gemeinde@pontresina.ch. Polizeigesetz (PDF), law collection, contact. ↩
  7. Gemeinde Pontresina, Ordnungsbussenverordnung, issued by the Gemeindevorstand under Art. 48 para. 2 of the Polizeigesetz, "erlassen am 20. Juni 2023, geändert am 18. November 2025 und am 18. August 2026 rückwirkend per 1. August 2026", a scanned PDF, read on 26 September 2026. Art. 2, list of fixed fines, item 15 (Bussenziffer 20.f.1): "Unzulässiges Campieren auf öffentlichem Grund (Art. 26 Polizeigesetz) Fr. 100.--". The same line was item 16, at CHF 100, in the version of 20 June 2023 and in the version valid from 1 December 2025. Art. 3: "Wird die Busse nicht sofort bezahlt, haben Personen ohne Wohnsitz in der Schweiz den Betrag ... zu hinterlegen oder eine andere angemessene Sicherheit zu leisten." Ordnungsbussenverordnung, version of 1 August 2026 (PDF), version of 1 December 2025 (PDF), version of 20 June 2023 (PDF). ↩
  8. Zoning, inventories and communal law, consulted on 26 September 2026. Public-law restrictions cadastre (ÖREB) of Graubünden, Pontresina parcel 1607 (EGRID CH578877941766): at the pin, the basic use "Übriges Gemeindegebiet", a landscape protection zone (Landschaftsschutzzone) and a groundwater and spring protection zone (Grundwasser- und Quellschutzzone) drawn for the spring of the Boval hut; the nature protection zone (Naturschutzzone) begins 210 m away. Baugesetz der Gemeinde Pontresina, version in force according to the cadastre: Art. 81, "In der Campingzone Plauns darf ein Campingplatz erstellt und betrieben werden"; Art. 86 and Art. 87 refer the landscape and nature protection zones to Art. 34 and Art. 33 of the cantonal planning act (KRG, BR 801.100), which regulate building and land use and contain no rule on access or camping. Federal floodplain no. 1238 "Vadret da Morteratsch", glacier forefield, 276.92 ha, implemented by Pontresina as a communal nature protection zone; Auenverordnung, SR 451.31, Art. 4 and Art. 5 para. 2 lit. c: the cantons ensure that uses, among them "die Erholungsnutzung", are in line with the protection aim. BLN object no. 1908 "Oberengadiner Seenlandschaft und Berninagruppe": it binds the authorities (NHG, SR 451, Art. 6). Wildlife rest zone "Chapütschöl", federal no. 154, east side of the lower valley, communal decision of 2004: "Zutrittsverbot (zu Fuss und Wintersportarten)", 20 December to 30 April. Gesetz über den Weidgang und das Alpwesen der Gemeinde Pontresina: the commune leases the "Alp Chünetta (Schafalp)", whose sheep pasture runs "Von der Alp Chünetta einwärts bis zum Fusse des Piz Bernina und Piz Morteratsch sowie die Weiden am Munt Pers, nicht aber das Gletschervorfeld". ÖREB Graubünden, Baugesetz Pontresina (PDF), KRG, Auenverordnung, floodplain 1238 (PDF), NHG, Weidgang und Alpwesen (PDF). ↩
  9. Chamanna da Boval CAS, SAC Sektion Bernina, 2'495 m, Postfach 38, 7504 Pontresina, +41 81 842 64 03 while staffed, boval@bluewin.ch, pages and price list consulted on 26 September 2026. Access from Morteratsch station: "Im letzten Teil der Wanderung wird es wieder etwas steiler. Diese Passagen sind mit einem Drahtseil (Handlauf) abgesichert. (Schwierigkeitsgrad T2-3, Distanz ca. 4.5km und etwa 600 Höhenmeter)"; about 1.5 h down; "Der Zustieg im Winter ist ausschliesslich über den Gletscher möglich. Der Sommerweg ist nicht passierbar aufgrund von Lawinengefahr." Staffed "Sommer: ca. Mitte Juni bis Mitte Oktober, Winter: ca. Ende März bis Mitte Mai"; the hut reservation system shows the hut staffed until 18 October 2026, closed from 19 October 2026 to 25 March 2027 and staffed again from 26 March 2027; on the SAC portal the shelter room is closed from November to February. About 90 places; the published figures run from 80 to 95. Prices from summer 2025, per person and night including VAT: half board CHF 75.00 for SAC members and CHF 87.00 for others, bed only CHF 39.00 and CHF 46.00, double room CHF 20.00 extra per person. Online booking until 18.00 two days before arrival, later by phone. SAC route portal: T2, 2 h from Morteratsch. boval.ch, Lage, price list (PDF), sac-cas.ch, Chamanna da Boval, SAC Bernina. ↩
  10. Operators, consulted on 26 September 2026. Camping Morteratsch, Plauns, Via Morteratsch 14, 7504 Pontresina, +41 81 842 62 85, mail@camping-morteratsch.ch: "365 Tage offen"; prices 2026 per night including tourist tax, transport tax, waste and VAT: adult CHF 13.00 (high season 27 June to 16 August 2026: CHF 17.00), "Einerzelt" CHF 5.00 (6.00), small tent up to 5 m² CHF 9.00 (10.00); terms, 6.1: "Weniger als 30 Tage vor Ankunft sind Online-Buchungen ab 1 Nacht möglich"; FAQ: "Spontan anreisende Kurzaufenthalter mit kleinem Zelt und ein bis drei Übernachtungen finden ausserhalb der Hochsaison in der Regel problemlos einen Platz." Reception 08.00 to 12.00 and 15.00 to 18.30. Hotel Morteratsch, at Morteratsch station, +41 81 842 63 13, mail@morteratsch.ch: summer season until 25 October 2026. Berghaus Diavolezza, 2'978 m, +41 81 839 39 00, berghaus@diavolezza.ch: summer 2026 rates from 4 May to 15 November 2026, a place in a four-bed room CHF 142 per person and night with tourist tax, breakfast, a four-course dinner and the cable car. camping-morteratsch.ch, prices 2026 (PDF), FAQ, terms, morteratsch.ch, Berghaus Diavolezza, rooms. ↩