Smoke and Fire! - Stellisee, Switzerland

A glorious sunset at Stellisee. We trekked up to Stellisee on our first day in Zermatt. The conditions weren't great as the Matterhorn had been playing hide and seek with us the whole day. As we started climbing towards Stellisee from Grindjisee, the sky went overcast and we couldn't see the Matterhorn at all. Literally 50 meters before we reached, the sky cleared a bit and we saw a glimpse of Matterhorn with golden light from pouring through the opening.

The Pre-Dawn Glow! - Leisee, Switzerland

We took the funicular train up to Sunnegga at 6 in the morning to catch the sunrise on Matterhorn. I had scouted the area earlier and knew the closest spot to catch the reflection of the Matterhorn as the sun hit its tip. We reached there about 10 minutes before sunrise and I managed to setup the camera just in time to capture this surreal pre-dawn Alpine glow before the sun rose and did its magic! (shots to follow...)

Mirror Mirror, on the lake! - Grindjisee, Switzerland

We were trekking towards Stelisee and decided to make a quick stop at Grindjisee. Things were looking bleak, the sky was overcast and the Matterhorn was hidden behind clouds. To top it, as soon as we reached Grindjisee, it started to rain and the reflections completely disappeared. We decided to test our luck and waited there for around 15 minutes. Our patience was rewarded, the rain stopped, the sky opened up and the out came Matterhorn with a perfect reflection in this beautiful lake.

In the lap of nature! - Zermatt, Switzerland

I seriously envy the people who live in that small little house right in the lap of the Matterhorn. I mean who wouldn't want to wake up to this view everyday. Zermatt is one the most beautiful little towns I have seen in my life and fantastically situated to explore the surrounding Swiss Alps.

Light at the source! - Findelbach River, Switzerland

Findelbach is a glacial river in the Zermatt valley. When doing the famous 5-Lakes hike, we crossed this river twice. This was taken somewhere on the 5-Seenweg trail between the lakes Grunsee and Grindjisee. We were trekking towards Grindjisee when we came to this river crossing from where we could see the source of the river and to top it off there was just a hint of the evening light on the glacier as the sun started to peep through the clouds.

Up above the world so high! - Matterhorn, Switzerland

I have recently returned from a hiking trip to Zermatt and the surrounding areas in southern Switzerland. So, expect a lot of pictures from the beauty that is Switzerland in the coming days, and I thought what better picture to start the series than a close-up of the star of this trip - The Matterhorn!

Twilight Glow! - Zermatt, Switzerland

As the sun set on the Matterhorn, people in the beautiful village of Zermatt started turning on the lights, getting ready for the evening. The scene quickly transformed, shifting focus from the towering mountains in the background to the glowing town below. I got quite a few shots as the light changed and selected this particular shot from the series as here most of the town lights are on but there is still a subtle twilight glow on Matterhorn.

Alpine Tranquillity! - Grindjisee, Switzerland

There is something really special about this lake. Peacefulness and serenity are the first things you experience when you see Grindjisee. Still water, green conifer trees and dew covered shrubs reflecting brilliantly in the lake, the scene is predominantly green and calming for the eyes to look at. One of our favourite lakes so far.

Burn Baby Burn! - Zermatt, Switzerland

I had this iconic shot in mind of Zermatt village all lit up at dusk with the Matterhorn in the background. We had scouted the area earlier and on our last evening there, we got the chance to attempt the shot as the peak was free of clouds. Just as we started to trek up to the location and looked back to see the Matterhorn, it was looking absolutely glorious all lit up by the setting sun.

Curves and Mountains! - Findeln, Switzerland

The trek down to the village of Findeln from Sunnegga is a must do. It offers unparalleled views of the village with the Matterhorn towering in the background. Findeln is a group of hamlets above Zermatt in the canton of Valais. They are located on the south facing slopes of the Sunnegga–Unterrothorn–Oberrothorn mountains. Winding paths, rustic old houses, deep valleys and the majestic Alps offer plenty of photographic opportunities. Difficult to go wrong with a camera here.

Fire in the sky! - Stellisee, Switzerland

Still thinking about this glorious sunset we got to experience at Stellisee on our very first day here, so here is another one from that evening. Stellisee is by far the best spot in this whole area to get a reflection shot of Matterhorn. It is the highest lake in the famous five lakes area and due to its position reflects the Matterhorn perfectly creating an illusion an abyss between the lake and the mountain.

Paradise Express! - Findelbach Bridge, Switzerland

I had seen a picture of this bridge before our trip but couldn't initially figure out where was it located, until, I saw the railway map of the famous Gornergrat Bahn. On it, next to the station of Findelbach, there was a picture of a bridge with a waterfall next to it. And surely we found it there. The challenge was to get this picture as there are no trails on the hill opposite the falls from where you get this perspective. We had to walk next to the railway tracks, cross them on foot and then figure out a way to climb this hill. It all paid off in the end.

Where there's smoke, there's fire - Riffelsee, Switzerland

Riffelsee, located near the famous ridge of Gornergrat is one of the best locations to get a reflection shot of the Matterhorn. Unfortunately, when we reached, the light was not ideal, the Matterhorn was covered in clouds and the whole range was very hazy because of the sun being directly behind. So in all, a beautiful place but horrendous photography conditions, but since we were already there, I decided to get a couple of shots with the sun in the frame.

Alpine reflections! - Schwarzsee, Switzerland

Matterhorn and the surrounding Zermatt valley area is all about towering snow-capped Alpine peaks and near perfect reflections. While taking the gondola back from the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, we decided to take a quick stop at Schwarzsee. Although the main lake is beautiful it does not offer much in the form of photo opportunities as it is way down in the valley. While climbing down, we noticed a small unnamed lake barely 200 m from the main lake which was located perfectly to create these brilliant reflections, so we decided to shoot there. Thanks to the lady hiker in red for adding some scale and colour.

Valley of Light! - Findeln, Switzerland

Findeln is a group of hamlets above Zermatt in the canton of Valais. We crossed the village while trekking from Sunnega to lake Grunsee and it was beautiful with traditional Swiss chalets. But only when we were climbing towards Grunsee did we see the true beauty of this village and the scale of nature surrounding it. Truly awe-inspiring.

Finding Gold! - Riffelsee, Switzerland

Riffelsee is apparently one of the best locations to get a reflection shot of the Matterhorn. But no one told us that its completely wrong for sunset. Sun was behind the Matterhorn which itself was covered in clouds and the whole scene was extremely hazy. Then I saw these Thistle weeds with cotton like buds which were brilliantly catching the warm sunset light... it was indeed like finding gold!!

Carving the Valley! - Findelbach River, Switzerland

A shot from the highest bridge which crosses the Findelbach river. We crossed this bridge on our way from Grunsee to Grindjisee. It was a wooden plank bridge, not at all sturdy and with no fencing. It was quite wobbly so I couldn't go for a long exposure but the shot turned out alright nonetheless. The source of this river is somewhere in the snow covered mountains you can see in the far background.

Light and Darkness! - Riffelsee, Switzerland

Although we did not get very good light when photographing the Matterhorn at Riffelsee, because of the setting sun being behind it, the snow-capped peaks to the east were catching the warm glow of the sun brilliantly. I decided to reach for my long lens and get a close-up of the intricate patterns created by the light and shadow combined with the texture of the glaciers, as the darkness consumed the last light of the day. It made for somewhat cluttered but interesting image. What do you think?

Trails and Waterfalls! - Furgg, Switzerland

Furgg is a stop along the trail up towards glacier paradise. We stopped here on our way back for a quick visit to the restaurant. The last Gondola down was in 20 mins and we had 2 options - take a few pictures or get a snack. Which option do you think we ended up taking?

Sleepy Alpine Village! - Findeln, Switzerland

The sleepy village of Findeln in the Swiss Alps. Its a small tourist village just below the ski resort of Sunnegga. I don't think any one lives in this village over night. It caters to cyclists and trekkers with its few restaurants and taverns offering unparalleled views of Matterhorn and the Zermatt valley.