Cirque du Fer-a-Cheval

The cirque closes the head of the Giffre valley in an arc of limestone walls running about four to five kilometres, with cliffs rising between five hundred and seven hundred metres and summits above them reaching towards three thousand. In late spring and early summer, snowmelt sends water over the rim in dozens of separate falls at once, sometimes counted at thirty or more; by late August most have dried and the wall is bare rock. A level track runs up the valley floor to the Bout du Monde, the end of the road in every sense, where the Giffre emerges. Ibex and chamois live on the slopes.

What you actually see

• The cliff arc - a four-kilometre wall of limestone closing the valley.
• The melt waterfalls - dozens of falls at once in late spring.
• The Bout du Monde - the valley head where the track ends.
• The wildlife - ibex and chamois on the walls above.

When to go

May and June for the maximum number of waterfalls; by late summer most have stopped. The valley track is easy walking. The road closes in winter and avalanche risk is real.

Honest expectations

Visitors arriving in August often find a fraction of the waterfalls photographs promise. Parking is charged and fills at weekends. The valley walk is long and level but exposed to sun.

Nearby

Samoens lies west; the Swiss border is over the ridge.