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About 8km southeast of Konkordiaplatz, on the east bank of the glacier between the Strahlhorn and Eggishorn, lies a glacial hollow (the Märjelental) dotted with tiny pools and the celebrated, but much-diminished, Märjelensee. Streams from this basin flow in opposite directions, one to the Fieschertal, the other to the Aletschgletscher, and views are tremendous wherever you look.

Below the tongue of this great glacier, overlooking a narrow gorge, the Aletschwald is one of the oldest and highest pine and larch forests in Europe, now a nature reserve and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn UNESCO World Heritage Site. The steep western wall of the gorge is broken by a couple of grass terraces on which a few alp chalets are found, and on its highest level stand the buildings of Belalp. The gorge is spanned by a 124m-long suspension bridge, and on its eastern side trails climb through the Aletschwald to a broad, sunny plateau below the Aletschgletscher’s moraine wall more than 1000m above the Rhône. Here lie Riederalp and Bettmeralp, which, like Belalp, are car-free resorts that enjoy panoramic views to the south where some of the most imposing snowpeaks of the Valais region line the horizon. Since there is no road access, visitors must either travel up by cablecar or on foot – gruellingly steep climbs of 600m–1100m.