Les Elfes Summer Camp – Verbier, Switzerland
A family-run international camp in the Swiss Alps, with more than 40 activities and friends from 75 nations.
Les Elfes International was founded in 1987 and has its home in Verbier, a sunny Alpine resort about two hours from Geneva. Each summer it welcomes young people aged 6 to 17 from around 75 nationalities, in six two-week sessions from June to August.
Campers are grouped by age: Discovery (6–10), Adventurers (10–11, in the busiest sessions), Explorers (11–13) and Pioneers (14–17), the most challenging programme with more autonomy and high-adrenaline activities.
Language courses
On weekday mornings, students can take French, English, German, Spanish or Mandarin with Verbier Language School, as conversational, intensive or private courses. Groups have a maximum of 8 students per teacher, and each student receives a certificate and a portfolio of their work. Campers who prefer can join outdoor activities instead.
Sport and adventure
More than 40 activities: ropes course, rock climbing, zip-lines, bridge swing, mountain biking, hiking with mountain guides and overnights in mountain huts, horse riding, tennis, golf, football, basketball, volleyball, trampoline and swimming. Paragliding and private tennis or golf lessons are available as extras. At Lake Geneva, campers enjoy tubing, banana boating and water slides.
Excursions and culture
Day trips include Château de Chillon, Gruyères, Geneva (the Red Cross Museum and the United Nations), Bern, Lausanne and the Olympic Museum, Annecy, Zermatt, Chamonix and Mont Fort at 3,300 m. Evenings bring campfires, cinema nights, a casino night and a disco.
Life on campus
Campers live in two purpose-built wood-and-stone chalets with 70 beds each, a short walk from Verbier village, in rooms for four with en-suite bathrooms. Full board with four meals a day, a sports centre with pool, squash and ice rink, and 24/7 supervision with a nurse on site.
