📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
The private botanical garden “Alpinum Schatzalp“ is a part of the Art Nouveau mountain hotel Schatzalp in the heart of the Swiss mountains. Occupying about 5 ha at the height of 1864m above sea level, there are over 5000 different species and types of plants from all over the world that are cultivated here.
Like all botanical gardens our goals are:
1. Conservation and collection of plant species from all over the world
2. Education of visitors
3. Local recreation
The botanical garden Alpinum Schatzalp is a part of the Berghotel Schatzalp.
💼 What the programme involves
During your stay you will get an insight into horticulture, especially into the field of alpine gardening. Volunteers will mostly be working in the field of nature conservation, espacially controling (weeding) invasive Neophytes. Apart from that, you build pathways, prepare compost, prepare soil for future plants, propagate plants, maintain the garden grounds and prepare flower-beds. Please be aware that the work is physically demanding, you will sometimes need to carry heavy things (& working at the height of 1864m above sea level is more tiring)!
🏠 Accommodation on site
The volunteers will be located in shared or single rooms depending on availability inside the hotel (this will only become clear on site); each volunteer will have a separate bed. Sheets and blankets will be provided. The shared toilets and showers are located on the floor. Please note that volunteers use the same corridors and stairs as staff and not as hotel guests. There is a washing machine which costs 3 CHF per load. There is also WiFi available. An adapter for the sockets is most of the times needed depending on the device. Volunteers are asked to bring their own adapter for the socket.
⚠️ Requirements
Good shoes and working clothes are necessary! Keep in mind that you will have to do physically demanding work in order to meet the high demands of a botanical garden.
INCOMING/ADDITIONAL FEE for volunteers applying via Partner organisations & Contacts of SCI: https://scich.org/en/incoming-fee/
ℹ️ Additional information
Food will be provided through the hotel canteen. This camp is not possible for vegan people and can be difficult for vegetarian people as the canteen and food provided is mostly meat-heavy.
The Alpinum is willing to offer a lot of knowledge, especially in the field of gardening and horticultural/botanical sciences. Therefore you should be interested in abovementioned topics and have a good English level.
The overall concept of the Schatzalp is a slow mountain concept which means that the entire area is a place of recreation and contemplation. If you are in search of nightlife this workcamp should not be considered.
The volunteers organise their free-time activities themselves: there is a huge amount of beautiful hiking places. The Alpinum usually organises two evening get-togethers.