Treasure hunt with Abelina & the Appenzeller Bahnen

Treasure hunter Jasmin with family, Franziska and Elly the soup sniffer nose (from 26.05.24)

Elly and I have been given a very special assignment for today. We're off to Appenzellerland for a treasure hunt with the Appenzeller dog Abelina and her friend Emma - an adventure trail of the Appenzeller Bahnen for families with and without four-legged companions.

By solving many different puzzles, the adventurers have to find the treasure and return to an Appenzeller Bahnen stop.

However, as I have serious doubts about my puzzle-solving skills, Elly and her paws have not yet fully mastered the use of the smartphone and we are therefore sure to get lost somewhere, Elly and I travel from Interlaken by train via Grenchen and take my 12-year-old niece Jasmin and her family with us as reinforcements. With the four of us, an expert treasure hunter and Elly the super sniffer nose, we feel well equipped for this adventure.

The entertaining train journey takes us via Zurich to St.Gallen. Jasmin has studied the Appenzeller Bahnen homepage with the article about Abelina carefully during the journey and now knows where we have to change trains in St. Gallen, where Abelina is waiting for us with the first puzzle and where we finally have to get off the train again to continue our treasure hunt on foot.

To help us, we open the smarTrail web app on our smartphones. Once we have reached the right place - bling - a beep sounds and the next clue appears on the screen. On the interactive map, we can see which puzzles we have already solved and can read the clues again if necessary. Jasmin successfully solves the first puzzle, we get off the bus at the right stop and, already in puzzle mode, we now follow Abelina and Emma's further clues towards the treasure, with Elly and Jasmin leading the way.

A well-maintained path leads us across meadows and through forests and we enjoy the view towards the Alpstein and Lake Constance. Elly is delighted by the many fountains along the way and always finds something to snack on among the many benches that offer the opportunity for a rest - happy dog. And Abelina and Emma have also prepared a task for their dog friends along the way. Let them surprise you!

Thanks to the great support of Jasmin and her family, Elly and I arrived at the longed-for treasure after 4 hours of adventure (pure hiking time: approx. 2-3 hours), including a leisurely break for the treasure hunt picnic we had brought with us, and returned to an Appenzell Railway station...

But enough chit-chat, we won't tell you any more :-).

Put on your hiking boots, pack your rucksack with the necessary hiking equipment for two and four-legged friends, a delicious picnic or a sausage to grill with plenty to drink and set off! You can look forward to a fun and entertaining adventure trail - and yes, don't forget -> your equipment also includes a smartphone with the option of receiving mobile data.

Thank you dear Appenzeller Bahnen for this great experience ♡