HIF Summer Camp in the Swiss Alps

The programme brings together academics, field research, skills development, creativity and outdoor education, and is adapted by age between Adventurers aged 10 to 13 and Explorers aged 14 to 16. Students learn through experience: investigating, creating, solving problems, working with others and applying theory to real situations across the Engadin Valley. Core academics build critical thinking and the use of evidence; enriched education adds AI, coding, robotics and visual storytelling. The camp day runs in English.

A residential camp of fourteen days and thirteen nights on the HIF boarding campus, for young people aged 10 to 16, with a maximum of thirty students per session. Two sessions run in July. The programme fee covers accommodation on campus, full board and the camp programme. Airport pick-up from Zurich and single-room upgrades are offered separately as optional extras.

Campers live on the HIF boarding school campus in Ftan, sharing bright, modern twin rooms with ensuite bathrooms. The school aims to honour roommate requests and matches children of similar ages and interests. Single occupancy with a shared bathroom, and a single room with ensuite, are available as paid upgrades.

Full board on campus. The day starts with a breakfast buffet, with lunch in the middle of the day and dinner in the evening shared with the group. The kitchen team prepares fresh, balanced meals daily and caters for a variety of dietary preferences and requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy-specific diets, when these are given on the health form in advance.

Mountain biking in the Engadin, climbing and via ferrata, rafting and river adventure, sailing on Lake St. Moritz, AI, coding and robotics challenges, creative workshops, fieldwork in the Swiss National Park, navigation and outdoor leadership, field research at the Morteratsch Glacier, and the HIF Final Challenge. Mornings are given to outdoor education, afternoons to academics, and evenings to games, sports and well-being.

The camp is based on the HIF boarding school campus in Ftan, a traditional Alpine village in the Lower Engadin Valley. Students live in the school residence, eat in the campus dining room and share the everyday life of the school with peers from around the world. The hospital in Scuol is about ten minutes away.

A typical day begins with a breakfast buffet, outdoor education, lunch, academics, dinner and evening games, sports or well-being activities, with rest at night. Experienced HIF staff provide structure, support and pastoral care throughout, supervision runs around the clock, and qualified specialists lead technical and outdoor activities. For families considering international education, the camp is a first-hand introduction to boarding at HIF.