Lauterbrunnen Valley

Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

The valley of 72 waterfalls — a glacial U-shaped trough so dramatic it inspired Tolkiens Rivendell. Sheer 300m cliffs hem in a flat valley floor barely 1km wide, with Staubbach Falls plunging freely from the rim. Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger loom above, their contour lines compressing from pastoral meadow to 4,000m summit in a few horizontal kilometers.