The leaves of the leaves are still rustling, but the autumn wind smells more and more of snow. On the mountains around Sölden it has become wintery, while autumn still presents itself from its most beautiful side in the front part of the Ötztal.

Why do we love autumn in the Ötztal? There are many reasons. We would like to describe some of them to you here.

Especially after noon, when the sun is warming up particularly strongly, the

• the ZauberWALD of Sautens for an exciting walk on the viewing platform with the "Drei-Kirchen-Blick" and the forest playground.
• The Ötztaler Ache for a leisurely stroll down the valley to the Wellerbrücke bridge.
• The Haiminger Apfelstraße, the Haiming pleasure region can be discovered by walking, hiking or cycling.

Always worth a visit:

• The lovingly renovated tower museum in Oetz with a private collection of regional cultural assets worth seeing and pictures that bear witness to the fact that Oetz was a place of longing for poets, painters and mountain romantics for centuries. (Currently closed, but guided tours also possible outside opening hours by appointment!)

Varied hikes lead you to natural spectacles at the entrance to the Ötztal valley.

From the Weller bridge, the path leads you to a jewel of nature: Lake Piburg, where the Acherkogel is reflected. You won't stumble over Lake Piburg by accident. A wooded ridge separates Piburg from Oetz in the front Ötztal valley. An enormous rockfall, triggered by the last ice age, blocked the path of the Ötztaler Ache and once dammed up the lake. While strolling around the Piburger, as the locals call it, the last water lily blossoms, gracefully white in their green bed of leaves, greedy for the rays of the late sun, impress. And on the shore a few spherical marsh marigolds, which have gathered to a late second bloom, prevail against the lush, evergreen sedges and reeds.

On a steep climb, a crisp path leads up to Seejöchl above the hamlet of Piburg, rewarded with dream views.
Experience the power of nature on the wild waters of the Achstürze: Where mighty boulders covered with moss remind you of a long past landslide and in summer kayakers are on their way.

In close contact with the Ötztal mountains: secured along a continuous wire rope, the route climbs up the via ferrata at the beginning of the Ötztal. Steps in the rock will show you the way to a high feeling, some key points require strength, skill and courage. You cross rope bridges, climb along mountain walls and climb ladders. 

While the snow can already be seen on the mountain tops in the rear Ötztal valley, one or the other via ferrata can still be mastered in the warm autumn sun at the entrance to the valley.

Ötzi Dorf - Life in the Stone Age

Experience an exciting journey through time into the world of "Ötzi - the man from the ice" - his life, living and working in the Neolithic Age, authentic huts, weapons, tools and old breeds of domestic animals.

Birds of prey park Umhausen  

Eagles, buzzards, falcons, kites and many other bird species show their spectacular flying skills in daily demonstrations. A very close experience in front of the grandiose scenery of the Ötztal mountains.

In the Bird of Prey Park with around 5,000 m², eagles, buzzards, falcons and kites give daily demonstrations of their flight tracks against the grandiose backdrop of the Ötztal mountains. Rare bird species live here in species-appropriate conditions and are looked after by professionally trained falconers. The birds of prey show their flying skills at breathtaking speed: elegant gliding flights, daring swoops, rapid hunting flights and silent gliding flights. A very close experience for young and old.

Every year from mid-September onwards, almost 2,000 sheep cross the main Alpine ridge in an endless row. They have to walk 515 metres in altitude along the old sheep trail - part of the Via Alpina - over the Similaunferner to the pass of the Niederjoch at 3,019 metres and then down again to Vernagt am See. From the Ötztal to the Schnalstal. 

For centuries thousands of sheep have been driven from the south over the Jöcher to the summer pastures in the inner Ötztal every year in early summer (early June). In autumn (beginning/mid September) the animals are driven back from the lush high pastures to the valleys of South Tyrol.

This overdrive takes place every year in June and September. 

Kayakers call the "Sick Line" the perfect, most fluid and at the same time fastest line downstream. 

The "Wellerbrücke" is one of the most difficult whitewater routes in the world - it is not without reason that it is also called the Eiger north face of kayaking. Until the mid-1970s, the section of the Ötztal Ache known as the "Wellerbrücke Rapids" was considered impassable. It was not until December 1976 that the section was opened up and first kayaked - this honour is due to Holger Machatschek (founder of the Alpine Kayak Club), Andreas Gahl and Hans-Peter Heil!

The course is 280 metres long and has to be completed by the participants - the course has an average gradient of 10 percent. The difficulty level varies between level 5 (extremely difficult) and level 6 (only passable under ideal conditions) according to the international whitewater difficulty scale. 

This event has been taking place in the Ötztal valley for many years and can be combined with a holiday in autumn.