Transhumance

Traditional Transhumance with Festivities and Folk Music.
In October, it’s time for the cattle, horses, goats, and sheep that spent the summer on the Seiser Alm to return to the valley. On the Seiser Alm, the Transhumance is traditionally celebrated on Rosary Saturday, the Saturday before the Harvest Festival. Starting at 10:30 a.m., cows adorned with flower wreaths and bells fill the streets of Compatsch. The colorful herd of around 250 cattle, sheep, horses, and goats, along with decorated carts, then heads towards the valley and Kastelruth around midday.

Festivities on the Seiser Alm in Compatsch begin at 10:00 a.m. with commentary - the „Goasslschnalzern“, alphorn players, the dance group „Alpler Plattler Gitschen“, the brass band "St. Martin in Thurn", the music group "Schlernblech", a farmers' market, and demonstrations of old farming crafts. Food and drink will be provided.

Festivities in Kastelruth start at 10:00 a.m. with commentary - For many years, it has been a tradition to celebrate the return from the Alm with music, dancing, food, and drink. The Farmers' Buffet and the Hunting Association of Kastelruth will provide refreshments at the entrance to Kastelruth, along the beautiful promenade. The Alphorn players, the Garner „Schuhplattler“, the „Goasslschnalzer“ and the musical group „Schlernwind“ will provide entertainment. The festive procession with the animals and their handlers is expected to arrive in Kastelruth around 1:30 p.m.

We recommend that you watch the entire Transhumance from the Seiser Alm to Kastelruth, as not all animals make it to Kastelruth. Some farmers take their animals to their farms before reaching Kastelruth. You can easily reach the Seiser Alm with the Seiser Alm Cable Car from Seis am Schlern. On this special day, you can use the Seis-Seiser Alm Cable Car at a special price of €14.00 (round trip)! Buses no. 3, 3A and 172 run between the Seiser Alm cable car and Kastelruth. Please note the road closures: after a certain time, no buses will run to Kastelruth, so you may need to travel to Telfen and walk from there to Kastelruth. Tour buses can reach the Seiser Alm before 9:00 a.m. Since the road will be closed for return traffic until 2:00 p.m., tour buses can only drive down after 2:00 p.m. Alternatively, tour buses can park at the Seiser Alm Cable Car station, and guests can reach the Seiser Alm by cable car. In Kastelruth, tour buses can drop off guests at the bus station and then park at the "Tirlerhof" parking lot, 1 km away. Please pay attention to road closures.

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