Kandersteg International Scout Centre

Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) in Switzerland is a World Centre belonging to the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). Over 3,000 UK Scouts visit Kandersteg each year, taking part in adventurous activities, making international friends and experiencing the unique Kandersteg campfires.

Opened in 1923, Baden-Powell intended Kandersteg to be a place where Scouts could experience a ‘permanent mini-Jamboree’. KISC combines a campsite and indoor accommodation with programme support and a volunteer staff team from all over the world.

Kandersteg International Scout Centre is situated at 1,200 metres above sea level approximately 40 miles south of Bern, the capital of Switzerland. The Centre is at the southern end of the small, traditional village of Kandersteg and is open both to groups and individuals, Scouts and non-Scouts, throughout the year.

Kandersteg is easy to travel to and provides an excellent base for sightseeing, exploring the Alps and meeting Scouts from around the world. In co-operation with KISC the Switzerland Travel Centre is offering exclusive rail tickets for Scout groups travelling to Kandersteg.

Activities at Kandersteg

KISC and the UK Scout Association have been working together to ensure that your alpine activities are conducted under the stipulations of UK activity rules. The purpose of this KISC information sheet is to inform you of the procedure for activities while staying at KISC. There are two information sheets that are available, one for summer activities and the other for winter activities.

Check out the guidance for UK groups for summer and winter activities at KISC before you travel.

UK Kandersteg Special Interest Group

As part of the International Scout Support Unit there is a special interest group for Kandersteg. Members are available to advise Leaders with their planning, especially for those visiting for the first time and creating a sense of belonging to KISC amongst volunteers around the UK. Identified by their distinctive pink scarves, the special interest group members, who include Leaders who have visited KISC and former KISC Staff, pay a small annual membership fee to the International Scout Support Unit.

The UK Guide to Kandersteg is particularly useful for UK leaders intending to take a party to Kandersteg for the first time.

For more information on Kandersteg, contact Keyur Patel.