Fighting Cattle Add to Hiking, Watersports as Family Attractions in Valais, Switzerland

We love sending families to places they've never heard of or destinations that offer unexpected pleasures and treasures. And having spent a lot of time in Indonesia, where cattle battles are a local sport, this upcoming festival caught our eye.

Yes, in Sumatra, Indonesia, farmers enjoy bringing their feistiest water buffalo out into the town field each weekend and letting them have a go at each other. While onlookers cheer wildly (no, we didn't cheer, we just watched in amazement), the cattle bang into each other with their horns, or butt bottoms or chase their opponent around.  Eventually, one bull will get tired of the whole thing and just walk away, and the other one is declared a winner. While a few did get banged up, in the 20 or so bouts that we saw, none were badly hurt.

I can't speak for the cattle of Switzerland, but their tourism office did tell us that the region of Valais is proud to possess a bovine breed that is unique in the world: the Héréns breed. According to them, "This robust cow has the particularity of being a natural fighter in order to establish the hierarchy within the herd. These combats take place without any provocation. In springtime when the animals are released from their winter barns and during the journey up to the alpine pastures, they challenge each other to see who will be their leader."

So, you see, the ever neutral Swiss have a rational explanation for this sport. And that means there are many upcoming opportunities for you and the kids to watch one of these matches in person.  Here's a sneak preview of it from YouTube:

According to the Valais Calendar, there are fights scheduled on weekends in these towns.

April 24/25, 2010 in Orsières.

May 2, 2010 in La Sage.

May 9, 2010 in Aproz -- this is the final contest until late summer, then it resumes with a few more dates.

August 15, 2010 in Grächen.

September 26,2010 in Raron/Goler.

October 3, 2010 in Martigny, Foire du Valais.

Valais lies in the southwest of Switzerland, stretching for about 100 miles along the narrow ribbon of the Rhône Valley between Lake Geneva and the Rhône Glacier. We know the Matterhorn region is simply gorgeous and visiting at any time of year is a treat. The wide range of holiday destinations, from hiking towns with B&Bs to cottage communities or rural farmstays, is unusual.

According to their tourist office, you can choose between fashionable sports and recreation resorts, places with big swimming pools and waterparks, golf-focused resorts in the countryside, yoga and wellness spas, and cross-country and alpine ski areas (if you stay a few months after the last bull battle). Our favorite part of this is that since 1996, Swiss holiday resorts that are particularly suited to family holidays have been able to apply for the "Families Welcome" label.

In Switzerland, a "Families Welcome" label means that a resort or hotel property has made special efforts to tailor their programs to the needs and desires of children, their parents and other people who may accompany them. To be eligible, each place has to satisfy a number of conditions and criteria laid down by an independent quality control commission, presided over by the Swiss Tourism Federation. 

To help you plan your upcoming trip to admire the bovines of the Valais region, here is an Official List of the Families Welcome places available in this area. For more information about sightseeing in Switzerland with the family, visit the: Swiss Tourism Federation Website.