A view of Switerzland's Aletsch Glacier, the Alps' largest glacier

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Different ends of the Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland

Philstar.com / Kristofer Purnell

MANILA, Philippines — Between the Bern and Valais cantons in Switzerland, one can find the largest glacier in western Eurasia and among the biggest in the world.

The Aletsch Glacier (Aletschgletscher in German) is about 23 kilometers long and covers over 81 square kilometers of the Bernese Alps, making it also the largest glacier in the famous mountain range.

The entire glacier and other portions of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site over twenty years ago, but it continues to lose some of its ice due to global warming.

The upper part of the Aletsch Glacier can be directly accessed through the Jungfrauoch railway station, the highest station in all of Europe at 3,454 meters earning it the title "Top of Europe."

Better views however can be seen in the lower part of the glacier near the mountain village of Bettmeralp.

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From there, individuals can also have a glimpse of other peaks like the Dom, the iconic Matterhorn, and Europe's highest mountain the Mont Blanc.

The Mont Blanc however is not in Switzerland but situated along the Franco-Italian border.

There are 48 mountains in Switzerland higher than 4,000 meters — and 40 of them can be seen from the Bettmerhorn viewing point of the Aletsch Glacier.

Advanced hikers are able treak on and around the glacier, even spend the night in one of the huts found along it, but must be wary of the crevasses which can go as deep as 900 meters.

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Editor's note: The trip to Switzerland was hosted by Switzerland Tourism. At no stage does the host organization has a say on the stories generated from the coverage, interviews conducted, publication date, and story treatment. Content is produced solely by Philstar.com following editorial guidelines.

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