The Wildlife Oasis of Macugnaga in the upper Anzasca Valley lies on the slopes at the foot of Monte Rosa, whose immense east face of 2,500 metres dominates the little town.

The Oasis is a marvellous place for mountain- and nature-lovers to go on hiking excursions: via the Strà Grande trail, for example, you can go on foot from Piedimulera to Macugnaga. The lively little town of Macugnaga is a focal point for the whole of the Anzasca valley, attracting thousands of visitors in summer and winter.

The whole of the oasis is crossed by the beautiful Belvedere glacier, near which a network of marked paths makes it easy to explore the mountain environment with its Alpine vegetation characterised by extensive larch and conifer woods.  Other interesting geological phenomena in the oasis are the Locce Lake and the Ephemeral Lake, which can be reached starting from the glacier.

The oasis, covering an area of 2,750 hectares, was designated in 1969 as a place to reintroduce the ibex, which had almost disappeared from the Alps. If you want to see the ibex, as well as chamois, the best time of year is late spring or autumn, when they are still in the lower mountain areas, before they take to the high mountains in the summer. Other animals you may catch a glimpse of are marmots and stoats.

To reach this strikingly lovely Alpine environment you can take the Belvedere Chairlift from Pecetto, the last hamlet of Macugnaga, to the glacier.