For solo hikers and solo travellers
Solo hiking with a safety net. Without live tracking.
You decide when you’ll check in after your hike. If no “I’m OK” arrives, Ondira reminds you first. If that goes unanswered too, your emergency contact automatically gets an email.
Free version · Plus CHF 3 a month or CHF 30 a year
Hiking alone means nobody notices on their own.
Your pace, your route. If you need help, nobody is beside you.
Tell someone your route and expected return. Agree when they should try to reach you if you haven’t been in touch.
Live location can show a place, but someone still needs to look. A check-in adds an agreed deadline and a notification if the confirmation is missing.
“I don’t want anyone watching my dot on a map. I just want someone to ask if I’m not back by evening.”
How the safety net works
Set it once before you head out. On the trail, you won’t notice it.
Set your check-in time
Set the deadline to your expected return plus a generous buffer. Pause mode isn’t for hikes: it switches protection off.
Check in after the hike
Back in the valley or at the hut, tap “I’m OK”; the app needs a brief internet connection for this.
A reminder to you first
If you miss the time, Ondira reminds you first, by push notification and email.
Then an email to your contact
If the reminder goes unanswered, your emergency contact gets a calm email with your last check-in.
In an acute emergency: call Rega or 112, not Ondira
Ondira emails your contacts. It does not alert Rega or any rescue service. If you are injured or in danger, call for help yourself: 1414 for Rega in Switzerland, or 112.
The free Rega app is better suited to that moment than any check-in app. One tap alerts Rega and sends your location automatically to its operations centre. It also needs at least minimal network coverage.
They complement each other: the Rega app when you can still call for help, Ondira when you can’t and nobody would notice you’re not back.
What solo hikers often ask
- I often have no signal in the mountains.
- To be plain: Ondira needs a brief internet connection to check in. But you don’t check in on the trail. Set the time to your expected return plus a buffer, and check in once you have signal again: in the valley, at the top station or on the hut’s Wi-Fi.
- What if my battery dies?
- Then you can’t check in and the time runs out. That’s why you get a reminder first, and the email says a missed check-in may mean nothing. Carry a charged power bank. In the mountains your phone is also your emergency phone.
- I just tell someone at home.
- Keep doing that, with route and latest return time. Ondira takes the remembering off their shoulders: if you don’t check in, they get an email automatically.
- My hike takes longer than planned. Will that trigger a false alarm?
- That’s what the buffer is for. Planning to finish at 5 pm? Set the time to 8 pm. Still late? Ondira reminds you first; one tap once you have signal is enough. If the email does go out, your contact can confirm via a link that you’re fine.
- Tracking apps like Komoot or Garmin already do this.
- Some tracking apps and GPS devices offer live location sharing, some also emergency features. If you want continuous sharing, use them. Ondira takes the other route: no live tracking, no movement history, just a time and a message if it passes. More on our location sharing comparison page.
What Ondira is not
Not an SOS button
Ondira doesn’t call a control room, Rega or an ambulance. In an emergency, dial 1414 or 112.
Not a tracker
No live location, no background tracking. Location is sent only if you switch it on, and only at check-in.
Not a medical device or avalanche gear
Ondira measures nothing. It doesn’t replace route planning, emergency kit or an avalanche transceiver.
Why you can trust Ondira
Your route stays yours
Nobody sees where you are. Check-in history is kept 14 days. No health data, no ad IDs, no data selling.
Designed for Swiss FADP and GDPR
Built to comply with Swiss data protection law and the GDPR. Server location: Switzerland.
Clear about what happens
You see in advance the email your contact would get. They need no app.
Made in Valais
Developed and run by diehm it-services in Brig-Glis, Switzerland.
Daniel Diehm and Oliver Gepp looked for something between an alarm system and a location app, and found nothing. The story behind it
Solo hiking safety: frequently asked questions
How do I stay safe hiking alone?
Pick a route that suits your experience, check the weather, pack a power bank and emergency kit, and tell someone your route and latest return time. Our guides have a full checklist.
Is there an app that automatically alerts an emergency contact if I don’t return from a hike?
Yes, that’s exactly what Ondira does. You set a check-in time. If you don’t check in and don’t respond to the reminder, your contact automatically gets an email.
Does a solo hiking check-in app work without signal?
The check-in itself needs a brief internet connection. So set the time for after the hike, when you have signal again.
Does Ondira alert Rega or mountain rescue?
No. Ondira only emails your contacts. In an emergency, call 1414 or 112 yourself, or use the Rega app, which sends your location to its operations centre.
Does Ondira work for solo travellers too?
Yes. When travelling, you might check in every evening. With Plus, you adapt the weekly schedule to travel days.
How much does the solo hiking safety check-in cost?
The daily check-in is free. Ondira Plus, with a weekly schedule and shorter rhythms, costs CHF 3 a month or CHF 30 a year.
Can my contact see where I am hiking?
There is no live tracking. Your location is sent only at check-in, if you enable it. If a later check-in is missed, the notification email includes a map link to that last location.
Go alone. But not unnoticed.
Set up Ondira before your next hike and add a contact.
Setting Ondira up for someone else? Install it together on the phone of the person who checks in.
Free version, no credit card. Plus can be cancelled for the end of the term.
Feedback & news
Want to hear what changes in Ondira? Leave your email address. Feedback and wishes are welcome at support@ondira.app.