Mont Blanc walking holiday
| country: | France, Italy, Switzerland |
| departures: | 2008: 25 Aug |
| price: | From £530 (11 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
This itinerary truly circumnavigates Mont Blanc and explores the surrounding alpine region. Faced with postcard images from every vantage point, the scenery and landscapes that unfold before us are simply remarkable. We are afforded unsurpassed views of the Mont Blanc massif as we venture along routes such as the Balme mountain passage, the 'Fenêtre d'Arpette' and the Balcon path.
We may see Ibex and other wildlife as we descend through alpine meadows towards charming fairytale-like villages. Traversing the foothills of the Alps through France, Italy and Switzerland allows us to encounter the alpine cultures and cuisines unique to these areas and staying in hotels, gîtes and refuges is a great way to soak up the warm hospitality for which this area is renown.
Price includes: * 10 breakfasts, 11 lunches & 10 dinners * Accommodation in gîte-hostels or dormitory-style hotels (showers can be purchased in some refuges) * Baggage transfer by mule * Experienced guide * Provision of maps and a detailed description of the itinerary
Grading
Grade 2, Moderate: Involves trekking for up to seven hours a day at a steady pace. These treks may spend successive days at altitudes not generally exceeding 5,500m and are usually between 10 and 15 days in duration. You will need a good level of fitness.
Suggested preparation: 45 minutes of aerobic type exercise, three to five times a week for the three months leading up to your trek. Hill walking with a pack in variable weather conditions is also recommended.
We may see Ibex and other wildlife as we descend through alpine meadows towards charming fairytale-like villages. Traversing the foothills of the Alps through France, Italy and Switzerland allows us to encounter the alpine cultures and cuisines unique to these areas and staying in hotels, gîtes and refuges is a great way to soak up the warm hospitality for which this area is renown.
Price includes: * 10 breakfasts, 11 lunches & 10 dinners * Accommodation in gîte-hostels or dormitory-style hotels (showers can be purchased in some refuges) * Baggage transfer by mule * Experienced guide * Provision of maps and a detailed description of the itinerary
Grading
Grade 2, Moderate: Involves trekking for up to seven hours a day at a steady pace. These treks may spend successive days at altitudes not generally exceeding 5,500m and are usually between 10 and 15 days in duration. You will need a good level of fitness.
Suggested preparation: 45 minutes of aerobic type exercise, three to five times a week for the three months leading up to your trek. Hill walking with a pack in variable weather conditions is also recommended.
what's included on our Mont Blanc walking holiday
10 breakfasts, 11 lunches, 10 dinners, accommodation in mountain refuges/gîte-hostels in dormitories (showers can be purchased in some refuges), baggage transfer by mule (max 7kgs), experienced multi-lingual guide.day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-3: | Walk from Chamonix Valley into Switzerland and on through the Valais des Hommes to La Fouly (6 hours) |
| Day 4-5: | Walk across the Grand Col Ferret path into Italy and continue through the Veni Valley |
| Day 6-8: | Over the Seigne mountain path into France and through the Contamines Natural Reserve to Contamines |
| Day 9-11: | Traverse the Chamonix Valley to Chamonix |
travellers' tales
5 star - excellent guide and wonderful atmosphere with mule Nikita - guide handled Nikita with care. (more)
highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society. Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The alpine landscapes you will experience on this walking holiday are simply stunning so it is essential then, that our small groups of up to hikers minimise our impact on the mountain to ensure that they remain so for future generations.
All rubbish will be carried out of the mountains and disposed of sensibly. The mountain huts and their immediate environment are particularly sensitive to degradation and it up to us to ensure that we use the facilities sensibly and leave them as we would expect to find them. Our starting point of Chamonix is heavily geared up for tourism but this does not mean that everyone is a tourist or understands our language. It is up to us to make all reasonable effort to communicate in the local language and to fit in with the local way of life. All travellers are provided with our award-winning 20 page Responsible Travel Booklet which outlines our environmental guidelines and practices and will provide you will clear details on how you can play a vital part in reducing your impact on the fragile environments and cultures around the world. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |