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Classic Tour du Mont Blanc itinerary in 10 days

Classic Tour du Mont Blanc itinerary in 10 days
Classic Tour du Mont Blanc itinerary in 10 days
Classic Tour du Mont Blanc itinerary in 10 days
Classic Tour du Mont Blanc itinerary in 10 days

Join UIMLA mountain leader Emma on this 10-day classic version of the Tour du Mont Blanc. It's an experience no avid hiker should miss out on!

Group

Alps

12 Days

Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Fit

Intermediate


Highlights

  • Join a full on Tour du Mont Blanc hike in the Alps.
  • Spend 10 days exploring some of the most beautiful mountains in Europe.
  • Complete a unique hiking feat in the company of an experienced certified guide.

Description

Come join me on this classic Tour du Mont Blanc for an experience that every avid hiker should have at least once! I’m a TMB expert and I’ll be happy to be your guide during these 10 days.

During our hike, we’ll visit three different countries — France, Switzerland, and Italy — and trek around western Europe’s highest mountain (4810m). You’ll get to enjoy some stunning views on some of the mountains that have shaped the history of mountaineering: Domes de Miages, Aiguille Verte and Grandes Jorasses, among others.

Along the way, we’ll choose some off-the-beaten-path variants to stay away from crowds. We’ll sleep at some of the coziest and most comfortable mountain huts in the Alps. I’m sure you’ll particularly enjoy Bonatti Hut, with its great Italian food and fantastic atmosphere.

You will need a good fitness level to enjoy this hike. The trekking is relatively strenuous and challenging but we’ll follow good quality trails all the way round. However, it’s mandatory to have some previous and regular experience in this kind of outdoor activity.

You’ll find the full itinerary at the end of this description. Nevertheless, I can adjust this trek to your wishes, availability and skills. So don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss any changes. Let’s trek this classic Tour du Mont Blanc together!

You can also check my classic Haute Route hiking traverse, from Chamonix to Zermatt!

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Accommodation included

- Lift tickets

- Transport during the trip

- Luggage transfer

- Breakfast

- Dinner

Price details

The price does not include the guide´s expenses (accommodation, meals, lift tickets, etc).


Itinerary

Day 1: MEETING POINT

Arrive in Chamonix. Our trip begins in the famous mountain town of Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc. We meet the group at 6 pm for a trip briefing followed by our evening meal.

Accommodation in a 3-star hotel, dinner included (Luggage access).

Day 2: TREK TO LES CONTAMINES

We start in Les Houches (after being transferred to there) with a cable car ride on the Bellevue lift. We then cross the spectacular suspension bridge at the foot of the Bionnassay glacier, and we have several route choices to take us to Les Contamines. We usually cross the Col de Tricot, with a coffee stop at the Chalet de Miages at the foot of the mighty Dome de Miages. But if the weather is bad we can take a lower level route.

Accommodation in a lovely 3* hotel in Les Contamines.

Day 3: TREK FROM LES CONTAMINES TO LES CHAPIEUX

Today we trek up the old Roman road to the chapel at Notre Dame de la Gorge. From here it’s uphill, past the Chalet de Barme (if we’re doing well for time, it’s a perfect coffee stop!) and up to the Col de Bonhomme (2328m) for a well-earned lunch stop. We then have a gentle climb to the Col de la Croix de Bonhomme (2478m), from where we have a great view towards the Vanoise National Park. After that, we have a 2-hour walk down to Les Chapieux, and stay in a lovely chambre d’hôte, a guest house with dinner included.

Day 4: COURMAYEUR

Firstly we take a minibus to avoid walking the tarmac section up to the Ville des Glaciers. From here we cross the river and head to the Refuge des Mottets, from where we start the climb up to the Col de la Seigne (2516m). Once in there, the scenery changes again – you’ve reached Italy! We have fantastic views down into the Val Veny and over to the Val Ferret, and you start to see the Italian side of Mont Blanc and the other Chamonix giants. A descent past the Elisabetta hut takes us to La Visaille, where we take a bus down to the traditional Italian town of Courmayeur, where we spend the night.

Accommodation in a hotel with dinner included.

Day 5: BONATTI HUT

We start a steep walk up to the Bertone hut and the Mont de la Saxe ridge. If the weather is good and there is not too much snow, we can take the lesser-traveled variant to the Mont de la Saxe ridge, up the Tête de la Tronche, and then down steeply to the Col Sapin. We then have a descent, followed by another climb to the Col Entre Deux Sauts: it’s a fairly long, but really stunning day – not many people, plus breathtaking scenery. We overnight at the delightful Rifugio Bonatti, from where you can watch the beautiful sunset behind Mont Blanc. Tonight is the only night of the trip with no luggage access.

Day 6: TREK FROM BONATTI TO LA FOULY

Today we trek over the Grand Col Ferret (one of the highest cols on the trip at 2537m). We are rewarded with stunning views of the Grandes Jorasses, the Grand Combin and Mont Dolent (the summit of which is on the border of France, Switzerland and Italy). At the top of the col we cross over into Switzerland, where the scenery changes yet again. If we’re doing well for time we might stop for a coffee at La Peule. Here we leave the signposted TMB and head to La Fouly via a higher balcony path. La Fouly is an alpine village with traditional Swiss “chocolate box” chalets, and we stay in a hotel (dinner included).

Day 7: LA FOULY TO CHAMPEX

A much shorter day today has us winding through beautiful Swiss alpine meadows, tiny rural villages and finally up to the beautiful alpine resort of Champex, nestled alongside the lake that gives it its name. Here we stay in a traditional 3-star hotel, with simple rooms but wonderful food.

Day 8: HIKE FROM CHAMPEX TO TRIENT

There are 2 options for today. If we’re feeling fit and the weather is good, we can take the Fenêtre d’Arpette, the highest col on the TMB at 2665m. It’s a fantastic route with stunning views of the Trient glacier. If we want to be a little more relaxed, we can take the normal route via Bovine to the Col de la Forclaz – I or a guide in charge will make the decision according to the weather conditions and fitness of the group. We then continue down to the valley of Trient, our Swiss base for the night.

Accommodation in a hotel with dinner included and luggage access.

Day 9: TRIENT TO ARGENTIERE

Today our plan is to take another variant from the official TMB – a lesser-traveled route via Les Grands. There are much better views from this route, and there are usually not many people, so it’s worth the extra time and effort. If the weather is bad then we might just take the normal TMB. Either route takes us to the Col de Balme, where we are back in France at the head of the Chamonix valley. From here we have a short climb to the Aiguillette des Posettes, and we descend to Argentière via the hamlet of Tré-le-Champ.

Accommodation in a hotel (dinner included).

Day 10: TREK FROM ARGENTIERE VIA THE LAC DES CHESERYS TO CHAMONIX

We make the short walk back to Tré-le-Champ and hike up to the beautiful Lacs des Chéserys, with simply the best views of Mont Blanc. This is one of the best walks in the Chamonix valley, and we use a series of ladders and chains to skirt the cliffs – this is nothing to worry about and is not difficult! We then traverse to the Flégère and finish the day with the Grand Balcon Sud – a wonderful balcony walk with endless Mont Blanc views. We take the Planpraz cable car down to Chamonix and our comfortable hotel.

Day 11: CHAMONIX TO LES HOUCHES

Today we take the cable car back up to Planpraz to resume walking at the same point we finished at yesterday. We climb up to the Col du Brévent and then up to the Brévent summit with excellent views of Mont Blanc. To complete our Tour du Mont Blanc, we descend via Merlet to reach Les Houches, and take a transfer back to our hotel in Chamonix.

Day 12: DEPART CHAMONIX

Our trip finishes after breakfast.

 

Details

Accommodation

8 nights in hotels 1 night in a guest house 1 night in an auberge 1 night in a refuge

More info

Group size: 4-10 Price: £1945 per person All breakfasts & evening meals included

Meeting point

Chamonix

About the guide

I'm a qualified International Mountain Leader (IML) and I have been leading expeditions for the last 15 years. I have led the Tour du Mont Blanc over 40 times, the Everest Base Camp trek 27 times, Kilimanjaro 10 times, and I have also led trips in Nepal, Peru, Cuba, India, Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand, the Alps, the Pyrenees, Russia, Uzbekistan and Madagascar, amongst others.

I'm a passionate skier, in 2009 I made the first ski descent of Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world (8156m).

Fluent in French, Russian and Spanish, I also work as an interpreter and love to chat.

Languages

Russian | French | English

Certificates

UIMLA


What people are saying about -Emma Jack

Fausto JIMÉNEZ

4.00

January, 2023

Bruno our guide was very helpful and profesional

Jill Seabrook

5.00

July, 2022

AMAZING! This was a last minute decision and my first multi day trekking tour and it far exceeded my expectations. The communication and preparation was comprehensive and accurate. Our guide (Lindsay) was phenomenal. The route was the perfect mix of challenge and comfort. I will definitely be booking my next hiking trek thru Emma.

Frank Van Nieulande

5.00

January, 2022

Emma is a very humble guide in a good way. Always in a good mood full of laughter who puts safety first and in for a good story about her previous adventures. We enjoyed her company a lot! Thanks Emma we had a wonderful time. Greetings Frank

Piyush Yawalkar

4.00

September, 2019

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Paul Connolly

5.00

March, 2019

Emma was very easy to communicate with (once we we able e in the same time zone, of course!). Our guide Phil was fabulous. Thanks to all.

Jule Mansfield

5.00

January, 2019

We booked 3 full days of private showshoeing in Chamonix. Emma Jack was very responsive to our inquiry during booking and our emails leading up to our trip. We were paired with a local guide, Sebastian, who was very knowledgeable about the Chamonix area and picked the perfect spots for us to snowshoe each day based on the weather and snowfall accumulation. I highly recommend booking your trip with Emma Jack and would use her again if we return.

Heather

5.00

September, 2018

Your service was wonderful - it was easy to use and put me in touch with my hiking guide Suze through Cloud 9 Adventure! I couldn't have asked for a better guide or day of hiking in Chamonix.

Vijay and Rosheen

4.00

March, 2018

Excellent start for us in snow shoeing with Phil our guide who kept things nice and easy - an enjoyable activity to redo.

Siti Aminah Othman

5.00

December, 2017

We had fun on that day!! The sun was shining all the way the there’s a lot of snow ? my kids enjoy the trip. All of the arrangement up to the guide is very professional handled & we enjoy the company..and will definitely booked with explore share again..keep up the good work guys!! ?

Virginie Poulin

5.00

August, 2015

Emma is a very nice and attentive guide. She is super healthy and energetic, always smiling. She has a great enthusiasm in general. Very knowledgeable about nature, she shares and teaches with care. Also, she always pays attention to each and any person, and especially adapts pace so that the hike remains a pleasant adventure and memory for all. Plus, she is very cautious of weather and mountain conditions, and has a lot of resources and ideas to adapt to the situation and hikers. In short, very nice and professional! You feel in good hands.

Mariann

5.00

June, 2015

Emma was a very sweet and knowledgeable guide. She was adaptive to the different personalities and skill level of our group. Easygoing, talkative, friendly and pleasant to be around! Couldn't be happier with our guide!


 

 

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