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7-Day Haute Route highlights

Haute Route
Haute Route
Haute Routex
Haute Route

Join Emma, UIMLA mountain leader on this 7 day Haute Route highlights tour during which you'll discover the most breathtaking spots of this stunning mountain region.

Not specified

Alps

7 Days

Jun - Oct

Fit

Intermediate


Description

The Haute Route hike is one of the most famous in the Alps. Although traditionally it is ten days long, we have customized it to fit a shorter schedule. However, none of the splendor is lost on this 7-day Haute Route highlights tour.  We have carefully picked the spots we visit in order to make sure that you make the most out of the Haute Route trek from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn. 

Haute Route, which translates to high route, is the path that takes us beneath 10 of the 12 highest peaks in the Alps. The tour is designed to be straightforward trekking so we won’t have to cross any glaciers or use ice picks. However, although we take several short transfers to shorten the time of the trek, it is still quite demanding. Consequently, physical preparation is a must.

Our meeting point at Chamonix, and our destination at Zermatt are both world famous mountaineering capitals. On the first day at Chamonix we meet in the evening and then have dinner. We begin our trek early the next day. First, we take the Mont Blanc Express train to the hamlet of Montroc. Then, we begin the climb to Aiguillette des Posettes. The first trekking day of the Haute Route tour is the lightest with an approximate trekking time of 6 to 7 hours. The rest of the days are a little more demanding and will require between 7 and 9 hours of walking.

Some of the highlights of the tour include the Cabane de Louvie, the glaciers at the Lac de Dix, and the stunning turquoise Lac de Moiry. Flower filled meadows with birds and wildlife, plus the stunning snow-capped mountains are also part of the breathtaking landscape. Additionally, along the Haute Route we have plenty of chances to stop for homemade cakes and heartwarming drinks. Sleeping in the mountains under starry silent skies is also a unique experience.

Haute Route highlights tour should be on every person’s bucket list. If it is on yours, then now is the time to do it!  Sound like a good plan? Book your place and join me now on this 7 day Haute Route Tour highlights and get ready for a once in a lifetime experience!

If this sound good but not enough mountain for you, try the full classic Haute Route Tour trek!

Price includes

- Accommodation included

- Guiding fee

- Breakfast

- Dinner

- Transport during the trip

- Luggage transfer

Price details

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

Included: All accommodation,

All breakfasts & evening meals,

All transfers in the itinerary,

Luggage transfers on all but 2 nights,

Qualified & experienced International Mountain Leader.

Not Included:

Flights,

Travel insurance,

Airport transfers,

Packed lunches,

Personal drinks & snacks,

Bottled water when needed in huts,

Tips.


Itinerary

Day 1: Meeting Point at Chamonix

6pm trip briefing + dinner.

Accommodation: 3* hotel, dinner included.

Luggage access.

Day 2: Montroc to Col de la Forclaz (or Trient)

  1. First, we take the Mont Blanc Express train to the hamlet of Montroc, at the head of the Chamonix valley.

  2. After, we climb up through the Larch forests to the stunning Aiguillette des Posettes.

  3. Then, we will go to our first mountain pass at Col des Posettes. Get ready for some incredible views of the Le Tour glacier and Mont Blanc.

  4. We then take the Scenic route via Les Tseppes to the village of Trient.

  5. Finally we have two options. Option A: Climb to the Col de la Forclaz, where we stay the night. Option B: We stay in Trient and make the climb to the col the next morning, depending on accommodation availability.

 

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included.

Luggage access.

Walking: approx 6-7 hrs.

Distance: 13.5 km.

Altitude gain / loss: +1200m / -1100m.

Day 3: Trient to the Cabane de Louvie

  1. We start with a climb up the Bovine Trail, to the family-run Alpage de Bovine. Here we will find a herd of prize cows, plus we can enjoy refreshments and home-made cakes.

  2. Next, we ascend the Grand Colombin before entering the forest trail.

  3. After we arrive at the café at Plan de l’Au, we have a short transfer to the village of Fionnay for  lunch.

  4.  We then begin our journey into the mountains for the following  two days.

  5. The Cabane de Louvie is our next destination. In order to get there, we have to trek the challenging trail that leads to it. The welcome drink at the top and the breathtaking scenery make the hard work worth it!

Accommodation : Mountain refuge, dinner included

No luggage access

Walking: Approx 7-9 hrs

Distance: 18 km

Altitude gain / loss: +1250m / -550m

Day 4: Cabane de Louvie to the Cabane de Prafleuri

  1. First we follow the shoreline of the Lac de Louvie.

  2. Then, the trail leads us steeply up to join a high path that traverses beneath the cliffs. This is a tricky part of the trail and there is often a chain to hold on to.

  3. Next, we head to the Col de Louvie at 2921m, before descending on to the edge of the Grand Désert glacier.

  4. The Col de Prafleuri is the next aim, at a height of 2987m.

  5. The Cabane de Prafleuri (2624m), our desitination, is just a short descent away.

Accommodation: Mountain refuge, dinner included

No luggage access

Walking: Approx 7-9 hours

Distance: 18 km

Altitude gain / loss: +820m / -550m

Day 5: Cabane de Prafleuri to La Sage

  1. First, we have a short climb to the Col de Roux with views of glaciers and the waters of Lac de Dix.

  2. We then follow the lake to its end, and descend with great views of the Pigne d’Arolla and Mont Blanc de Cheilon.

  3. Next, we cross the moraine of the Dix glacier, followed by a steep ascent to either the Col de Riedmatten, or the ‘Pas de Chèvres’.

  4. The rest of the day  we go downhill to the village of Arolla, nestled in a forest of Arolla pines.

  5. Finally, we take a transfer to the delightful hotel in the small farming hamlet of La Sage.

 

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: Approx 8-9 hrs

Distance: 22 km

Altitude gain / loss: +1100m / -1360m

Day 6: La Sage to ZInal

  1. We get off to an early start on day 6 and ascend to the Col de Torrent at 2912m.

  2. Following the ascent of the Col, we then descend to the turquoise waters of Lac de Moiry which has an impressive dam and sights of the Pennine Alps, including Dent Blanche (‘white tooth’).

  3. The next step to the  Col de Sorebois is steeper, but also shorter, than the Col de Torrent.The prize for the high climb is the stunning view  to the Weisshorn, the Dent Blanche and the Zinal Rothorn.

 

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: approx 8-9 hrs

Distance: 24.5 km

Altitude gain / loss: +2000m / -1850m

Day 7: Zinal to Gruben

  1. After some challenging climbs over the first stretch of the Haute Route Tour, we start with a gentle ascent on day 7.

  2. After crossing an alpine meadow, we then traverse the mountainside on a balcony trail until the junction of the path for two cols: the Col de la Forcletta (2874m) and the Meidpass (2790m).

  3. The Forcletta pass is our usual option due to the great views, however the decision depends on the conditions on the day.

 

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: approx 7-8 hrs

Distance: 19 km

Altitude gain / loss: +1315m / -1165m

Day 8: Gruben to Zermatt

  1. To cap off a great trip, we start out through open woodland and then head into high pastures.

  2. The final col is the Augstbordpass at 2894m.

  3. After reaching the pass, we descend into a bowl and follow a rocky trail along the mountainside.

  4. At the Twära viewpoint we stop to enjoy the magnificent view into the Mattertal.

  5. After, we begin our descent to the hamlet of Jungu followed by a final steep section to the town of St. Niklaus.

  6. Here we have the option to take the ‘characterful’ cable car down from Jungu to St. Niklaus (not included), which eliminates the final 1000m of descent. And then, a short train or taxi ride takes us to Zermatt where the Matterhorn is located.

 

Accommodation: 3* hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: approx 7 hrs

Distance: 16 km

Altitude gain / loss: +1070m / -1765m

Day 9: Departure from Zermatt

After breakfast, we bid farewell.

 

About the guide

Guide profile image

-Emma & Guides' team

4.40

(13)

Mountain Leader

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 work together with qualified mountain leaders like me, If I'm not available to guide you, one of my colleagues will take care of you.

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

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What people are saying about -Emma & Guides' team

Paul

5.00

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.

5.00

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!

jeanne

4.00

We were Very pleased With Emma guiding us through the hikes. We really enjoyed the entire trip:) As we were just our family we would have loved a little more flexibility hiking in our own pace - felt we were rushed a bit too much. We should have informed Emma about this but we were too compliant:) The explore-share platform was a bit rigid/ formel - it was not clear that exploreshare hired another firm to do the job. Also quite a High fee to explore share We were first told to have an (expensive) extended travel insurance (with mountain rescue) up to departure / after we had plaid. We should have been told this before signing up. Another mistake were that explore share had told us last payment were due closer to departure - so in a rush we had to pay up 60 days before as this is cloud9advenures policy. This made us uncertain if it was fraud. But it wasn’t:) overall pleased with our trip

Fausto

4.00

Bruno our guide was very helpful and profesional

Jill

5.00

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.


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