Haute Route Chamonix-Zermatt in 10 days

The hike was absolutely wonderful. Anja was a great guide who kept sharing lots of information about the region while we were hiking. She was kind enough to accommodate our food restrictions and brought us wonderful homemade lunches and snacks every day. She ensured our hike was full of different grades of difficulty so we never got bored and learnt a lot. It was an amazing experience and we would definitely recommend Anja to everyone!!!

I loved the trip! The trek was very beautiful and challenging, as I like it. Our guide was Raphael. He was very personable, knowledgeable and just awesome. I would definitely recommend this trek to anyone!

Anja was a great guide. Knowledgeable, personable, and safe. A great person to hike alongside. Additionally we had to change our route last minute because of weather. It was a great alternative. I would absolutely do this hike again, and I would recommend to anyone interested. Have fun!

I planned this trip as a surprise for my partner for his 50th birthday. I wanted to do something amazing and memorable so I got online and started searching and this is where I came across Explore-Share and was put in touch with Happy Tracks. Anja designed our trip for us and came up with the plan to do a hike to a mountain refuge and to stay overnight. The chosen trip was from Les Troncs to the refuge at the base of Pointe Percee. On a Friday, We met our mountain guide Anja in Le Grand Bornand and then drove to the start of the walk in Les Troncs. The first part of the walk was through the woods. It was a gentle start in fresh snow so it was really very pretty and an excellent warm up. When we got out of the woods, we stopped for a break and put our snow shoes on to continue upward. Having never done this before we were eager to have a go. With snow on top and ice on the rocks below, we were certainly glad of the crampons for extra grip.  We enjoy hiking at home but are not overly fit and I’ll admit it was hard going but our guide was fantastic. Anja was encouraging and a brilliant guide. The terrain was difficult because of the fresh snow, as it had not compacted and was therefore very powdery making steep ascents tricky. Anja broke trail and she made us feel confident that we could do it. We were lucky with the weather so the scenery en route was stunning which spurred us on. We snow shoed for 4-5 hours then came to the last part to get to the refuge, this was a very welcome sight after a long day. It took us about 6 hours in all. When we reached the refuge the daylight was beginning to fade but the views, oh the views were so breathtaking that it moved me to tears. I have never experienced such beauty with my own eyes. I was in awe of the sight and also of my own personal accomplishment. At the refuge the adventure continued. Sawing logs, chopping wood, melting snow and a three course meal with wine. The toilets were a modest affair (compost toilet). Even paying a visit to the loo seemed more exciting. Anja made a path to them through the deep snow and a head torch was a necessity! We had a very cosy night and woke up Saturday morning to more fresh snow and sunshine. It was Andy's birthday on that morning. Raphael (Anja’s partner) had baked a birthday cake for Andy and Anja even had a sparkler for the top. Absolutely brilliant surprise. We had hoped to see the sunrise from the Col de Vert which would have given us views of Mont Blanc. Alas the weather conditions meant this final stage would have been unsafe for us novices. So we listened to our guide did not attempt to go. Instead after breakfast we started our descent. It was snowing when we left. We walked and did some body sledging (sliding on our bottoms, or stomachs) in places, it was so exhilarating and so much fun. It took us about 4 hours to get down. This was a truly amazing, memorable and magical experience and I am thankful to all concerned for giving us mere mortals the opportunity to experience such a gift. A special thank you to Anja our mountain guide who was helpful, funny, kind and encouraging and carried the most enormous rucksack I have ever seen. AMAZING.

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Great fun, beautiful location, and wonderful food. Guides were warm, friendly, flexible, and very helpful.

The tour was fantastic and it was made even better because of our guide, Raphael. He was incredibly nice and helpful while telling us funny and cool stories and facts! LOVED THE TOUR! RECOMMEND 10000000%

Guide is extremely responsible and trip was very well planned. We had good food and accommodations.

Raphael was a fantastic guide, extremely competent and organized, ready to deal with every contingency, and also a lot of fun. The trip exceeded our expectations across the board!

Just completed the 4 day Mont Blanc highlights tour and had the most amazing time. Raphael and Anja are outstanding and supported us throughout our journey. Raphael is the best mountain guide knowing exactly when to support and when to push. Simply wonderful business

We did 10 days TMB with Happy Tracks. All the arrangements were very professionally handles. Our guide Ian was helpful and knowledgeable. The lunch packets were good . All the refuge and hotels they selected for our group were high quality . All in all we had best trip.

Had an excellent time on an adventurous tour du Mont Blanc out of season, only possible thanks to Raphael and Anja!! Not only guiding us all the way, but being a great company along the way and cooking delicious meals even in mountain huts!! Thank you so much! Wish you all the best!

Did the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) with Happy Tracks. If ever you look for hiking or snowshoeing guides around Mont Blanc, can fully recommend them. They still did the 10-day tour with me even though all other customers pulled out – MANY THANKS!!

Happy Tracks offer the best service in the world! Our leader the power house woman Anja was amazing. She went beyond her call of duty at times to ensure we had a super adventure on the Tour Du Mont Blanc. She was always one step ahead of us in terms of our needs. She is passionate about what she does and therefore it comes naturally to her to excel in offering a great service. If you want to experience a trek with a calm confident knowledgeable leader book now!! Epic trip ... they also ensure the other people on the trek are cool too! We had an amazing bunch of people on our trip! From 18 year olds to crazy coppers From Wales, to royals ! These people make the trek and Anja facilities the banter! 😘Thank you x Gill

We had an excellent time with Anja in the TMB!!! The best guide! Thank you!!!!

Hace unos días hicimos el TMB con happy track ! Lo pasamos exelente, el servicio es impecable, Anja y Rafael son unos guías y anfitriones excelentes: dedicados, atentos y muy experimentados. Sin dudas una experiencia inolvidable!

Die Tour Mont Blanc in der Gruppe mit Raffael als Bergführer war einfach wunderbar. Schon beim Buchen haben Anja und Raffael super schnell und freundlich geantwortet. Die Zeit vor Ort in der Gruppe war fantastisch - die Wege gut ausgesucht, die Hütten urig, die Atmosphäre motivierend. - Man hätte sich nicht mehr wünschen können. Und dann haben uns beide auch noch mit sehr leckeren Menüs in den Selbstversorger-Hütten überrascht. Die Crepes mit selbst gesammelten Himbeeren und Blaubeeren mit weißer Schokalade im Sahne-Bett waren mein Favorit. Vielen Dank, dass Ihr Euch so ins Zeug gelegt habt. Die schönen Erinnerungen klingen noch nach!

Raphael organizes a well planned 10 day TMB for us. We were a group of 5 and we had Ian as our guide. Our guide was very helpful and knowledgeable. The hotels and refuge selection was good and we had excellent stay in all places. Our luggage transfer was handled professionally by Rachael along with lunch bags for daily hike. Overall very professionally guided trip by the Happy Track team

Happy Tracks came highly reccommended to our group. They did not disappoint. Raphael, Jack Anja & Rachel took great care and pride in providing the best hiking experience on the TMB.

Our 5 day tour du Mont Blanc is one of the most amazing experiences of my life. My wife and I were among a group of friends that consisted of 22 from the USA. Our group consisted of mostly 55-65 aged individuals, and we requested private lodging for the trip. The logistics were perfect, with assistance from Geneva to Chamonix. Our guides, Raphael and Jack, always looked out for our safety during snow and water crossings, and provided for our comfort throughout the hikes. Our evenings were excellent and the meals at local hotels and restaurants were excellent. I highly recommend Happy Tracks for their skill, preparation and planning, and friendliness.

Raphael planned a wonderful trip that was well executed! Great hikes, great food, great hotels! So we enjoyed his fellow guide, Jack, who was very helpful and friendly. Overall, a great experience! Would highly recommend!

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Friendle raphael en anja Whe whant dat raphael en anja with the food mhore whit the people talking Whe will maybay again somethime somthing tho do with explore .schare in de future Great mario e natasja from belgium Happy newjear

Food packed during the trip could have had a bit Moreno variety. Too many sweets/ chocolates given but overall really enjoyed the trip!

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Great trip on the Tour du Mont Blanc with our tour guide Grant. Highly recommended with a very knowledgeable guide who catered for different abilities/requirements within the group.

10 day / 9 night Full TMB Tour Congratulations, you found it! The best TMB trekking operator in all the land! No seriously, book it now! My time with Happy Tracks was absolutely exceptional and I wouldn’t hesitate to book another trek through this company or recommend it to all my family & friends. From pick up to drop off - everything was meticulously taken care of by Anja & Raphael. We were treated to delicious homemade food, fantastic lodging, and off-the-beaten-path adventures every single day. Our guide Dave was fantastic - quite literally a world-class guide. His expertise & character made for a super fun (and super safe) holiday. He went above and beyond to have us taste local delicacies and see parts of the TMB that would be easily missed by the average hiker. The TMB is a challenging hike, but the support of the Happy Tracks team made it one of my most cherished memories. Well done guys! Hope to trek with you again sometime!!

Raphael and Anja did an amazing part with our group that had a lot of moving parts - which only got more complicated as the trip progressed. Their support didn't end until we left the country. We had two people joining us part way through the trek. Their flight was delayed getting out of the U.S. and Raphael had everything rebooked so that it was seamless when they landed. One of our members was sick and Raphael was readily available on WhatsApp to help us navigate a transfer. Our accommodations were wonderful and luggage transfer was perfect (and when they were stuck in traffic we got a text advising us they'd be late). Raphael showed up in person for a map review the night before we started hiking - and we met Anja along the way. What a dynamic duo. We can't wait to start planning our next adventure with them at the helm!

We are a group of 5 people from Hong Kong and booked a 10 trekking days + 1 rest day TMB Private Tour from Happy Tracks. We searched around a few companies which offer private tours in parallel but Raphael from Happy Tracks replied the quickest with the details we needed. We had a nice impression from them already. We chose to stay at hotels as much as possible instead of refuges and we were very satisfied about their arrangements, it felt good to relax and recharge in hotels after a whole-day trekking. Our guide, Dave, is a very experienced, resourceful, knowledgeable gentleman with a sense of humor. Dave gave us a very accurate weather forecast which prepared us mentally and physically and adjusted our route according to weather condition. Occasionally, we were off TMB route which became highlight of the day. The homemade lunch prepared by Rachel is definitely a bonus. They were in great varieties, delicious, and even including desserts! (we thought we would have dry sandwiches only for everyday). We would recommend everyone to book with Happy Tracks for TMB Tour if you would like a stress-free planning for the tour with good value for money.

We have hiked many places in the world--Kilimanjaro, Peru, the Himalayas, the Nepali coast, Yosemite, Mt. Whitney, the Sierras----and the Swiss Alps rival each of those with their own unique beauty! Raphael, the Happy Tracks owner, responded to all of our emails and requests promptly and thoroughly and worked diligently to solve issues as they arose, such as an injured guide and fellow trekkers who needed some route changes. The accommodations along the Haute Route were excellent--ranging from dormitory-style, to camping lodges, to beautiful hotels. Meals were typically great (even had rabbit one night, duck the next, and nothing beat the gourmet meal Anja prepared at the Le Peuty Refuge!). Our guide, Wendy, was likewise excellent and attentive and we learned a lot about Swiss flora and fauna along the way. The Haute Route is strenuous in terms of being able to hike long days, with very steep and long periods of ascent and descent (the Swiss are not big on switchbacks) and needing to have no fear of heights (luckily we both do not have that issue) because you need to be willing to walk along steep, exposed ledges (and not always with a cable). It was also helpful that we both had at least some bouldering and scrambling experience; conditions along this trail are subject to erosion and major detours due to the many landslides, rockslides, and avalanches. All that said, Wendy guided us through calmly and we were rewarded by incredible views and experiences. Can highly recommend Happy Tracks!

Raphael organised a well planned 10 day TMB for us. We were a group of 5 and we had Ian as our guide. Our guide was very helpful and knowledgeable. The hotels and refuge selection was good and we had excellent stay in all places. Our luggage transfer was professionally handled by Rachael along with providing us lunch packets for daily hike. Overall very professionally conducted trip by the Happy Track team.

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I don’t usually write reviews, but I gladly do for this trip because it was fantastic! Great guide, fantastic tour! The accommodation is really basic, that is just something to be aware of. The only point to not give a 5 star trip rating is the fact that the group size being twice as large as was promised, it made for a 14 person mixed dormitory the first night- and thus no sleep.