Book confidently, knowing that if your trip is cancelled, you’ll be offered a full refund.
You can also opt for a free date change at any point up to 24 hours before your trip, if Government restrictions prevent you from travelling*.
Itinerary
You will be picked up from your hotel in Chamonix between 8:00am - 8:30am. From here you will take the cable car to the Bellevue top station, where the trek begins. Today's hike takes you past the Bionassay glacier to the Col du Tricot.
After a cosy night in the mountain hut, you will begin the day with a steep hike up to the famous Col du Bonhomme. In the afternoon you will hike across the Croix de la Bonhomme, to the small alpine village of Les Chapieux.
After breakfast, you will leave Les Chapieux and walk along the river on a nice and easy path. You will leave the river side and climb up to the Col de la Seigne, which is the French-Italian border at 2516 meters above sea level and also the highest point of the day. From there you have a 400-meter descent to the Refugio Elisabetta Soldini. For those who are still not tired, you can go on a short walk to a natural glacier cave not far away from the hut.
A more relaxed day today, with great views of ambitious climbers tackling the south face of Mont Blanc itself. In the afternoon you hike down to the Italian mountain village of Courmayeur, with the option to take the cable car down for those who have tired legs.
The final day in Italy will take you on a beautiful hike along the Val Ferrat, which separates the Italian and Swiss valleys.
A great hike from the Italian to the Swiss Val Ferret. You will ascend 500 meters to the Grand Col Ferret, the Italian-Swiss border and head down to the small village of La Fouly. For those who want, you can try their fantastic local cheese!
A relaxing day today with a trek through nice alpine meadows and Swiss villages. You'll end the day in Champex-Lac, which is a picturesque Swiss village with a beautiful lake that you can swim in.
After a great night in Champex you continue your hike and join the long but easy hike up to Bovine. From there you hike down to Trient by passing the Col de la Forclaz.
Say goodbye to Switzerland, as you hike through the mountains and across the French border. You start nice and early with a steep hike up to the Col de Balme, which boasts some of the best views of Mont Blanc. For those who want, you can also hike up to the Col des Possettes and the Aiguillette des Possettes peak.
The final day of your trek, with opportunities to climb over Lac Blanc on some adventurous ladders (you can also take the normal way which is a nice easy hike). Here you will have some of the best panoramic views of the entire trek. You will end your trek with a hike back down in the valley, or you can take the cable car down if you prefer, returning to Chamonix for 5pm.
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Sun 5 Sep 8:00AM Tue 14 Sep 5:00PM | €1,819 Based on€1,819 EUR | Book 12 spaces |
Sun 12 Jun 8:00AM Tue 21 Jun 5:00PM | €1,690 (€219 deposit) Based on€1,690 EUR | Book 12 spaces |
Sun 21 Aug 8:00AM Tue 30 Aug 5:00PM | €1,690 (€219 deposit) Based on€1,690 EUR | Book 12 spaces |
Sun 11 Sep 8:00AM Tue 20 Sep 5:00PM | €1,690 (€219 deposit) Based on€1,690 EUR | Book 12 spaces |
FAQs
Included:
- Qualified mountain guides
- Hotel pickup
- Accommodation in mountain huts
- Food
- Any planned transport
The course excludes:
- International flights
- Tips for guides and porters
- Any visa fees
- Personal travel and rescue insurance
We can't advise you on this, but we recommend you check at http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home.aspx.
The longest day is around 8 hours of trekking with a rucksack, so you need a good level of physical fitness. We recommend training with any sport that you enjoy (e.g. running, swimming, tennis) at least 2x per week, for three months before your trek. Training hikes will also help, ideally for a full day with a 5kg - 7kg rucksack.
The minimum age for this trek is 18.
Absolutely! We also put you in touch with the other trekkers in the group before you go, with a Facebook group, if you want.
Clothing suitable for hiking in temperatures from +30C to +5C. The full kit list will be sent to you when you apply for the trip.
Yes, whether you are vegetarian, vegan or have allergies. Just let us know before you go.
Yes, the guide can collect you from your hotel in Chamonix.
A luggage transfer is available for €290. Just let us know before you go, and we can arrange everything.
Yes - you must have appropriate travel insurance for trekking.
Your guide can arrange private accommodation for part or the full duration of the trip. Please see the information pack for details.
Additional Items for Travel during Covid-19
The following additional items must be brought by all participants, whilst the Covid-19 pandemic is ongoing:
- Thin summer sleeping bag (e.g. rated for 20C)
- Face mask for use in the huts
- Personal hand sanitizer
Documents
- Passport
- Travel insurance details
- Boarding passes for flights
- Driver’s license (if needed)
- Cash – Euro’s and Swiss Franc
- Credit/Debit Card
Sleeping
- Sleeping bag liner
Footwear
- Trekking boots: 3 or 4 season lightweight
- Lightweight shoes for the evenings
Clothing
- Please make sure that you have non-cotton clothing for trekking.
- 1 x pair of synthetic under-top and bottom (Long johns or similar)
- 3 x t-shirts for the hike
- 1 x comfortable shirt for the evening
- 4 x socks for hiking
- 3 - 4 x pairs of underwear
- 1 x fleece
- Light down or Primaloft jacket
- Rain and windproof jacket with hood
- Rain and windproof trousers
- Hiking trousers: We recommend a pair that zip off into shorts.
- Comfortable trousers for the evening
- Hat and gloves
- Buff or scarf
- Swimming shorts/Costume
Other
- A daysack: 35 - 45 litres – All your kit should fit in this bag
- A 2nd rucksack or duffel (Optional for those who have chosen the luggage transfer service)
- Travel towel
- Dry Liner or Dry Bag
- Water bottle/thermos: At least 2L. Nalgene bottles best.
- Sunglasses
- Suncream
- Personal medication – Inhaler, Blister pads etc
- General Toiletries, Contact lenses, Glasses (if needed)
Water
During the summer it can be quite warm in the Alps, so it is important to carry enough water. We strongly recommend taking between two and three litres of water. The tap water at the accommodations you will stay is usually drinkable but there are limited resources along the way to fill up your bottle. Your guide can give you advice on this for each day.
Food
Whilst trekking, you will have the chance to taste a great variety of local specialities. The breakfast is continental, often with a variety of juices, tea and coffee.
The three-course dinner in the evening is hearty and the plates are quite big. During the day, a pack lunch will be freshly prepared for you.
If you have any food restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten intolerance etc) please make us aware of this when completing your registration form, found on your Skyhook dashboard.
During the summer in the Alps (June – September) you can experience usually fair and quite warm weather. It is
often sunny and the temperatures can reach 30° Celsius. The weather in the mountains can be quite unpredictable and weather situations can change very quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to be always prepared for such a change. On a rainy-day, temperatures can drop quite low and it is necessary to have a good rain jacket and sometimes even a hat and a pair of gloves. See the kit list for full details.
It is not mandatory but often expected. In the Alps, there is no fixed amount and it really depends on what you would like to give to show your satisfaction.
Day 1
Distance – 11.6km
Ascent – 672m
Descent – 1294m
Time – 6-7 hours
Day 2
Distance – 15km
Ascent – 1274m
Descent – 923m
Time – 8-9 hours
Day 3
Distance – 14.7km
Ascent – 800m
Descent – 1034m
Time – 6-7 hours
Day 4
Distance – 11.3km
Ascent – 500m
Descent – 1283m
Time – 6-7 hours
Day 5
Distance – 16km
Ascent – 1171m
Descent – 612m
Time – 7-8 hours
Day 6
Distance – 13.1km
Ascent – 600m
Descent – 1005m
Time – 6-7 hours
Day 7
Distance – 16.6km
Ascent – 617m
Descent – 781m
Time – 5-6 hours
Day 8
Distance – 13.8km
Ascent – 739m
Descent – 873m
Time – 6-7 hours
Day 9
Distance – 13.1km
Ascent – 875m
Descent – 992m
Time – 7-8 hours
Day 10
Distance – 15.1km
Ascent – 1041m
Descent – 1357m
Time – 7-8 hours
Total
Distance – 140.3km
Ascent – 8289m
Descent – 10,154m
Time – 10 days
Along the way, you will have opportunities to buy drinks and souvenirs from small local villages. It is advised to have cash available if you intend on making a purchase.
The currency used in France and Italy is Euro’s. In Switzerland they use Swiss Franc but do accept euro. If using euro’s in Switzerland; be prepared to pay a worse exchange rate on everything you buy. We recommend changing your money before you arrive as it will be difficult to do so once you start trekking.
Most places accept the most common credit/debit cards (VISA, Mastercard, American Express), but you may incur a commission fee.
On this long-distance trek, you will experience the mountain lifestyle and sleep in authentic places. Mostly you will be staying in mountain huts. The location of the accommodation will either be high in the mountains or in a typical mountain village. The accommodations offer many services such as a hot shower and running water. For the night in the mountain hut, you’ll stay in bunk beds with a pillow and blankets (a thin and light sleeping bag liner is advisable for hygienic reasons).
The huts are dormitory-style with shared bathrooms. Electricity, warm showers, snacks are available. Most accommodations do not have wifi.
The following single supplement options are available: - Double/ twin sharing: €39 pppn - Single room: €49 pppn
Please note: Any single supplements must be requested when completing your registration form (see Skyhook dashboard section of this PDF for details), and single supplement use shared bathroom facilities.
You can request a single supplement on specific nights or the whole duration of your trip. Any payments must be paid directly to your guide in-country.
Start:
You will be collected from your hotel between 08:00 – 08:30 am in Chamonix. This will be on day 1 of your planned itinerary.
It is important that you do not miss your start time as you will not be able to meet up with the rest of the group until the evening of Day 1 on your itinerary.
End:
You will be dropped back off in Chamonix at 5 pm on day 10 of your itinerary.
We'd recommend taking a shared transfer from the Airport up to Chamonix. That’s the cheapest and fastest way to do it. You can book a transfer directly with one of the companies below:
Your host recommends the following accommodation in Chamonix:
- Hotel Le Faucigny
- Hotel Pointe Isabelle
- Hotel Oustalet
Cheaper dorm-style hotels are:
- Hotel Fleur des Neiges
- Chamonix Lodge
Provided by Happy Tracks GmbH
Skyhook Adventure is an Authorised Agent of Happy Tracks GmbH. Please familiarise yourself with the Happy Tracks GmbH Terms & Conditions and Skyhook Adventure's Terms & Conditions.