Left: Les Houches Main Street Right: Notre Dame de la GorgeCenter: Leaving Les Houches - looking back on Christ Roi des Houches. Along the way, we’ll choose some off-the-beaten-path variants to stay away from crowds. You can take a gondola down to finish your tour or you can continue on towards Le Brevent. At this point, my body was no longer surprised by anything physical and therefore not sore. From there, it is a steep ascent of 850 feet to the refuge Nant Borant. ‘Basic’ meant shared rooms in mountain huts, guest houses, and dormitories. Absolute beau, Creativity completely thrives in the desert—as s, A day of exploring isn’t complete until you have, Every dreamer deserves to get away once in a while, Oh. Still, there are some descent views to be had, especially at Col de Voza. Hikers have two options reach Trient. With so many days in the mountains, you’d have to be extremely lucky not to get rained on. Hike through France, Italy and Switzerland on one of the world's greatest long-distance treks. Want to know where the money goes or what guarantees we provide over the quality of the products? Given that I have troublesome knees when it comes to downhill hiking, the downhill portion on Day 2 was killer in my opinion. 8 Day Highlights Trail with Shortcuts: This itinerary has been designed for hikers that only have a week to complete the TMB, but still wants to experience key trail highlights. Accommodation along route: Auberge Bon Abri ( Our gite has one double bed room, 5 rooms with 6 beds and a large dormitory with 18 beds / 20 minutes), Alp Bovine (Emergency shelter, refreshments / 3.25 hours), Hotel de Forclaz (private rooms with and without ensuite bathroom / 5 hours). Near the end of the hike, we had a sausage and cheese sampling party with local French saucisson (sausage) and Reblochon cheese purchased at the aforementioned mountain hut. Tour du Mont Blanc Itinerary - Summary Map, Tour du Mont Blanc itinerary - daily summary, Tour du Mont Blanc - Offline GPS Mobile Maps, Tour du Mont Blanc Accommodation Booking Service. You won’t actually need warmth since you’ll be hiking and getting sweaty. Exploring our great planet Earth on a budget. Wishpond.merchantId = '1163036'; mountain range). However, by following the traditional direction you complete the three bigg… Flowers, bees and butterflies make this tiny hamlet in interesting stop before your steady descent through a forrest laden with wooden gnomes and mushrooms leading to Champex. Breakfast: Homemade jams and freshly delivered bread, homemade oatmeal, cereals, eggs. Travel | Adventure | Photography Showcasing the great places of this Earth from a different perspective. Our local specialist Simon planned it seamlessly. Homemade jams and marmalades, oatmeal, cereals. What made this day stand out from the rest was that there are some portions which require you to climb ladders to continue the trail up (actually quite refreshing since we’d been switchbacking for so many hours prior). We met Anja, Raphael’s girlfriend and business partner, who greeted us with welcome drinks and the cutest and most intimate dinner we’d experienced on the trail. Hiking time estimates use a baseline of Naismith's rule + Atkin’s, Langmuir’s and Brendan’s corrections for Steady itineraries, with a hiking style factor then applied. Study every angle of the Mont Blanc massif, Western Europe's highest peak, as you pass through France, Italy and Switzerland on this circular tour. On the descent, you'll hike through alpine pastures to the small hamlet of Les Chapieux to spend the night. Accommodation: L’Heliopic Spa and Resort (not included with the tour package, we chose to stay an extra night in Chamonix). But if the weather is bad we can take a lower level route. We’ll sleep at some of the coziest and most comfortable mountain huts in the Alps. Today, you have the choice to follow the new main route to Refugio Bonatti, which takes a lower path that avoids a lot of elevation gain, or one the old TMB routes, which rise higher and give even more impressive views of the Mont Blanc Massif. Stopped by … Stay up-to-date on the best adventures. Food is some of the best on the TMB and there is a good selection of beer and wine. First, to enable the hiker to have two opportunities to see the Mont Blanc massif from Le Brevent, which many believe is the best viewpoint on the tour. I’m sure you’ll particularly enjoy Bonatti Hut, with its great Italian food and fantastic atmosphere. Then continue your ascent through alpine pastures to Col de la Seigne Pass and the Italian border. None of the ladders are higher than 30 feet or so, but for those that wish to avoid this section, there is an alternate route that goes through Col des Montets. You'll begin with a traverse to the Bionnassay Glacier, followed by a "Nepali hanging bridge crossing." After the lake, if the weather is bad, then it is advised to descend into Val Veni and continue walking the valley. Great atmosphere. How to Get from Aix en Provence to Saint Tropez, How to Get from Aix en Provence to Marseille, Chamonix - Les Houches - Les Contamines - Montjoie, Les Contamines-Montjoie - Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge - Les Chapieux, Les Chapieux - Col de la Seigne Pass - Val Veny - Courmayeur, Courmayeur - Rifugio Bertone - Rifugio Bonatti, Rifugio Bonatti - Grand Col Ferret Pass - Champex, Champex - Bovine/Fenêtre d’Arpette - Trient, Argentière - Col des Montets Pass - Lac Blanc - Chamonix, Enjoy the peace and quiet at Cheserys Lakes, See the summits of Mt.