Mont Blanc Highlights

Discover the wild beauty of the French Alps with the help of an International Mountain Leader

Hike the most scenic trails around Mont Blanc, enjoying stirring Alpine views each day. Guided by an International Mountain Leader, we discover the wild beauty of the region, including the Chamonix Valley and Lac Blanc, while also taking the opportunity to walk sections of the Mont Blanc Circuit, Europe’s greatest long-distance hiking trail. In the evenings, return to your Alpine chalet, where our welcoming hosts have created a home-from-home atmosphere and cook up a feast.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• We stop almost daily in locally run refuges where you can usually have a coffee and a big slice of cake. These are all locally owned establishments and our business is an excellent source of income for them.
• There is a delightful Saturday market in Chamonix with plenty of local shops and cafes en route which we encourage our travellers to patronise in order to support the local economy.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re–usable bottles.
• Recycling and waste management are well established in the areas we operate.
• We only walk on official paths that have for the most part been constructed to be resistant to erosion.
• With our partners, Rewilding Apennines, we rewild 100 square meters (1,075 sqft) of land per passenger who travels with us.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• We do not provide beef on the menu for the chalets which helps to lower the carbon impact.
• We have a single arrival and departure fight for all trips and a single transfer from the airport for all trips. There are usually 4 to 6 trips arriving each week so combining these into a single transfer as opposed to multiple transfers helps reduce the carbon footprint.
• Where practical we take public transport. The Chamonix valley have a train and bus service that we use and this is included in the price of the trip.
• Walking trips like this have very little detrimental impact on the environment and the locals, as it is a quiet, low impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: we do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: please bring a re–usable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit our Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

• Walking days: Five
• Maximum altitude: 7,717ft (2,352m)
• Maximum height gained: 2,952ft (900m)
• Average walking time: Six to seven hours
• Average distance: 9mi (14km)

Terrain: This Mont Blanc trek follows mountain paths throughout, which are generally well maintained. However, every walk has rough, rocky and steep sections where it is important to concentrate on your footing. The steep sections also make this trip unsuitable for vertigo sufferers.

Suitability: The walking hours stated in the day-to-day itinerary, which include lunch and photo stops, are given as approximates only and will vary depending on your group’s pace. Those who are comfortable trekking at a faster pace should be happy with longer breaks while slower walkers should be prepared to walk at a steady pace for longer periods of time. For those without experience of trekking in mountain conditions with rough terrain may find this trip more difficult. The guide can discuss alternative self-guided options if you find certain walks too tough.

Preparation: The longest days can have an ascent of up to 2,952ft (900m) followed by a similar descent. This means walking uphill for two to four hours and the same down again. For this reason, those new to hill walking will likely find the trip quite tough and need to train beforehand.

Itinerary changes: To deliver the best experience, we typically amend the itinerary during spring and autumn, when the bustle of the high season is replaced by a more laid-back vibe, and in late July and August, which is high season. There is also a change for September & October departures. Please see the Seasonal Itinerary Changes section of the Trip Notes for details on the changes.

Additionally, the itinerary may change depending on which chalet you stay in − the tour leader will discuss these changes with you if and when they occur. Generally, those in Chalet Chalupa and Chalet Chocolat have the free day on Wednesday and those in Chalet Bediere have a free day on Tuesday.

The itinerary may also be impacted by weather conditions as your tour leader may need to swap days around to ensure the best possible conditions.

Accommodation: On some weeks, we may be hosting more than one group. In this instance, the groups remain separate (apart from the airport bus transfer) and stay in different chalets. We may also adjust your itinerary to ensure the groups are following different walks each day.

Please note: It is essential to have helicopter evacuation cover within your travel insurance.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

France

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Visa

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter France, Italy or Switzerland. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations
• United Kingdom: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, five picnic lunches and six dinners are included in the price of the trip. All food is home cooked in the chalet using local ingredients.

Typical meals

• Breakfast: buffet breakfasts will usually consist of cereal, eggs, orange juice, croissants, fresh French bread, butter, jam, tea and coffee.
• Lunch: picnic lunches will normally include bread, fresh salad, cold meats or tinned fish, cheese and fresh fruit.
• Evening meal: We endeavour to make dinner something to look forward to, and each day there will be a freshly prepared menu for the whole group, consisting of a soup, salad or similar, a main course of meat, fish or vegetarian served with a selection of vegetables and carbohydrates, and a dessert. The price of the evening meal does not include wine, beer, bottled water or soft drinks.
• Vegetarian, gluten and dairy-free diets: Although we serve a single menu each night for the whole group, we will happily shop for and prepare alternative menus for vegetarian, gluten- and dairy-free diets, but please inform us at the time of booking.

Please note: to reduce food wastage we shop to exact quantities for the whole week in advance, so if you have requested a certain diet please remain with that diet for the whole trip.

Weather

From late May to late October, you can expect fair weather, but all mountain ranges create their own weather patterns and the Alps are no exception. It can and does rain and can be surprisingly cold at times, especially at higher altitudes. Expect daytime temperatures between 15C and 25C (59F and 77F) in the valleys (although it can sometimes reach 30C/86F in July/August), 5C and 20C (41F and 68F) at altitude (though it will feel colder if wet and windy) and 5C to 15C (41F to 59F) in the valley at night; possibly a little lower early and late in the season. There is always the possibility of snow, even in August.