The Mont Blanc Massif stands at the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy, and is encircled by a system of seven major valleys. A tight cluster of mighty peaks - Aiguille Verte, Chardonnet, Gouter, Géant and Jorasses - help make up the massif which is dominated by Mont Blanc itself. At 4,810m this is not only Western Europe's highest mountain but also one of the best known.
For centuries the local inhabitants of the valleys showed little interest in the high mountains that dominated their landscape and in the early part of the 18th Century it was left to outsiders to speculate on the possibilities of climbing the icy giants. Around 1760, de Saussure, a professor from Geneva University, offered a large cash prize for the first person to climb to the summit of Mont Blanc. It was to be a further fifteen years before anyone made a serious attempt to win this prize and the mountain was not conquered until the 8th August 1786 when local doctor, Michael-Gabriel Paccard, and Jacques Balmat reached the summit. For the following two centuries the area has remained a magnet for walkers and climbers alike, for nowhere else in Europe is there such a concentration of high mountains, spectacular glaciers and beautiful fertile valleys to provide such a variety of scenery and terrain.
The Mont Blanc Massif provides the focus for a classic walking circuit known as the 'Tour du Mont Blanc' The official circuit covers a little over 100 miles of ground together with about 10,000m of climbs and descents! Days average about seven hours of actual walking and about twelve miles in distance on reasonably well-maintained and graded paths. This exciting itinerary concentrates on some of the most spectacular sections of the circuit, thus enabling us to produce an exhilarating one-week trip for the trekking enthusiast. Starting at the Col de la Forclaz (Switzerland), we head clockwise around the circuit, overnighting in village hotels and refuge. Carrying our personal gear our route takes us via the Bovine route to Champex (Switzerland), over the Grand Col Ferret to Courmayeur (Italy), and the Col de la Seigne, Col du Croix du Bonhomme and Col du Bonhomme to Les Contamines (France) before reaching our final destination of Chamonix.
Itinerary
| Day Number(s) | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | (Sat) Arrive Col de Forclaz. |
| 2 | Trek from Col de Forclaz over Alp Bovine to Champex (1477m). |
| 3 | A gentle day from Champex to La Fouly. |
| 4 | From La Fouly, climb to the highest point, Grand Col Ferret, then descend into Italy. |
| 5 | Trek from Val Veny over Col de la Seigne to Les Chapieux (1549m). |
| 6 | A tougher day over two cols: Croix du Bonhomme (2443m) and Col du Bonhomme (2329m). Descend to Les Contamines and transfer to Chamonix. |
| 7 | Our final day trekking takes us past Lac Blanc (2352m) before descending to Chamonix. |
| 8 | Our tour ends in Chamonix (Sat). |
Trip Highlights
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At A Glance
Trip Length |
8 days |
Trip Code |
PXTWP |
Activities |
|
| Trekking (Challenging) | |
| Min Altitude | Max Altitude |
| 1400m | 2537m |
Countries Visited |
|
| France, Italy, Switzerland | |
Start City |
|
| Col de Forclaz | |
End City |
|
| Chamonix, Rhône-Alpes, France | |
| * Per Person, Twin Share | |
