ITINERARY
Sunday: first day of trekking, from Courmayeur (Italy) to Rifugio Bertone and then to Rifugio Bonatti. We will enjoy a wonderful view on the South face of Mont Blanc, Dent du Geant and Grandes Jorasses. 5 ½ hours. 1300 m rise, 650 m drop.

Monday: walk a little down to the valley, just at the footsteps of huge rock faces and glaciers, and then up to Grand Col Ferret, the borderline with Switzerland. Down into the Swiss Val Ferret a minibus will bring us to Champex. 5 ½ hours. 850 m rise, 1200 m drop.

Tuesday: today we will cross Fenetre d'Arpette, one of the two highest points of our tour, at 2665 m . Then we will walk at just few meters from Glacier du Trient, arriving in the afternoon at the little village of Trient. 6 hours. 1050 m rise, 1350 m drop.

Wednesday: walk up to Col de Balme, at the top of Chamonix valley, with great view on Glacier du Tour. Then we will walk along a ridge to Col des Montets, to the Aiguilles Rouges Natural Reserve visitors centre. After the visit a little walk will take us to the tiny village of Tré le Champ. 5 ½ hours. 1100 m rise, 1000 m drop.

Thursday: today's path will bring you to Chalet du Lac Blanc, an amazing natural terrace just in front of all the Mont Blanc Massif. From this point we will go down to Chamonix, the town where alpinism was born in 1786. 6 hours. 950 m rise, 1300 m drop.

Friday: in the morning a minibus will take the group to Les Houches, then by cable car to Bellevue (literally “nice view”). From this point we'll start walking at the footsteps of the North-West side of Mont Blanc till Les Contamines. 5 ½ hours. 400 m rise, 1250 m drop.

Saturday: a long day of trekking to reach the other highest point of our Tour: Col des Fours, again at 2665 m . From this point we will go down into Vallée des glaciers till Chalet des Mottets, our mountain hut for tonight. 7 ½ hours. 1100 m rise, 900 m drop.

Sunday: back to Italy! Today we will close our Tour around Mont Blanc crossing Col de la Seigne and descending in the Italian Val Veny, Courmayeur. A bus will bring us back to the starting point. 6 hours. 650 m rise, 800 m drop.

2012 DATES: July / August

ACCOMMODATION:

• Courmayeur Val Ferret, Rifugio Bonatti
• Champex, Relais d'Arpette
• Trient, Relais du Mont Blanc
• Tré le Champ, Refuge La Boerne
• Chamonix, Chalet-Gite Le Chamoniard Volant
• Les Contamines, Chalet du Club Alpin Francais
• Vallée des Glaciers, Refuge des Mottets

Please note that properties shown are representative of the accommodation we use on this trip, may not be inclusive of all accommodations we use, and are subject to change.

LAND COST: 880€. Price per person with half board.

OUR PRICE INCLUDES:

• expert leadership (English speaking) for 8 days
• accommodation in mountain huts and hostels
• 7 nights with half board ( drinks not included )
• 8 days of guided hiking (AIGAE guide)
• cable car Les Houches – Bellevue
• 3 transfers: Ferret – Champex; Chamonix – Les Houches; Val Veny – Courmayeur

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED:

• International airfare; transfer to/from Courmayeur; personal insurance; lunches; sodas and alcoholic beverages. Should you require, we are able to organize your transfer from the airport to Courmayeur and back. We are also able to book your accommodation for the nights before and after the trek.
• Extras.
• Any tips.

WARNING: The tour of Mont Blanc has a normal hiking difficulty. You must consider the capability of enjoying eight days of walking, hiking along steep slopes. In some stages these differences in altitude and some distance can be shortened by using ski tows (ask for more details).

The guide reserves the right to change the itinerary according to the conditions of the mountain or the physical conditions of the participants.

WHY WITH US:

• We live at the footsteps of these mountains and we are extremely knowledgeable regarding the area.
• We speak English
• We are more affordable and more experienced than many other companies.

WHERE IT IS:
The trek begins and ends in Courmayeur, in Italy. This is 100 km from Genève (Switzerland), 150 km from Turin and 220 km from Milan.

HOW TO BOOK: just send us an e-mail at info@walkingholidayitaly.com at least four weeks before .

On request we can organize the tour also in other dates.
Contact info@walkingholidayitaly.com for details.

CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT: Good sturdy walking shoes are necessary (we do not recommend using new shoes, that could hurt!). Clothing should be comfortable, warm or cool depending on the temperature: we advise dressing in layers (underwear T-shirt, longsleeved shirt, fleece) with technical material which dries quickly. A good backpack is essential, a waterproof jacket and overpants, gloves and warm hat, sunglasses and cream, a water bottle, emergency food (some energy bars) and something to eat for lunch on the first day. Also do not forget the need for personal hygiene, wet wipes, a towel and a sheet bag (all sold in shelters). Telescopic trekking poles and gaiters are recommended.

For more information, if you want to join us next summer:
info@walkingholidayitaly.com
T: + 39 335 538 9245 | +39 340 5702773