Chamonix Valley Treks

Our itinerary begins with your arrival day. If you’re flying into Geneva airport, our transfer partners will meet you there and take you to our hotel in the Chamonix valley. For those meeting us directly at the hotel, your LHO Team Leader will be there to greet you. Hotel check-in typically begins at 3 pm, but if you arrive early, you can store your bags and explore the area. Your Team Leader will send you a list of things to do in Chamonix closer to the time. If you need to rent or purchase additional gear, arriving early is advisable as gear shops usually close at 7 pm. We usually aim for an early start the following day before the shops open. In the evening, we’ll have a team dinner and briefing at 7:30 pm, hosted by your Team Leader and lead mountain guide. This will be your first opportunity to meet your fellow adventurers, ask questions, and get excited about the week ahead. Gear checks will be organized by your LHO Team Leader throughout the day based on your arrival times to ensure you have everything you need for the week.

Distance: 5.9 KM | Ascent: 147 M | Descent: 671 M | Max Altitude: 2,407 M

Our first day together will take us to one of the most iconic views in the Alps. We’ll head out from our hotel for a short bus journey to the Flegere cable car. At the top of the cable car, we’ll take a chairlift to L’Index. The views here are already incredible without needing to go any further. But, incredible isn’t good enough on a day like this. We’ll begin our walk along a two-hour trail in the easterly direction. The trail is largely flat with some descending and ascending sections. To our right, across the valley, is the entire Mont Blanc massif. On a clear day, it is possible to see the summit of Mont Blanc in addition to the Grande Jorasses, Aiguille Verte, Dent du Geant, and Aiguille du Midi, just to name a few. The final stretch of the trail ascends for about 100 meters as we reach Lac Blanc, the most iconic lake in the Alps. We’ll do a tour along the lake and stop for pictures at every opportunity. On a clear day, we may get the incredible reflection of Mont Blanc in the crystal blue waters. Lunch will be a picnic by the lake. Once we’ve enjoyed our food, taken some pictures, and maybe even had a nap, we’ll begin to descend the trail in the direction of the cable car. The trail to the cable car forms a loop, which means we won’t be retracing our steps from earlier. Once at the cable car, we’ll hop on board for the trip back to Chamonix. Our first day together will start at 8:00 AM. We’ll depart from the hotel in the direction of the Flegere cable followed by the l’Index chairlift. Mont Blanc will be directly behind us as we ascend. After the lifts, it’s about a 2-hour walk to the beautiful Lac Blanc. We’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the lake and the beautiful views with a picnic lunch prepared by your team leader. From there, we’ll begin our descent on foot to the Flegere cable to catch our ride back down. The descent will take around 3 hours to complete. The afternoon is free to roam around the village or rest at the hotel. Your LHO Team Leader will let you know where and when the meeting point will be for our dinner together.

Distance: 5.6 KM | Ascent: 74 M | Descent: 488 M | Max Altitude: 3,842 M

The icon of the Chamonix Valley is the towering Aiguille du Midi, a huge needle-like summit that towers high above the town. In French, midi means midday. The Aiguille du Midi stands proudly at the middle of the massif immediately above the Chamonix town center, hence the name the “needle of midday.” After breakfast, we’ll head to the Aiguille du Midi cable car station situated in the Chamonix-Sud area. It’s a short bus journey away. From there, we’ll take the two cable cars up to 3,852 meters to the summit of the mountain. The views from here are unrivaled anywhere else in the valley. It’s literally the closest you can get to the summit of Mont Blanc without climbing, and that’s just one aspect of this incredible destination. You’ll be able to see as far as the Monte Rosa and Matterhorn in Switzerland, the Grand Paradiso in Italy, and of course, the gigantic expanse of the Vallee Blanche glacier. We’ll do a quick tour of the station, visit the mountaineering museum, and even take a look at the exit used by mountaineers to access the glacier. Who knows? Maybe it will plant a seed for a future experience. We’ll also have the opportunity to visit the panorama deck and take loads of pictures. Once done, we’ll descend to the midway station by cable car called the Plan des Aiguilles. Our trail starts from here. We will once again be walking in an easterly direction, placing Mont Blanc behind us. The Chamonix valley will be on our left side, with Lac Blanc now facing us on the opposite Aiguilles Rouges mountain range. The trail passes through wide open spaces that start to narrow gradually as we approach Montenvers. It takes about two and a half hours to complete this section of our walk. We’ll pause for a picnic lunch at a location along the trail before reaching our destination. Upon arrival at Montenvers, we will board a cable car that descends down to the Mer de Glace glacier. This is the largest glacier in France. At the bottom of the cable car is a series of stairs that have been constructed to allow us to reach the glacier due to its recession as the climate has warmed over the years. At the end of the stairway is the entrance to the ice cave that goes deep inside the glacier. Seeing a glacier from within is something out of this world. It puts a lot of things into perspective beyond just the awe and wonder of it all. We’ll be sure to take our time, enjoy the ice sculptures, and take loads of pictures before reascending the stairs, jumping on the cable car, and then finally taking the Montenvers train back to Chamonix for a great dinner together.

Distance: 7.6 KM | Ascent: 224 M | Descent: 490 M | Max Altitude: 2,384 M

By now, we would have gotten the swing of things, and our legs are ready for more! After breakfast, we’ll hop on the bus for a quick ride to the nearby town of Le Tour. This town sits at the very end of the Chamonix valley. We’ll jump on the Le Tour-Balme cable car and chairlift to reach Col de Balme, the natural border between France and Switzerland. There is a Swiss mountain hut and cafe at the top that we always stop at for a coffee before we begin our walk. The trail leads in the direction of Mont Blanc and the Aiguille Verte, with the Chamonix Valley to our right. It passes through fields of wild berries and short rhododendrons. As we appear to approach the Aiguille Verte, the trail takes a sudden left turn around the hill, revealing a gigantic valley, towering summits, and the Le Tour glacier. The higher we go along the trail, the more spectacular the view gets. The aim of our walk is to reach a viewpoint, which is the perfect spot for a picnic. The Albert Premiere Hut used by climbers will be clearly visible next to the glacier, as well as iconic summits like the Aiguille du Chardoney and the Aiguille du Tour. After our picnic and rest, we’ll begin our descent back to the chairlift and return to the valley. The afternoon is free to rest or roam around. Your LHO Team Leader will be available to advise you on places to go and let you know where the meeting point will be for dinner.

Distance: 8 KM | Ascent: 508 M | Descent: 509 M | Max Altitude: 1,806 M

After breakfast, we’ll hop on the bus, but this time, we’ll be heading in the opposite direction to Le Tour. Our destination is the town of Les Houches. This area is famous as the official starting point of both the Tour du Mont Blanc trek and the Mont Blanc Summit climb. Today, we’ll be following a portion of both those trails. It starts with an ascent by the Bellevue cable car to Col de Voza. From there, we’ll catch the Mont Blanc Tramway to Nid d’Aigle. During some seasons, the final stop on the train is only open to climbers. Our aim will be to reach as high as we can. If Nid d’Aigle is not possible, then we’ll descend at Mont Lachat, which is no less spectacular. Once we arrive, we’ll take our time to enjoy all the photo opportunities available, including the possibility of seeing mountain goats that are native to this region. Once we’re ready, we’ll begin our walk by descending first to Mont La Chat and then onwards, past the Bellevue cable station, and on to Tete de la Charme. This spot boasts incredible views of the valley from the west side and is the perfect place for our picnic lunch. Once done, we’ll begin descending on foot through the alpine forest back to Les Houches for a free afternoon and a team dinner later in the evening.

Distance: 8.5 KM | Ascent: 202 M | Descent: 847 M | Max Altitude: 2,530 M

We’ve kept the best for last! Our final day of trekking together starts at the highest accessible trekking point in the valley. After breakfast, we’ll jump on our final morning bus ride together to the Planpraz cable station where we’ll ascend using two cable cars all the way to Brevent. Brevent is situated on top of a gigantic cliff that towers high above Chamonix. It is also directly opposite the Mont Blanc Summit and the incredible glaciers that cover its north face. We’ll begin our walk with an easy descent along a wide trail that switches back as it descends towards Chamonix. This area is filled with rock climbers on the walks, highline walkers on their cables, and paragliders all over the sky. There’s definitely no shortage of action to keep us inspired. As we approach the middle station, our trail veers left in the direction of Flegere. The trail enters into a beautiful and dense alpine forest where we’ll pause for a picnic lunch. The trail continues through the forest, leading us to a beautiful cabin in the woods that serves tea and cakes. It’s the perfect place for a break. The trail to Chamonix is short from here and takes less than half an hour to complete. This marks the end of our treks in the Chamonix Valley. Your LHO Team Leader will let you know about the time and place of our farewell dinner. In the meantime, the afternoon is free for you to enjoy the town in whatever way you choose. As always, your LHO Team Leader is available to answer your questions and make recommendations.

Our last day together is dedicated to airport transfers and farewells. Breakfast is included. Please ensure you provide accurate departure details when filling out your team details form. If there are any changes to your travel plans, please inform your LHO Team Leader as early as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made.