All breakfasts and dinners are included except dinner in Chamonix on Day 7 of the itinerary.

Typical meals

Breakfast: Usually coffee, tea, cereal, yoghurt, fresh fruit, bread and conserves.

Lunches: No lunches are provided but can easily be bought locally from either shops or the hotel
efuge.

Evening meal: Generally, a first course of soup, salad or charcuterie, a main course of meat with one or two vegetables or rice or pasta, a dessert course. Drinks are not included in the price of evening meals.

Vegetarians: We happily cater for vegetarians but please inform us at the time of booking.

Vegans: You may find the variety of food offered to be limited, since veganism is relatively uncommon in this region.

Gather at the hotel above the Rhône valley to meet your Tour Leader and group for a concise welcome briefing covering the week’s terrain, equipment and mountain etiquette. Questions encouraged—this relaxed session sets expectations and camaraderie before tackling the high passes together in the days ahead.

Settle in for a convivial dinner celebrating Swiss Valais flavours—perhaps raclette, hearty soups and local cheese—served in the rustic surrounds of Col de la Forclaz. Enjoy the easy rhythm of a shared table and mountain hospitality as you anticipate the days of trekking ahead together.

Follow the classic alpage path as you follow the Bovine Route across spruce forest and flower-rich pastures, passing stone barns and cowbells echoing in the open air. Panoramas open to the Rhône valley and Martigny, with distant snow lines crowning the Valais peaks beyond the ridge.

Descend to the lakeside resort of Champex-Lac, admired for its mirror-calm water and wooden chalets. This gentler variant of the TMB reveals working mountain life—seasonal grazing, cheese-making traditions—and rewards steady walkers with alpine pastures, viewpoints and a true sense of scale around the Mont Blanc massif.

Climb steadily from La Fouly towards the Grand Col Ferret, the highest pass on this itinerary, where wind-bent grasses and open sky signal the frontier. Views sharpen to the Grandes Jorasses and glaciers pouring from the Mont Blanc massif, their buttresses towering above the valley.

Trace the watershed beneath Mont Dolent’s tri-border summit and cross into Italy, entering Val Ferret with its slate-roofed hamlets and rifugi culture. The broad, glacial valley frames serrated ridgelines and hanging ice, a dramatic contrast to the wooded Swiss slopes left behind.

Walk the long glacial corridor of Val Veny, skirting milky streams and moraine to reach the turquoise flats by Lac Combal and the snout of the glacier de Miage. The path steepens along an old Roman road towards the airy saddle of Col de la Seigne.

At the crest, re-enter France with wide views onto the Beaufortain and the high dome of Mont Blanc. The descent passes seasonal hamlets linked to Alpine transhumance, hinting at Beaufort cheese dairies and cross-border trade that once relied on these very passes for safe passage.

Tackle a classic ridge day as you crest the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and traverse to the weathered notch of Col du Bonhomme. Stone cairns, lingering snow patches and wheeling alpine choughs accompany broad views to the Vanoise and Beaufortain ranges.

Follow the Roman road descent into the Val Montjoie, echoing centuries of mule caravans that ferried salt, wool and wine over these cols. The route’s historical character pairs with rugged scenery, delivering a satisfying, big-mountain walking day into the valley town of Les Contamines, properly earned.

Climb through larch and pasture to cross the Col du Tricot, a balcony above the deep trench of the Miage glaciers. The trail swoops close to the Glacier de Bionnassay snout, where icy seracs crackle and alpine air cools the skin on sunny summer days.

Continue to the breezy Col de Voza to re-enter the Chamonix Valley, with cable cars, cog railways and steep granite spires signalling the cradle of alpinism. The mix of pastoral meadows and high, glaciated walls makes this stage both scenic and varied underfoot, and memorable.

Walk the celebrated Grand Balcon Sud, a contouring path that frames the Mont Blanc range like a gallery wall. Stop by Lac Blanc, where calm water mirrors aiguilles and snowfields, a favourite spot for dawn and late-afternoon photography when winds drop and light turns gold.

Traverse the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve, keeping an eye out for ibex and alpine chough, before a dramatic descent to Chamonix. This finale delivers the massif at its most theatrical—saw-toothed granite, tumbling glaciers and the town’s mountaineering heritage arrayed across the valley.

Ascend from Chamonix to 3,842m as you ride the Aiguille du Midi cable car, floating above forests, rock and ice to the high Alps. Platforms reveal the Mont Blanc range at arm’s length, with the serrated Grandes Jorasses and Vallée Blanche below in crystalline weather.

Step into the Void, a glass-floored lookout that adds a thrilling edge to the vistas. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; weather can affect operations. Dress warmly—the thin, dry air and sudden gusts make the summit station feel otherworldly.

From central Chamonix, board the Montenvers cog railway for a steep climb through forest to a belvedere above the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier. Exhibits and viewpoints explain how ice sculpts the valley and how its surface has changed over time through recent decades.

If conditions and access allow, descend towards the seasonal ice cave to see blue grotto textures up close and pause for photos and reflection across the crevassed river of ice. This optional excursion is at additional cost and can be arranged with your tour leader.

From La Palud near Courmayeur, ride the Skyway Monte Bianco in rotating cabins to 3,466m Punta Helbronner, skimming past buttresses of rock and tumbling glaciers. Viewing terraces sweep across the Vallée Blanche to Mont Blanc and the Italian side of the massif, in startling clarity.

Browse exhibits on geology and cableway engineering or sip an espresso high above the icefields. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; operations are weather-dependent and visibility varies, but the aerial perspective is a striking counterpoint to the week’s footpaths.

Explore the Mont Blanc massif on a small-group trek as you meet your International Mountain Leader, whose expertise shapes each day’s route choice, pace and safety. Walk together across glacier-carved valleys and larch forests, learning efficient techniques for steady ascents, long descents and using poles on rugged alpine paths.

Benefit from alpine safety and navigation briefings, trail interpretation and insights into flora, geology and local customs spanning France, Italy and Switzerland. Your leader shares stories of shepherding, mountaineering firsts and seasonal life in the valleys, adding cultural depth to the physical challenge and scenic drama of the circuit.