Tour du Mont Blanc – in 3 stages
The Tour du Mont Blanc is the world-class multi-day trek by which others are measured. Taking in France, Italy, and Switzerland in a 3 stage hike which captures the best that the Alps have to offer, from breathtaking glaciers and picturesque towns to peaks and pastures.
Our itinerary ensures you stay in the heart of the mountains enjoying a variety of rustic mountain refuges in unique locations, and enjoying hearty mountain cuisine.
A truly unique experience from start to end and the trip of a lifetime. LBH have been guiding the TMB for over 22 yrs, with no stone left unturned, we guarantee an enriching and rewarding experience!
Departures available:
Stage 1: July 2nd – 5th €700
Stage 2: August 6th – 8th €665
Stage 3: September 3rd – 5th €600
Grading: Challenging
Nearest Airport: Geneva
A photographers dream, taking in spectacular vistas and alpine locations
Utilising mountain transport ( telepheriques )
No baggage transfers
Private transport provided from Morzine, SJD. Les Gets and other locations on request
Stage 1 - July 2nd - 5th Chamonix to Courmayeur
60km | +3125m | – 3733m
Day 1 – Les Houches – Bionassy. Late afternoon start utilising the Bellevue telepherique. Overnight: Auberge Bionassy
Day 2 – Bionassy – La Balme. Hike over the Col du Tricot to Miage, descend to Les Contamines. Continue along to Notre Dame de la Gorge and ascend through alpage. Overnight: La Balme.
Day 3 – La Balme – Les Chapieux. Climb up to the Cold du Balme, traverse to Col du Croix du Bonhomme and descend donw to La Chapieux. Overnight: Auberge de la Nova.
Day 4 – Les Chapieux – Courmayeur. Transfer to Ville de Glacier, ascend to the Col du la Seigne and border with Italy. Descend to Refugio Elisabetta, and into Courmayeur. Transfer back.
Stage 2 - August 6th - 8th - Courmayeur to Champex
36km | +1660m | – 1892m
Day 1 – Courmayeur – Bonatti. Mid afternoon start, driving through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and along Val Ferret. Overnight: Refugio Bonatti
Day 2 – Bonatti – La Fouly. Traverse from Bonatti, before ascending over the Col du Ferret (Italian / Swiss border). Overnight: La Lechere, La Fouly
Day 3 – La Fouly – Champex. Passing through the village of La Fouly we gradually ascend up the valley enjoying numerous hamlets and mountain alpage. Arrival in Champex with time to enjoy a swim / ice cream before minibus transfer to finish.
Stage 3 - September 3rd - 5th - Champex to Chamonix
36km | +2612m | -2202m
Day 1. Champex – La Peuty. Ascend via the Bovine route, pass through forest, woodland and alpage. Descend to Col du Forclaz before dropping down to La Peuty.
Day 2. La Peuty – Argentiere. Climb up gradually to the Col du Balme (border between Switzerland and France). Descend via the Aiguille des Posettes to Argentiere.
Day 3. Argentiere – Chamonix. Ascend from the Col du Montets, via Lac du Chesery and Lac Blanc. Descending to Chamonix utilizing La Flegere lift. Time to celebrate! Transfer back home.
Need To Know
Accommodation
We utilise basic mountain refuges and dormitory style accommodtaion for this trip.
What’s included
All accommodation.
All breakfasts and dinners.
Transport from Morzine, SJD, Les Gets to the start and end of each stage. Other collection / drop off points possible.
* Lunches / mountain transport (telepheriques) / drinks are provided at your own expense. 40L Rucksack recomended to carry, sleep liner, additional clothes and supplies. Full kit list provided.*
Guides
Our guides are exceptionally experienced with a passion for sharing the mountains, flora and fauna with you. All qualified and licensed International Mountain Leaders they will bring the trip alive.
We adopt an excellent guiding ratio meaning we can cater for differing levels within the group and offer extra add-ons where appropriate, such as taking in a side peak or giving two different trail choices.
One Guide – 1 – 7 clients.
Two Guides – 8 – 14 clients.
Booking and Price
Terms & Conditions
Terms and Conditions (updated November 2020) – All trips are sold subject to these Terms and Conditions (hereinafter T&Cs).
1. Insurance
All clients need to be adequately insured for all activities they are taking part in. Insurance must include repatriation and details should be provided at the beginning of each trip.
All European clients should obtain a European Health insurance card (EHIC), however, this is not a substitute for travel insurance.
2. Health and fitness
Trip members have the responsibility to select a trip appropriate to their abilities and interests. In order to assist with this, all trips are graded and we welcome the opportunity to discuss trip details/answer questions in advance of your reservation. Trip members must be in sufficiently good health to undertake the trip, and if unsure seek medical advice in advance. For your own safety, you need to inform us of any medical conditions in advance or at the start of the trip. Trip members are also required to bring adequate clothing/equipment as advised in the pre-departure information.
3. Dietary Requirements
We endeavor to work with clients and accommodate their dietary requirements. However such is the nature of adventure travel we may be limited to specific menus e.g remote Mountain Huts, Tea Houses in the Himalaya’s etc. We fully encourage you to contact us in advance to discuss your requirements then we have every opportunity to explore options thereafter.
4. Cancellations and Fee Schedule Per Person
91 days or more prior to departure – €250 cancellation fee
61 – 90 days before departure – 25% of the trip cost
46 – 60 days before departure – 50% of the trip cost
45 days or less: 100% of trip cost
Fees are calculated from the date we receive written cancellation notice which can be via email. If clients are unable to access email and cancel over the phone we will confirm in writing the cancellation.
If you cancel 91 days or more prior to departure, it may be possible to transfer to another trip without occurring any fees. Please discuss this with us in the first instance.
With specific departures, there may be an increase in cancellation fee if the accommodation provider T & Cs mean we are liable for payment.
4.1 Cancellation due to COVID travel restrictions.
If your chosen destination country or the country where you reside have restrictions in place due to COVID, meaning you are unable to travel, you have three options:
4.11 Postpone your trip until a later date.
4.12 Take a credit note and use against a future trip with LBH.
4.13 Request a full refund.
If any other reasons prevent you from travelling, including quarantine measures then our normal (4) T&Cs will apply. We recommend that you check with your travel insurance provider to fully understand your level of cover.
5. Complaints
If you have a complaint, please contact us as soon as possible, in the first instance your leader is often your obvious point of contact. This ensures we have every opportunity to explores solutions to the problem(s) arising and we will do all we reasonably can to resolve the complaint. You must tell us within 4 weeks after your holiday of any complaints that you feel have not been dealt with properly.
6. Alterations By Us
We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible if we must make any alteration to your holiday. Most alterations are minor, but very occasionally we might have to make a major alteration. A major alteration is a change of location or to a lower standard of accommodation for a substantial part of your holiday, a change in start/finish dates or necessary price rise in your holiday caused by rises in costs (e.g. exchange rates, internal transport etc). You may then choose as follows:
- To accept these alterations
- To withdraw from the holiday, in which case we will repay all monies paid to us including your deposit and this is the sum of our liability to you
- To accept an alternative holiday that we may propose to you, in which case if the proposed holiday is a lower price we will pay you the difference and if it is a higher price we may ask for the difference.
You must inform us of your choice as soon as possible after we contact you.
7. Group Leadership
On a guided holiday your leader is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of the whole group and has sole discretion, on behalf of Live Breathe Hike, to exclude temporarily a participant from the group. They may also choose to terminate the participants holiday without the possibility of a refund if the leader thinks the participant is likely to endanger the group safety or spoil its enjoyment.
8. Your Responsibility
Mountain holidays by their very nature are adventurous, with a certain level of risk is undertaken. Individuals need to conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner at all times; responding to advice, guidance, and instruction that may be given by the group leader / experienced professional and take all reasonable actions to eliminate accidents or injury.
9. Our Responsibilities
We will take all reasonable care to ensure that the information we give to you is accurate, including on our website, in your schedule and information pack. We will do all that we can to provide the service as described in the information we give to you. We are not liable if any failure is:
- Attributable to anyone other than us
- Attributable to a third party unconnected to us, and unforeseeable or unavoidable
- Due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and could not have been avoided even if all due care had been taken
- Due to an event which even with all due care we could not foresee or forestall
10. Cancellation By Us
Live Breathe Hike reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient signup or logistics problems that may impede trip operations. The refund of all land payments received shall relate Live Breathe Hike from any further liability.
Live Breathe Hike must normally make substantial payments to its suppliers far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. If a trip is canceled due to force majeure; (acts of God, war, strikes, earthquake, flooding etc), Live Breathe Hike will promptly refund the portion of the trip cost not already advanced to suppliers and use its best efforts to recover and refund the balance as promptly as possible. However, Live Breathe Hike does not guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made.
11. Additional Costs
Live Breathe Hike shall not be liable for (a) expenses such as additional nights and meals not specified in the individual trip itineraries, but which may required to get to from a trip start or end; expenses due to the delay of a trip for any reason (e.g. bad weather, trails conditions, land slides, flooding, sickness etc); (c) expenses occurred in recovering lost luggage by airlines, belongings left behind on a trip or in shipping purchases or other goods home from abroad; (d) visa and other incidental costs.
Live Breathe Hike reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes without payment.