Tour du Mont Blanc Camping Trek

Experience Overview

Complete the Tour du Mont Blanc, Europe’s greatest long-distance mountain trail, with the expert guidance of an International Mountain Leader. Trekking through France, Switzerland and Italy, we cross six mountain passes, view colossal glaciers and wander through Alpine meadows. Our 15-day itinerary is honed for balance: 10 full trekking days and three well-placed rest days, in which you can explore unique Alpine towns, including Chamonix. Spend nights on trek at scenic campsites, enjoy camp life camaraderie, starlit skies, and views you simply won’t get from a hotel.
Profile
— Accommodation: 14 Simple nights (participatory camping) — 10 days point-to-point trekking with vehicle support; three rest days — Camping support crew to carry baggage between campsites and put up tents — Group normally 5 to 14, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
At a Glance
— Accommodation: 14 Simple nights (participatory camping) — 10 days point-to-point trekking with vehicle support; three rest days — Camping support crew to carry baggage between campsites and put up tents — Group normally 5 to 14, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
Trip For You
This trip is graded Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging) – it involves 10 days of walking; two days at a Moderate level and eight days at a Challenging level. For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us. Walking profile: Most days are long, quite often involving an ascent of 900m-1,200m (or 3,000ft-4,000ft), equivalent to three to four hours walking uphill, followed by a similar descent. On Day 2, there are two metal ladders to descend from Lac Blanc. These are secured against the rock, consist of approximately 12 steps and are not difficult to climb down. The route throughout is non-technical; however, we will be walking mountain paths and this trip is not advised for severe vertigo sufferers. Please be aware that on Days 6 and 8, we take a short bus transfer to avoid trekking on busy roads. Terrain: Although the paths are well maintained, there are sections that are rough underfoot with sometimes loose rocks, so you need to be confident in your footing and balance. Route: Most people trek the Tour du Mont Blanc anticlockwise. From years of experience, we have discovered that trekking the route clockwise allows for quieter trails and avoids a tough ascent on the first couple of days. The views and walks are just as beautiful in this direction. Preparation: As this is a group adventure, you need to be confident your fitness will allow you to enjoyably walk at a consistent and steady pace that matches the group average, allowing the group to finish the day at a reasonable time. You will also enjoy the trek a great deal more if your fitness allows you to walk the route in relative ease. A Challenging-graded day would be equivalent to walking between three and five hours uphill and a similar time downhill, so up to nine hours in total depending on the pace (including breaks). Due to the lower altitude, climate and overall comfort of this trek, it is graded Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging). The Activity Level reflects the overall endurance required for this trip, not just the ease of any particular walk. Other treks with a higher Activity Level, requiring a higher overall endurance due to their remoteness, lack of facilities or average weather etc, may have shorter, easier walks. Please read the daily itineraries below when making comparisons to other walks/trips you may have done before. Opting out: If you are unable to walk during the itinerary and want to opt out of a day, please note this can sometimes be a little tricky, depending on your position on the circuit. To reach the next point, you will need to take a public bus (which run at limited times) or taxi (which can be expensive in more remote locations). Our support vehicle is not suitable for carrying passengers so please be aware of this when deciding to book this trip. If you miss a part of the itinerary, any extra transport, hotel and food cost will be at your expense. GPS measurements: All ascents, descents and walking distances listed below are approximate. We have decided the most accurate method is to map the routes carefully using Google Earth. That said, it is impossible to obtain a completely true figure of the distances walked. Due to the inherent inaccuracies of defining an exact waypoint with a GPS and the cumulative overall inaccuracy this causes, you may find that our distances and GPS distances you obtain on trek with your personal GPS/phone may differ by quite a margin. Timings stated include lunch and photo stops and will vary depending on the pace of your group.
Group Description
We provide a qualified International Mountain Leader to escort the group on each walking day. Our walking leaders are true mountain professionals. As well as being skilled group leaders, they are there to help assure safety on the mountain. They also impart their knowledge of the wider mountain environment such as flora and fauna, geology, weather and local customs. The leaders are required to prevent anyone participating in an activity if they believe the person is not capable of completing it safely or in a reasonable time. Our support leaders are also vital members of the team and ensure the camp is set up and ready when you walk off the hill (wherever practically possible) and hot, tasty and nutritious food is served.
Eating Drinking
We provide 14 breakfasts, 10 picnic lunches, eight home-cooked three-course group meals in camp and four group meals in local restaurants. Due to the small size and remoteness of several of these restaurants, and for speed when serving a large group, these will be set menus. Breakfast: Usually consist of coffee, tea, cereal, yoghurt, fresh fruit, bread and conserves. Lunch: Picnic-style lunches will normally include bread, cold meat, cheese, sometimes boiled eggs or tinned fish, fresh salad and fresh fruit. You may wish to bring (or purchase locally) snack bars for an extra energy boost during the day. Evening meal: Whether in camp or in a nearby restaurant, we endeavour to make dinner something to look forward to. Each day there will be a freshly prepared menu for the whole group, consisting of a soup, salad or similar; a main course of meat, fish or vegetarian served with a selection of vegetables and carbohydrates; and a dessert. Beer, wine, bottled water, coffee, tea or other drinks are not included in the price of evening meals taken in restaurants. Coffee and tea are included with the evening meal when we eat in camp and beer and wine are also available for purchase at a modest cost. Vegetarians: We happily cater for vegetarians – please inform us at the time of booking. Vegans: If you adhere to a vegan diet, you may find the variety of food offered to be limited, since veganism is relatively uncommon in this region. The feedback we receive for the food we serve is great but please be aware that facilities are limited and practicality forces us to put our efforts into making one excellent group meal with a vegetarian option. Of course, any allergies will be respected.
Transportation
All transport mentioned in the itinerary and cable cars (except where these are marked as optional) are included. Transport and excursions on the three rest/free days are not included. For the transfers to and from Geneva airport we normally use a private coach. Other Exodus groups heading out to trek in the Alps may share this transfer.
Joining Instructions
Key information Start campsite: Camping Les Marmottes, 140 Chem. des Doux, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Phone: +336 13 41 12 50 Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today. There will be a welcome briefing in the evening, but if you miss it the leader will update you separately Airport: Geneva (GVA) Getting to the start campsite The start campsite is approximately a 1hr 15min drive from the airport. Your options for this journey are:  Take an Exodus transfer Exodus provides one group arrival transfer from the airport, which is timed to coincide with the arrival of a chosen flight from London, UK. You may join this transfer at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times or to arrange a private transfer. Make your own way You can reach the start campsite easily by taking a bus transfer with a local company – make sure to book at least a week before your departure date. A one-way transfer (shared with other travellers) costs approximately €46 for a flexible booking and €41 for a fixed booking with our partner Mountain Dropoffs. Book on www.mountaindropoffs.com using promotional code EXOCHX for an approximate €1.50 discount. Discounted rates apply to transfers taking place between 14 June and 15 September. If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative. Catching your return flight There’s a group departure transfer to the airport for customers who Exodus booked onto a chosen flight to London, UK. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join. If the group departure transfer does not suit your flight time, we recommend booking a shared transfer in advance with Mountain Drop-offs (please see Make your own way section above). Alternatively, speak to your sales representative to arrange a private transfer.
Weather Information
From late June to early October, expect fair weather. However, all mountain ranges create their own weather patterns and the Alps are no exception. It does rain and can be surprisingly cold at times, especially on the high passes. Daytime temperatures are in the range of 15C-25C (59F-77F) in the valleys, although it can sometimes reach 30C (86F) in July and August; 5C-15C (41F-59F) on the passes, though it will feel colder if wet and windy; and 5C to 15C (41F-59F) in the valleys at night, possibly a little lower early and late in the season. There is always the possibility of lying snow, especially in the early season, and snowfall even in August and September, when we may find new snow on the passes. Please note, the days are shorter on September treks, so we start early to make the most of the available daylight.
Spending Money
The cost of the extra lunches varies depending on whether you want to picnic or eat in a restaurant, and an average of €17 per lunch should suffice. For the dinner not included, allow €25. You will also need money for drinks in cafes or huts during the walks and drinks in restaurants where we take our evening meal. Typically, a large café au lait or a soft drink costs between €5-€6, and a glass of beer €6-€8. A bottle of wine can be bought for approximately €10-€20 in these restaurants. There are several extra excursions in Chamonix, exact prices and details will be confirmed locally, but the following provides a guide to what is normally available: — Tandem paragliding flight: €135 from Brevent or Aiguille du Midi middle stations — Return ride on Aiguille du Midi cable car: €70 per person, or buy a mulitpass covering all lifts for the whole valley for the same price. The cable car from Entrèves to Helbronner on the Italian side is slightly cheaper, you would need to take a bus from the campsite in Planpincieux to Courmayeur, this is approximately €2 — Mont Blanc Tramway, Saint Gervais – Nid d’Aigle €40 round trip — Montenvers cog railways – Mer de Glace €35 round trip — Courmayeur Spa from €54 for a five-hour pass qcterme.com/en/pre-saint-didier/qc-terme-pre-saint-didier All prices are subject to change.
Tipping
Although optional, a tip for the walking and support crew at the end of the trip is greatly appreciated. The sum you choose to give is entirely personal, but as a reasonable starting point, we suggest a contribution of €40 per person per leader. Smaller groups may wish to give a little more per person. It is customary and appreciated to leave a small tip when settling your drinks bill at group meals in restaurants.

Highlights