Tour of Mont Blanc hiking

We meet at 8.30am at Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge in Les Contamines. After warming up in the valley, we'll start a long climb along a Roman road that will take us to the Col du Bonhomme at 2329m. The traverse to the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and the ascent to the Col des Fours, culminating at 2665m, will offer us breathtaking views and the wildest part of the Tour du Mont-Blanc.

We then descend into the Vallée des Glaciers, a secluded valley nestling beneath the imposing Aiguille des Glaciers. We'll spend the night in one of the valley's few chalets, surrounded by the tranquillity of the mountains.

On the second day, we'll climb to the Col de la Seigne at 2516m, the border between France and Italy. We'll discover the spectacular Italian side of Mont Blanc as we descend into the Val Vény. From Lac Combal, our path climbs up to the Arp Veille mountain pastures, offering remarkable panoramic views. A long descent takes us to Courmayeur, where we spend the night in a comfortable hotel.

This is the longest day of our expedition. From Courmayeur, we climb through a larch forest to the Bertone refuge at 1989m. The panoramic trail takes us to the Bonatti refuge, before we cross the Petit Col Ferret at 2486m, entering Switzerland. A rolling descent takes us to the village of La Fouly in the Swiss Val Ferret. Arrive at the gîte in the late afternoon for the evening and overnight stay.

We cross the Swiss Val Ferret, dotted with small hamlets of unspoilt architecture, to the village of Issert at 1050m. A climb takes us to Champex-Lac at 1450m. A further short climb takes us to panoramic mountain pastures in a magnificent valley, where we spend the night.

On this final day, we'll climb the spectacular fenêtre d'Arpette at 2665m, then descend to the relais du Trient. We return to France via the Col de Balme before descending directly to Vallorcine, where our adventure comes to an end.

The expedition ends at 4 p.m.