Arrive in Chamonix

Chamonix (Le Tour) > Trient

Your adventure through the heart of the Alps starts with a pick up at your hotel by your guide. Together with the rest of the group, you’ll take a short transfer to the departure point from where you’ll start the hike and your Haute Route trekking.

The first day is fairly easy and crosses from France into Switzerland. On a nice, gradually ascending trail you’ll climb up to the Aiguillette des Possettes, a peak high above the Chamonix valley which offers great views on the Mont Blanc and further over to the big Emosson lake on the Swiss side. From the summit an easy trail is leading over to the Col de Balme, the Franco-Swiss border. The hut on the pass is the perfect stop for a cold drink before you’ll tackle the descent to the small Swiss village Trient. The descent is fairly easy and brings you to the upper end of the village where you’ll spend the night in the company’s own refuge.

The dinner in the yurt with homemade drinks and food are an excellent finish for a first day full of good memories!

Trient > Champex-Lac (Verbier)

Verbier > Cabane Prafleuri / Hotel Barrage

After a good breakfast you’ll walk together with your guide through the town center of Verbier to reach the cable car station. You’ll the cable car up to La Chaux (or Col des Gentianes depending on weather and season) from where you’ll start the hike. The trail is rugged, steep, long and remote but a true adventure in the high mountains. First you’ll ascent the Col de la Chaux, a narrow notch just in between the Mont Fort and Bec des Rosses. From the Col you’ll descend for a little bit and you’ll reach the crystal clear Petit Mont Fort lake which offers great opportunities to take photos. After a short break at the lake you’ll take the next stretch and climb up to the Col de Louvie. Up there the first big portion of the day is done and you’ll enjoy your well deserved lunch. From the pass you’ll take a short but steep descent over some loose rocks to reach the so called “Grand Desert” (= great desert), a rocky moon-like landscape. From there you’ll see some last remaining patches of the Prafleuri glacier. Over the open desert you’ll take a nicely ascending trail to the Col de Prafleuri. Once you’ve reached the Col de Prafleuri pass you can already spot the mountain hut where you’ll spend the night. A short steep and technical descent brings you down to the Letio d’Allèves plateau from where you reach the Cabane du Prafleuri soon. At the hut you’ll enjoy an authentic experience in a cozy atmosphere. With a bit of luck you’ll see ibex just outside the hut once it gets dark.

Cabane Prafleuri / Hotel Barrage > Arolla

After a cozy night at the mountain hut another great day is waiting for you. From the Cabane du Prafleuri you’ll walk a short bit up to the Col des Roux. From the pass you’ll enjoy nice views over the famous Grand Dixence lake (dam). After a short descent you’ll walk on an easy trail along the lake until you reach its upper end. From there a nice trail climbs up to the lower end of the Dix glacier. The last part of the uphill is steep and difficult and the final meters are climbed over a ladder. Your guide will be there to help and assist and to create a safe environment. From the Pas des Chèvres (or Col de Riedmatten) a nice and easy trail is leading down to Arolla. In Arolla you’ll spend the night in a nice and comfy hotel. 

Arolla > La Sage

It’s half-time and so there is some time to take it easy for a day after a few long days before. After a nice and long breakfast you’ll head off to one of the most beautiful mountain lakes on the entire tour. From Arolla a nice trail leads up through a fairytale forest to the Lac Bleu (blue lake). Around the lake there are plenty of good photography opportunities and if you are brave enough you can also dip into the cold water and have a swim! From the lake an easy trail is leading through traditional villages. On the tracks of the famous black cows (Reines d’Hérens) you’ll walk through Les Haudéres and finally up to La Sage, where you’ll reach the hotel in the early afternoon. If you are still energized a short hike to a nice chapel with a viewing point is possible. If you are more interested in culture and food, local made cheese and sausage can be tried in the local grocery store just behind your hotel.

La Sage – Zinal

A long and challenging day is waiting for you. From La Sage a nice trail over open meadows is leading up to the Col de Torrent. Along the way up you’ll have magnificent views over many 4000 meter peaks. From time to time you’ll pass by an old farm building which are still used by the local farmers. The nicely maintained trail climbs gradually up to the mountain pass which is already visible from the bottom. Shortly before you reach the top, the trail gets quite steep.

At the top of Col de Torrent you’ll be rewarded with a nice panorama and good views of the Moiry lake. A nice trail is leading down to the Barrage de Moiry the next waypoint of your tour. Half-way down you’ll pass by the Lac des Autannes, another mountain lake where you can enjoy an ice cold swim. Once you reach the Lac de Moiry, you’ll cross its magnificent dam. At the other end there is a small restaurant where you can stop for nice and refreshing drink. 

From the barrage another short but challenging climb up to the Col de Sorebois is waiting. Energized you’ll take the trail which ascends in many serpentines the top of the Col de Sorebois. A short descent brings you to the mid-station of the Zinal ski resort from where you will take cable car to Zinal. In Zinal you’ll have some time before dinner to check out the cute town center.

Zinal – Gruben

Day 7 of the Haute Route adventure brings you over the Col de Forcletta from the French speaking part of the canton of Valais to the Swiss-German speaking part. That means from now on you won’t be greeting with the French “Bonjour!” anymore but in the Valaisan dialect “Gütun Tag!”.

From Zinal a short but steep ascent brings you up to a nice traversing trail towards the Barneuza farm. This first part of the hike is easy and you’ll walk through alpine meadows with great views over to the neighboring villages such as Grimentz or St-Jean. After a relaxing stroll you’ll tackle the gradually ascending trail to the Forcletta pass. From the top of the Col de Forcletta a remote and lonely descent brings you into the rural Meid-Valley and the village Gruben. In Gruben you’ll spend the night in the one only hotel Hotel Schwarzhorn. Their nice terrace is inviting for a nice glass of Swiss wine or a refreshing Frappé

Gruben – St. Niklaus

A spectacular day is waiting for you and finally you’ll be reaching the Matterhorn Valley. You’ll start your day directly behind the accommodation and take the nice trail through the light forest towards the Augstbordpass. The sleepy Gruben valley has a magnificent atmosphere and you’ll enjoy the first sun rays of the day whilst your ascending further up to the pass. From the Augstbordpass you’ll descend on a nice trail into the Augstbordtal. After a nice lunch break you’ll take a blocky traverse over a magnificent trail built into a steep slope over to the Jungtal. The last part of the hike follows along an interesting nature trail with many information about the local flora and fauna. Happy but tired you’ll reach the small alpine village Jungu from where you’ll take the cable car down to St. Niklaus. From the bottom a short walk through the village brings you to your accommodation for the night.

Europahütte – Zermatt

The last day of the Haute Route trip is filled with highlights. On this stage you’ll walk over the longest suspension bridge (almost 500m long) in the world, you’ll see many famous peaks such as the Weisshorn, the Dom and finally the Matterhorn. After the breakfast you’ll take a short descent to the bridge. The Charles Kuonen Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the world and the crossing will definitely raise your heartbeat. After crossing the bridge you’ll walk along the Europaweg to the Täschalp. Along the way you’ll have magnificent views on the famous Matterhorn, which will get closer with every step you’ll do! At the Alp you’ll stop by the Europaweghütte for lunch. Don’t forget to try some of their cake! Energized you’ll takle the last part of your Haute Route adventure. Depending on the weather conditions your guide will choose one of the many trails into Zermatt.

St. Niklaus – Europahütte

After more than a week of hard work, it’s time for a little bit an easier day so that you’ll have enough energy reserves for the last and final day. It is time to finally hike the famous Europaweg which traverses high above the Matterhorn Valley into Zermatt. The first part of the hike from Grächen is not doable anymore, because the trail traverses some dangerous slopes where many landslides and rockfalls happened in the past. Instead of getting into trouble you’ll take the nice valley hike from St. Niklaus to Randa. Along the way you get to see some traditional Swiss villages and many animals. In Randa you can stop for a coffee and a snack in a local bar before you take the steep zig-zag trail to the Europaweg. On your way up you can already take a glance at the famous Europa-Bridge which you’ll be crossing the following day. 

The nice trail leaves Randa and brings you up to Chüebodmen (a small hamlet) and later to the Europaweg. Once you’ve reached the Europaweg you’ll take a short traverse to reach the Europahütte where you’ll spend the night. The Europahütte, a basic hut for hikers and mountaineers high up on the trails with amazing views on all the 4000m peaks and especially the Weisshorn. If you’re lucky you can see some ibex right on the terrace of the hut in the evening, so make sure your camera is ready!

Departure Day

Departure day or stay longer and explore on your own!