Chamonix Mountain Walking
Guided walking holiday

+ Gain huge Alpine views from clear trails
+ Feel the buzz in Chamonix, a real outdoor capital
+ Come as a group of friends, or join our group trip

Latest news January 2012
Please ask about our 2012 season which starts on 1 July. Thank you. For 2012 we are offering 7 scheduled guided trips as well as our private guided trips throughout the season.

The Chamonix valley makes a superb base for a walking holiday. The backdrop of Mont Blanc, at 4,808m the highest peak in Western Europe, is present throughout. Some of the most famous views reachable by Alpine walking are sited above the valley.

Each day, set off in your group on a walk led by your International Mountain Leader. Climb to a viewpoint over the Mer de Glace or Glacier d'Argentiere, walk part of the Grand Balcon Sud with views across the valley to the Mont Blanc peaks, or climb a summit such as Le Brevent, Aiguillette des Posettes or Le Prarion for panoramic views of the mountains.

Our itinerary is planned to show you various aspects of life and walking in the Chamonix area. We move between hotels and walk up for a night in a hut. If you come on a private trip, we can plan your itinerary to match your time and your preferences, for example by adding more hut nights or basing the trip entirely in one valley base.

We stay in good hotels with a warm welcome; if the weather is kind we'll enjoy high views of Mont Blanc from the hut.

Why Alpine Exploratory for your guided trip?

Expert knowledge of the routes
The same careful research that goes into our self-guided Chamonix trips informs our guided trips too. We keep on top of changes to the local routes and we place a lot of emphasis on good relations with our hotels and huts. They know us well!

Flexible, personal planning
As per our general ethos, even on our scheduled guided Chamonix trips we like to be flexible. Single rooms are no problem, except at the hut where they're unavailable. (The single supplement takes this into account.) If you'd like extra nights in Chamonix before or after the trek, please just ask us.

Small groups expertly led
Alpine Exploratory follows best practice in the mountains. Our leaders are all International Mountain Leaders and we keep to a maximum group size of 8 clients. The aim is a small, tightly knit group with an engaging leader, completing the local walks with safety, proficiency and fun.

About us - more about what makes us tick

Baggage transfer

On all our guided Chamonix trips, we include in your price the minor baggage movement from Argentiere to Les Houches. This covers your night in the hut. The group then carries its own baggage on the transfer from Les Houches back up-valley to Chamonix. Of course, you might prefer to come with just one light rucksack, and indeed this is our favoured way to do it!

Options (for private trips)

If you join us as a private group instead of joining our scheduled trips, then we can adjust your trip in various ways.

+ Spend more time in huts for high evening views
+ Shorten the trip to a walking-packed long weekend
+ Favour luxury hotels which we know in Chamonix
+ Stick to harder or easier walks for the mix that suits your group

Of course, on a private trip you can come on the dates that suit you. Except for the composition of the group and the dates, everything else is the same as on our scheduled trips.

Chamonix Mountain Walking (Self-guided) - look here for all the options