July 7-9th 2023

This moderate hiking trip gives you a chance to sample some of the very best bits of Alpine living. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets over snowcapped mountain tops, a dip or two in some glacial lakes, fondue, vin rouge and a chance to admire the breathtaking scenery at your own pace.

Leaving from the pictueresque ski slopes of Morzine we head high into the mountains to a remote refuge where we bunk for the night. Waking up surrounded by mountains and nothing but the sounds of tinkering cow bells and near by waterfalls.

Reaching a peak of 2,500m on our second day we arrive at the Col du Brevant overlooking Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe and it's stunning glaciers.

What's included: Three days days of hiking, wild swimming and sightseeing high up in the French Alps. One night in a mountain refuge, another in a lakeside auberge and a third in a boutique hotel all in and around the Portes de Soleil and the Chamonix Valley.

Wild Swimming And Walking The French Alps

Name: Wild Swimming And Walking The French Alps
SKU: 364115376135191

£1,295.00

Quantity

Availability to be confirmed 1st Feb 2023

Wild Swimming and Hiking in The French Alps

Pre Trek Dinner:

We start our French Summer Treks by the side of a lake in France, (the one pictured as the main web site image) with dinner with the group and a chance to go over the route and meet the team. We'll make a plan for the following morning for those who want to run around the lake, folks that want to swim the 2km of it, anyone wanting to potter in or out of the water of those who'd just like a slow start with at least a couple coffees and taking in the view

Day 1:

We enjoy fresh baked croissants, home made granola, berries, gluten-free breakfast buns and all kinds of other home made treats in our hotel over-looking the lake. From there it's a short drive to the start of our first days trail. It's a 4-5 hour walk to the lakeside picnic spot, (we'll stop en route for snacks and snaps), where you can take a dip or a swim around the little island, or clamber up on it and pick at the wild blueberries that grow there. Post lunch we walk for another couple hours passing through wildflower meadows, marmots and Ibex before reaching our overnight stop at the mountain refuge for a dinner of fondue, a little red wine and a stunning sunset over Mont Blanc (more on this in the FAQ).

Day 2:

We walk down to the valley floor and along side a roaring glacial river before a 3 hour climb up to the highest point on our Trek, (2,500m) overlooking Mont Blanc, (the highest point in Europe) and it's stunning snow capped glaciers before our final descent, (by lift or on foot) into the picturesque ski town of Chamonix.

Day 3:

After two days of extensive sight-seeing and Trekking, the third day is your own. The Chamonix valley offers numerous options of how to spend your day: there's a chance to relax and visit a local spa, take the gondola up over the glacier and marvel back at the ranges you've walked or spend the final morning hiking up to it before your flight home - whichever you prefer.
What do we eat? Where do we stay? What do we bring? What do you need?

Food:

We love food almost as much as we love the mountains so ensuring the catering for our Treks is top quality is one of our priorities: eating well is not incompatible with Trekking. One of our valley team is a chef and as a qualified sports nutritionist who puts together our fabulous, healthy and tasty menus. No matter what your dietary requirements we’ll do all we can to make sure you feel fabulous inside and out at the end of your trip.

Included in the price of your Trek are three meals a day whilst trekking and drinks. Excluded are the restaurant dinner on the final night and alcoholic drinks.

Accommodation/Transport

Accommodation is a combination of mountain refuges at high altitude, (they're the only thing up there) and boutique hotels or gîtes down in the valleys, so you can enjoy a little luxury/home comfort. Refuges are basic and often dormitory rooms, so you'll be sleeping alongside staff and other guests, (male and female) hotels offer single rooms for a supplement. Accommodation in the valleys is 3-4 star and prices are based on single room occupancy and rooms are with en suite facilities.

Transport to and from the resort is not included but on arrival at our accommodation you'll be transported by us either by minibus to the trails from which we walk to the refuges and our third night accommodation or local taxi to dinners.

On rare occasions if weather prevents us continuing with a hike and no routes are safely passable we will be transported by minibus to alternative accommodation of a similar standard.

We love food almost as much as we love the mountains so ensuring the catering for our Treks is top quality is one of our priorities: eating well is not incompatible with Trekking. One of our valley team is a chef and as a qualified sports nutritionist who puts together our fabulous, healthy and tasty menus. No matter what your dietary requirements we’ll do all we can to make sure you feel fabulous inside and out at the end of your trip.

Included in the price of your Trek are three meals a day whilst trekking and drinks. Excluded are the restaurant dinner on the final night and alcoholic drinks.

Food

Accommodation/Transport

Accommodation is a combination of mountain refuges at high altitude, (they're the only thing up there) and boutique hotels or gîtes down in the valleys, so you can enjoy a little luxury/home comfort. Refuges are basic and often dormitory rooms, so you'll be sleeping alongside staff and other guests, (male and female) hotels offer single rooms for a supplement. Accommodation in the valleys is 3-4 star and prices are based on single room occupancy and rooms are with en suite facilities.

Transport to and from the resort is not included but on arrival at our accommodation you'll be transported by us either by minibus to the trails from which we walk to the refuges and our third night accommodation or local taxi to dinners.

On rare occasions if weather prevents us continuing with a hike and no routes are safely passable we will be transported by minibus to alternative accommodation of a similar standard.

Equipment

Because of the altitude you will need some specialist gear but we'll supply you with a full list of everything you need and help you locate any new bits and pieces you may need and make recommendations.

As some of the locations are quite remote your luggage will be transported some nights by mules or our support vehicle so you can travel each day with a light day pack.

Terms and conditions/Passports and Visas

A complete list of our terms and conditions can be found below.

You will need to carry your passport with you at all times and should have obtained permission to move freely between Switzerland, Italy and France around Europe for the duration of your stay, In the transfer from Geneva Airport to resort you will cross the Swiss/French boarder and may be required to show your passport and give details of your travel itinerary. These will be provided in advance and you should have the with you at all times.

What is included?

Included in the price is your accommodation, our guide, breakfast, lunch and dinner (except for any restaurant dinners on some of our longer treks), support staff, support vehicle and the transfers each night for your luggage.

We have group insurance but you will need to supplement this with your own travel insurance.

Flights and transfers to/from the ariport are not included but we can give recommendations for both.

Group size and staffing

We restrict our groups to no more than ten people with at least two support staff up in the mountains at all times ensuring that we can offer a more bespoke experience and that people can move at their own pace.

Every trek is led by a qualified International Mountain Leader and supported by a team on the ground with you who put their heart and soul into making sure this is the best holiday you will ever have.

We are a fully insured tour operator and mountain guiding company.

Still have questions? Contact us!

What do we eat? Where do we stay? What do we bring? What do you need?

Our FAQ page has the answers to most of your questions, but if you didn't find what you were looking for, ask us directly!

The details

Fitness Requirements

The Treks are active holidays where you'll hike for between 6-8 hours a day, uphill for some periods and at altitude. Swimming is optional. Before booking your Trek you should be comfortable with walking for a full day and you will be asked to complete a medical questionnaire, any pre-existing medical conditions should be discussed in advance of booking and a doctors note may be required.

Where we go

Our Treks are based in and around the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. Our weekend Summer Treks start out near the beautiful ski town of Morzine, where we stay by a lake and swim, run or walk in the morning. From there we head to Servoz by car and then hike up into the mountains with a night in a mountain refuge before heading over Brevant and down into the Chamonix valley, finishing our Treks in the beautiful village of Les Houches.

Terms and Conditions – All trips are sold subject to these Terms and Conditions (hereinafter T&Cs).

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.

Health and fitness

Clients 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. Clients must be in sufficient 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. Clients are also required to bring adequate clothing / equipment as advised in the pre-departure information.
Terms and Conditions – 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

Clients 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. Clients must be in sufficient 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. Clients are also required to bring adequate clothing / equipment as advised in the pre-departure information.

3. Dietary Requirements

We endeavour 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, refuges, 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

To secure the booking 100% of the total fee should be paid. If the client wishes to cancel the their trip they must advise The Treks in writing. Where this isn’t possible and cancellation takes place over the phone or in person, The Treks will confirm the cancellation via email. In this instance, The trek should not be considered cancelled until written confirmation has been received by the client. More than 8 weeks in advance of the trek start date 50% of the fee will be refunded. Less than 8 weeks from the trek start date 100% of the fee is retained by The Treks.

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 a 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; or
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. Your leaders authority

On a guided holiday your leader is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of the whole group and has sole discretion on behalf of The Treks to exclude temporarily a participant from the group or to terminate the participant's 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 and with this adventure a certain level of risk is undertaken. Individuals need to conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner at all times; respond 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 information on our website, in your schedule, including information pack and other information we give to you. We will do all reasonable 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; or
due to an event which even with all due care we could not foresee or forestall.

10. Cancellation by us

The Treks 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 payments received shall relate The Treks from any further liability.

The Treks must normally make substantial payments to its suppliers far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. If a trip is cancelled due to force majeure; (acts of God, war, strikes, earthquake, flooding etc), The Treks will promptly refund the portion of the trip costs not already advanced to suppliers and use its best efforts to recover and refund the balance as promptly as possible. However The Treks does not guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made.

11. Additional Costs

The Treks 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.

12 Delays To Your Inward or Outward Journey

In the event of a delay to your inward journey we will do all we can to help you join the Trek at the swiftest possible opportunity where daylight and weather conditions permit. As travel into the mountains is not possible without a guide this may be at the next point where the group reaches the valley. In the event of a delay to your outward journey we will do what is possible to help you book alternative accommodation and provide support in making alternative travel arrangements if necessary,

Wild Swimming And Walking The French Alps

Typical Trek Itinerary

Trek FAQ

Terms and Conditions