Possible dates: End of June – Middle of September
Tour around Dents Blanches, Mont Ruan and Dents du Midi between Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva
This magnificent 7 day tour hidden paradise hike for experienced hikers leads us out of the ordinary and into the wild, romantic mountains between Switzerland and France. This little paradise has not been discovered by many hikers yet. We’ll discover the haut Giffre mountains and the Val d’Illiez and stay in cozy mountain huts/guest houses. We walk over passes and trough mountain meadows and dip in some of the many crystal blue mountain lakes.
We sleep in typical mountain guest houses in beautiful spots surrounded by mountains and mountain lakes. Delicious dinners will be cooked for us and a hot shower each night awaits after the hike. Dips in mountain lakes, alpine flowers, great views and local fauna – there will be a lot to explore!
Come join us on this Tour of Dents Blanches & Dents du Midi hike!
- 7 hiking days
- 6 nights at mountain huts
Hiking Itinerary Tour of Dents Blanches & Dents du Midi
Day 1: Martigny – Les Marecottes – Salanfe
We meet at Martigny train station in the morning. From there we take the Mont Blanc Express train to the lovely montain town of Les Marecottes. A cable car brings us up to the mountains where we can enjoy great views. Now we start our walk toward a beautiful alpage where we stop for lunch. From there we hike up towards our first pass of the tour, Col d’Emaney. The big mountain we see now is the Luisin and also de Dents du Midi come in sight. From here we can overlook Salanfe lake and can already see our Auberge for the night.
Night and dinner at Auberge de Salanfe at 1925m, double rooms or dorms, shower
- +967m, -700m, 6hrs
Day 2: Salanfe – Barmaz
Our pass today is called Susanfe, squeezed in between Tour Salière and Dents du Midi. Our very charming guest house tonight is a beautifully located in the Alpages of Chambery at the Val d’Illiez.
Here, no power lines that distort the landscape, we self-produce our energy, a real return to nature! You will find yourself in the middle of pastures strewn with hundreds of flowers, crossed by the torrents surrounded by a green forest.
The majestic “Dents Blanches” (2756m) massif dominates this enchanting setting. And you can see in the distance the high alpine peaks of the “Dents du Midi” (3257m) as well as the eternal snows of the Ruans glacier.
Night and dinner at Cantine des Barmaz, double rooms available, shower
- +750m, – 1200m, 6hrs
Day 3: Barmaz – Refuge de Bostan
We enjoy a nice breakfast this morning before getting ready for our walk into France today. We follow an old smugglers trail over Col du Cou. From here we walk down toward Samoëns area and to the Alpage de Bostan where our Refuge for the night stands.
Night at Refuge de Bostan 1763m, double rooms available, shower
- + 750m, – 250m, 4hrs
Day 4: Refuge de Bostan – La Vogealle
We hike up to the small mountain lake Lac des Verdets for a snack stop. Trough the Natural Reserve of Sixt /Passy we reach Pas de Taurau. Now it’s nor far for our next lake, Lac de Vogealle and a refreshing swim. The refuge for tonight is just a short walk away.
Night at Refuge la Vogealle 1902m, in dorms, shower
- +700m, -400m, 4hrs
Day 5: La Vogealle – Sixt Fer à Cheval – Refuge des Fonts
Trough the Pas du Boret with splendide views our trail winds down to the Chiffre valley and the impressive natural amphitheatre Cirque du Cheval. Now onward to the small town of Sixt For à Cheval. We enjoy a nice lunch here. Shortly after lunch we start our climb up to Refuge des Fonts situated in a natural Amphitheatre.
Night at refuge des Fonts 1380m, in dorms, shower
- +600m, – 988m, 6hrs
Day 6: Refuge des Fonts – Refuge Moede Anterne 2000m
A magnificent day walking up towards the Fiz mountain range and the high plateau of refuge Wills. From here it’s not far to the beautiful Anterne lake. A jewel of a mountain lake where we’ll stop for picknick and maybe a swim. Onward over Anterne pass from where we’ll have an incredible view over the Mont Blanc mountain range. Short walk down to our Refuge.
Night at Refuge Moede Anterne 2000m, in dorms, no showers
- +900m, – 250m, 5hrs
Day 7: Refuge Anterne – Brévent – Chamonix
Our last breakfast in the mountains. We start our walk with a gentle downhill to cross the Diosaz river on a bride before our last uphill to one of the best viewpoints in the Chamonix Valley. Brévent top station marks the end of our hiking tour. We can enjoy a lunch on the terrasse and take a cable car all the way down in to Chamonix in the afternoon.
- +710m, -180m, 3hrs
Maps for hidden paradise hike
Costs for Tour of Dents Blanches & Dents du Midi
1240.00€ with a group of 6 hikers
2435.00€ with a group of 4 hikers
2800.00€ with a group of 2 hikers
Included in the costs:
- Organisation, 7 guided hiking days with a UIMLA mountain leader, all huts/guesthouses with half board (double room based where possible if not dorms), hot showers, 7 lunch packs, guides expenses
Not included in the costs:
- Personal insurance, travel to Les Marecottes and back from Finhaut, Brévent cable car, personal equipment, drinks
Level requirement for hidden paradise hike
This tour is for fit and experienced hikers that are used to walk around 6hrs per day during 7 days. We climb about 1000m per day.
Accommodation and Food
We stay in mountain guest houses and “Refuges” during our trekking. Some offer double rooms and other shared dorms. You’ll able to take a hot shower each night. Lunches will be picnics with local products on most days. Somedays we will be able to eat in mountain restaurants. Warm dinners will be cooked for us in the huts.
How to get to Martigny where the tour starts
Martigny, originally an important roman city with a castle and a roman amphitheatre that you still can visit today. It lies in the French speaking part of the Swiss Valais and can easily be reached by train from Geneva or Zürich airport. Please find the train schedule here.
Our tour ends in Chamonix, France. From there it’s a 1hr mini van shuttle to Geneva Airport or a 1hr train ride back to Martigny, Switzerland on the Mont Blanc Express train.
