Tour du Mont Blanc, a beautiful hiking route that crosses the Mont Blanc mountain range across France, Italy and Switzerland. I will introduce the landscape I met in a trip I walked over a week.
１：Dawn of Tre la Tete hut
Morning at Refuge Tre la Tete, Tour de Mont Blanc
Overlooking the town of Les Contamines with morning mist from the Tre la tete hut, which is a little off the route of TMB. You can enjoy the morning and evening magic time in a mountainous place only if you stay at a mountain hut. I recommend you travel around the TMB as soon as possible to reserve mountain huts.
２：Col du Bonhomme
Col du Bonhomme, Tour de Mont Blanc
The first mountain landscape in the regular route counterclockwise, Bonhome Pass. A place that crosses forest limits from Les Contamines through idyllic landscapes, exposes rocky mountains and feels the ruggedness of the mountains. As the wind passes through comfortably, a break after a long climb is pleasant. Many groups had lunch here.
３：Valley of the Veni (Val Veni) First half
Val Veni, Tour de Mont-blanc
France – Italy Border – A large valley that extends to the Colmayuer in Italy’s base beyond the Col de la Seigne. It is a landscape symbolizing the mountainous Italian part.
４：Valley of the Veni (Val Veni) the second half
La Visaille, Tour de Mont Blanc
Beyond the Elizabetta hut and Combal in the Veni Valley and on the main route it should climb to Col Checroit in front of Courmayeur, but I went into a variation route which moves sideways along the roadway by mistake. The landscape I met there. You can see to the far Italian – Swiss border · Grand Col Ferret. I had a clean weather.
５：Trail near Bertone hut
Around Refugio Bertone, Tour de Mont Blanc
A trail ahead of the Refugio Bertone in a place climbed 700m from Courmayeur. You can feel a huge mountain group up close, the rough Mont Blanc from the Italian side.
６：Grand Jorasses and Val Ferret
Grand Jorasses and Val Ferret, Tour de Mont Blanc
One piece on the route from Bertone Hut to Bonatti Hut. Rock mountain of Grand Joras on the left and Ferret Valley on the lower front continue to Gran Col Ferret on the Italian-Swiss border. The clouds on the rocky are also beautiful.
７：Morning glow of Mont Blanc seen from Bonatti hut
Sunrise at Refugio Bonatti, Tour de Mont Blanc
From the Italian side Bonatti hut you can see Mont Blanc lit by the morning sun.It is early September, but early in the morning is cold like winter in Japan.In such a situation, looking at the morning sun while drinking coffee is a time of bliss in a mountain hut. Although not shown in the picture, Grand Joras was also shining red a little before.
８：Grand Col Ferret
Val Ferret from Grand Col Ferret, Tour de Mont Blanc
Looking backward from the end of the Italian part’s Grand Col Ferret, the spectacular view of the Veni Valley and Ferett Valley.
９：The cows that clog the trail and the house like a flower garden
Cows on trail, Tour de Mont Blanc
The scenery of the early Swiss part beyond the Grand Col Ferret. The trail goes through the middle of a ranch spreading on the slope, and you have to proceed while you are going through the cows. The cattle who slowly grasses. Cowbell’s colorful tones are echoing.
Lovely House, Tour de Mont Blanc
And in the Swiss part, we can also pass through the village where pretty houses like this flower garden.
１０：The mirror of the sky Lac Blanc
A beautiful pond in front of Chamonix in the last part of France part, Lac Blanc. As the water surface gets quiet, it looks like a mirror reflecting the Mont Blanc mountain range. Although it is a variation route of the Tour du Mont Blanc, there are many people who enjoy hiking from Chamonix using ropeway. Because the scenery in the early morning is beautiful, it is recommended to stay one night.
Walking from hut to hut
A beautiful hiking route that can be called highlight every day, Tour du Mont Blanc. Unlike Japanese mountain huts with harsh images, the mountain huts on the route are equipped with a shower, meals are offered at the course, and you can reset your tiredness every day. Because there are many sideways movements of the trail, I think that you do not need much physical strength.There were also a lot of information boards on the route, and it was rare to see the map that I was carrying.
It is generally said that it takes about 10 days to walk through the whole course of Tour du Mont Blanc. If I have plenty of time, I’d like to enjoy a relaxing stay at a mountain hut like the European hikers, but I shortcut as far as possible for the section with public transportation for seven days (the whole journey from Japan In 9 days). If there is no more time or if the physical strength is anxiety, I think that you can fully enjoy this beautiful hiking even from short-hikes of 1 night or 2 nights starting from Chamonix or Courmayeur.
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I compiled things prepared for walking on the my Tour du Mont Blanc trip.
The mountains in Japan are also wonderful.
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