Tour of the Vanoise
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Overview
Highlights
- Fascinating drive to Col de la Vanoise (8,255)from Pralognan-la-Vanoise along the ancient trading route
- Opportunity to see Mont Blanc on a clear day.
- Drive to refuge de l’Orgere we pass through hayfields in the valley de l’Orgere, so-called as oats were once grown in this sheltered valley
- Explore this 8-day trip takes us on a circular route through the heart of the Vanoise National Park, a wonderfully remote
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Activities
Trip includes
- Group transfers to and from the Geneva Airport
- All accommodations
- All breakfasts, all Lunches and all Dinners
- Guides, great hiking and memories!
Itinerary
Early afternoon group transfer from the Geneva Airport to our hotel in Pralognan-la-Vanoise, headquater’s of the Vanoise National Park. A There will be time to explore the village before our area orientation meeting and welcome dinner.
A gentle day ascending to the Col de la Vanoise (8,255’) from Pralognan-la-Vanoise along the ancient trading route; the “Route du Sel et de la Fromage”. Walking through the village from the hotel we start climbing slowly between old stone houses. To our right is the w...
Early morning light accompanies us as we descend gently past small lakes. Immense scree slopes rise up to our left to the Grande Casse as we pass Lac Bond and the Lac du Col de la Vanoise. To our left the Pointe de la Rechasse marks the eastern extremity of the Glacie...
Today’s walking is dominated by La Dent Parrachee (12,129’) while opposite us we look across the valley of the Haute Maurienne and the Italian frontier. In summer the Col du Mont Cenis provides a road crossing into Italy and the town of Susa. AS we traverse the flanks...
Today we have a choice of either the “normal” route via the Col du Barbier or the high route via the Col de la Masse (9,590’). Either way the scenery is stunning. Dropping down from the “eagle’s nest” of the Dent Parrachee we reach the parting of the ways a short way ...
We turn our backs to the south and the Maurienne as we climb uphill. Again, we have two options today, either passing by the hamlet of Polset or passing the refuge de l’Orgere. If we pass the refuge de l’Orgere we pass through hayfields in the valley de l’Orgere, so-c...
Our final day is a long gentle descent alongside the tumbling waters of the Doran. The valley provides pastures for several herds of cows and a farm where there’s a chance to see cheese making in progress. Leaving the farm, we pass the luxurious Refuge du Roc de la Pe...
The trip will end after breakfast with a group transfer back to the Geneva Airport, arriving around 10am.
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Distant Journeys.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Distant Journeys Reviews & Ratings
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Tour Operator
The foundation of Distant Journeys rests on our expertise in adventure-based outdoor leadership and our extensive background in developing and running international hiking experiences. For 29 years, we have specialized in guided hikes and self-guided hiking and walking trips along Europe’s classic long-distance routes and to areas of inspiring natural beauty.
When we first started Distant Journeys, we were two young Outward Bound instructors eager to share the unique and unlimited possibilities that hiking Europe offered. After spending countless windy, rainy nights on pulling boats, when the cook stove wouldn’t light and the tarp leaked and the anchor dragged, or days of hiking through the Maine mountains weighted down with tents, cook pans and food while shepherding bands of energetic adolescents, the experience of arriving at a mountain hut at the end of a day of hiking to be greeted by a cold drink, a hot meal and warm bed was eternally captivating.
In our nearly 20 years of experience working as Outward Bound instructors, we each worked with a wide range of populations: from youth at risk, to women’s groups, to standard groups consisting of teachers, West Point and Coast Guard cadets and corporate executives. We instructed, supported and led course components including sailing, hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, ropes courses and problem-solving initiatives. And we worked with these groups in challenging and, at times, stressful wilderness situations, while imparting the skills necessary for participants to conduct their own expeditions.
Since offering the Tour du Mont Blanc for the first time as a guided trip 29 years ago, we have expanded our trip offerings to include 15 trips in eight countries. We have chosen to keep our company small so that we can remain true to our touchstone of personal service, and so that we can continue to guide the routes we love and still have time to develop new trips to destinations that intrigue us.
Our Distant Journeys trips are by no means Outward Bound courses. However, what we’ve learned from Outward Bound and from all of our time out on the trails of Europe is that if we are willing to leave the routines of our everyday lives and step into a life that is more in tune with the rhythm of the natural world, even if it is only for a short time, we will feel more alive, more energized and more vital. And, if we are willing to travel in a way that is open to surprises and the unexpected, then every journey becomes a true adventure.
Our Approach
While it’s been nearly thirty years since we first hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc, the true beauty of hiking in Europe remains. You can still throw a change of clothes, your rain gear and lunch in a pack, step out the door and walk anywhere you want to go. You are never far from a signpost, a footpath or a welcoming place to quench your thirst, quell your hunger or rest your head. You are never far from the good, congenial company of fellow hikers. Nowhere else is it so possible to walk from village to village, inn to inn, or hut-to-hut and barely lay foot to asphalt or pedal to the metal.
In planning our trips, we generally are drawn to Europe’s classic routes that have intriguing histories or compelling constructs, like hiking from one coast of England to the other or from Mont Blanc to the Mediterranean. We work to maintain the integrity and continuity of a route by hiking as much of it as possible and using alternate transportation only as needed, while at the same time fitting the experience into a time frame that most of us can manage.
We also understand the value of lingering. Some places are so welcoming and offer so much that it is worth settling in a bit, spending time doing day hikes and coming back to the same accommodation each evening.
Whether planning a long-distance route or a hotel-based trip, the key for us has always been simplicity and balance. Our aim is to travel well, but without excess, to travel in ways that are environmentally respectful and that are in tune with local traditions and customs. Traveling in the traditional European style of staying in small inns, hotels and mountain huts, carrying our own packs, and using local transportation, lifts and trams brings us closer to the heart of a place. Keeping our groups small minimizes our impact on our surroundings, and assures for flexibility and a higher level of personal attention.
Our trips are about the rewards of physical endeavour and the benefits of connecting with other people and other cultures in real ways. Above all they are an expression of our abiding respect for our natural world, for its beauty, its power and the gifts it holds for those who are willing to travel its contours slowly and simply.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- Airfare
- Optional/individual transfers or excursions
- Items not on set dinner menu
- Beverages
- Insurance
- Tips to guides/leaders
- Items of a personal nature.
Accommodation
Should you find it necessary to cancel, a cancellation fee will apply based on the date we receive written notice:
Over 60 days prior to departure — $200 fee
60-30 days prior to departure — 50% of land costs
Less than 30 days or failure to show —no refund
There will be no refunds or credits for unused portions or uncompleted tours for any reason whatsoever.
Please note that a few of our trips have payment schedules and cancellation fees that are more stringent. These exceptions are clearly indicated in the detailed itineraries, printed separately for each trip.
Distant Journeys, Inc. reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient registrations. Generally, a cancellation would be made more than 45 days in advance of the departure date. If we find it necessary to cancel a trip, all payments made to Distant Journeys, Inc. will be refunded immediately. However, Distant Journeys, Inc. shall not be responsible or liable for other expenses incurred by the participant as a result of such a cancellation.
7 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches and 7 Dinners
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