The Tour of Monte Rosa

After a restful night and a good breakfast, we'll set off for the Zamboni refuge, at the foot of the northeast face of Monte Rosa, below Punta Gnifetti, home to the highest refuge in the Alps: the Margherita Hut at 4,554 meters. We'll enjoy the view of the glaciers , some of the most impressive ice formations in the Alps. Then, the descent is quite rapid to Macugnaga , this charming little ski resort with its many villages of pretty chalets. We'll be able to enjoy Italian gelato and the many specialties of Piedmont!

We set off early in the morning for the longest and wildest stage of the trek : the Colle del Turlo is our goal for the day, leading down to the Alagna Valley. We ascend through the forest, following a long valley alongside a beautiful stream and a small lake. The path then climbs into the alpine pastures. We'll stop at the small Lanti bivouac to enjoy the view before continuing our ascent, which steepens as we reach the Colle del Turlo. The path is wide, but snow can linger on the north-facing slopes even in summer. We'll eat lunch at the summit to take in the view, and then it's off for a superb descent into the Alagna Valley. We'll encounter beautiful Walser chalets along the way, each with its own distinctive architecture. The local dialect here is similar to German, and we feel as though we haven't left Switzerland at all, so similar are the culture and the buildings. We'll spend the night in a wonderful mountain hut; depending on availability, you might discover a beautiful chalet or something else entirely...

We set off in the morning to ascend to Gemschhore. Several routes are possible depending on the weather, your fitness level, and your preferences. The guide will explain the route to you on the map the day before so you can choose the next day's itinerary. We can either descend to Alagna to take a beautiful forest path and explore the Valle dell'Otro, or choose to climb directly into a stunning valley below the summit of Monte Rosa and enjoy the views of the glaciers on the east face of Punta Gnifetti (4554 meters). We can then shorten the day by taking the ski lifts if the weather isn't cooperating or if you're tired. We spend the night in a beautiful mountain refuge above Gressoney.

We set off from the refuge to reach Gressoney via the Col de Salsa and then the Val d'Ayas. Your guide can choose from three routes depending on the weather. Our preferred route crosses a 3,000-meter pass on the ridge leading to the Quintino Sella refuge. This refuge is the starting point for many mountaineering routes. Along the way, we'll encounter climbers setting off with ropes, crampons, ice axes, and helmets to summit Castor and Pollux, or returning from the famous Spaghetti Tour. We'll walk beneath the glaciers of Monte Rosa , with breathtaking views! The path is quite wide up to the pass, then a narrow trail descends into a stunning valley that leads to the Val d'Ayas, below the Mezzalama refuge, at the foot of the Breithorn range. If the weather is not ideal or if you are tired, we can shorten the stage by taking ski lifts such as the cable car and the gondola lift which leads to the Bettaforca pass.

We set off quite early to complete the last major day of hiking . The trail climbs to the bottom of a valley at the foot of numerous cliffs and glaciers, leading to the northern pass of the Cimes Blanches. We will then continue along a path to reach the Théodule Refuge if you are feeling energetic; otherwise, we will take a ski lift to the Plateau Rosa and then ski down to the refuge. The Dent d'Hérens and the Matterhorn will be close by, with exceptional views of the Breithorn and Monte Rosa.

We enjoy a breathtaking view at sunrise, then we take to the ski slopes to cross over to the Klein Matterhorn or via the new Testa Grigia lift. We then descend by cable car under the Klein Matterhorn on the Swiss side and complete the descent on foot to reach Zermatt where we can share a final meal together.

The trek ends in Zermatt, allowing those who wish to spend an extra day in the Swiss capital of mountaineering to plan the end of their trip as they wish. The group will disperse at 3 p.m. Return train from Zermatt to Visp.