Earlier this September, my friend Julia and I completed the second half of our walk on the Tour de Mont Blanc. This part of the journey took us over high mountain passes, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. It was an emotional experience as we finally completed this challenging trail, which we had been tackling in stages over the past four years. Here’s a detailed account of the final three days of our trek, from Chapieux to Les Houches in the Chamonix valley.

After a pleasant evening in the Vallee des Glaciers at Auberge de la Nova in Chapieux, we started our climb behind the refuge on a grassy path. We crossed a bridge by a small hydro-electric station and continued up the mountainside. The path became rockier as we ascended, with occasional glimpses of Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme on the crest, which we reached after three hours of steady walking. The refuge, built of wood and glass, was at an intersection of many paths, but we didn’t find any refreshments there. After a short rest, we continued to Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and took a detour to Tete Nord de Fours for stunning panoramic views.

We then descended back to Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and followed a grassy hillside to Col du Bonhomme. From there, we had views down the Val Montjoie towards Contamines. The descent to Refuge de la Balme took us over a bed of glacial moraine, past Lac Jovet, through a marshy meadow with grazing cows, and finally down a challenging shale path to the refuge at the head of the valley.

Our stay at Refuge de la Balme was enjoyable. The refuge, a collection of old converted dairy buildings, was run by a group of friendly and efficient young men. We left around 9 am, with the sun just creeping over the mountain peak behind us. The walk down the valley was easy, with chalets appearing in the meadows and forest on either side of the path. After 40 minutes, we reached the pretty Refuge Nant Borrant, where we stopped for morning coffee before continuing our leisurely stroll to the chapel at Notre Dame de la Gorge.

As we approached Contamines, we passed day walkers and saw holiday apartments and proper roads. By early afternoon, we reached the village of Contamines, with its bars and restaurants. After checking into Hotel le Christiana, we enjoyed a late lunch on a cafe terrace and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.

On our final day, we walked through meadows and attractive alpine hamlets with pretty gardens and window boxes. We climbed through the forest, occasionally crossing fast-rushing glacial streams. We chose the low route to Contamines, which kept us in sight of the Bionnassay Glacier. At the village of Bionnassay, we stopped for lunch at the Auberge de Bionnassay before continuing up through the forest to Col de Voza. From this high point, we could look down on the Chamonix Valley. After a stop at a cafe, we made the final descent on a winding piste track under the cable cars to Les Houches, where we had started our trek three years before. We had finally finished the Tour de Mont Blanc!

During this part of the Tour de Mont Blanc, we stayed at several hotels and mountain refuges. In Chapieux, we stayed at Auberge de la Nova, a friendly inn at the end of the Vallee des Glaciers. Our next night was at Refuge de la Balme, a friendly refuge made up of several old dairy farm buildings. In Contamines, we stayed at Hotel le Christiania, a family-run hotel with an outdoor swimming pool. Finally, in Les Houches, we stayed at Hotel Slalom, a boutique hotel right at the bottom of the TMB path.

We used the Cicerone Tour of Mont Blanc guide by Kev Reynolds, which we found to be an excellent resource for both the clockwise and anti-clockwise routes. It provided detailed route guides, maps, accommodation information, and points of interest along the way.