Mont Blanc Treks

We booked late and had a complicated group including a 10 month old. Sara and Jude went above and beyond up customize our itinerary.

We thoroughly enjoyed our full 10 night circuit around the Mont Blanc Massif. Beautiful scenery and rewarding hiking.

We stayed mostly in three star hotels, all of which were fine, and some with good food. The only night we didn’t enjoy was at the auberge of La Grande Ourse, in Trient (didn’t open until three so about twenty tired trekkers waiting to check in; no locks on the shared loos; no curtains in our v basic room; budget breakfast). I expect not much choice of accommodation in the local area.

The daily route cards provided were ok, usually easy to follow although we did have a couple of wrong turns. We had to request a couple of replacement cards where the wrong ones had been provided in the first instance. It would have been useful to know in advance about the closures to some of the trails we were to take on the last day, which resulted in some doubling back and guess work.

For all but one of the first five days of our trek we arrived at our accommodation before our luggage had been delivered (a service we’d paid for at additional cost), and in one case we had to sit through supper in our trekking clothes (I felt sorry for those sitting next to us!). I suggested to Mont Blanc Treks they might get in touch with their subcontractor, the taxi firm that moves the luggage, to see if they could encourage them to raise their game, and received a pretty non-customer friendly response, to put it mildly. Perhaps I was being over sensitive but having paid over £4,000 in total for the trip,
I’d expected a better quality of customer service and not to be accused of being totally ignorant of distances involved or, implicitly, of being unfairly over-demanding of their subcontractor. I’ve included the key exchange below for objectivity. Unfortunately despite a fairly lukewarm apology later, once I’d expressed my disappointment at the tone they had taken, this has left a sour taste and we wouldn’t use this agency again.


Hi Sara and Jude

We’ve just arrived in Lavachey, thanks for the revised trek cards.

I thought it worth mentioning that of the five nights we’ve spent on the trail so far, Taxi Bresson has only managed to beat us to the hotel once. Indeed at Refuge des Mottats we had to have dinner in our trekking clothes as apparently an incident had held up our bags. I know the SLA they work to gives them until 6pm to deliver, but it’s a bit of a shame they can’t manage earlier given the cost involved, the fact the guest has to leave them out by 8am and it means a cold beer / local destination exploration has to be done in trekking gear. I wonder if you could have a word and see if they can up their game for the rest of our trip?

Best

Tom


Hi Tom

Just a very quick reply as out of office. Glad to hear you are at hotel La Vachey, and are enjoying the trek.

In answer - Taxi BESSON are moving hundreds of bags per day all over the tour du Mont Blanc - not just yours and hence the time frames 8 am through til 6 pm.

The miles involved from one destination to another in parts by road is huge, even though to you walking it may only be 20 km. This is a fact clients are totally ignorant too, hence the cost involved for transporting luggage.

I am glad to hear your bags have arrived on each evening so far albeit late one evening due to an unforeseen incident - of which we apologise for.

I will not be contacting them to ‘ up their game’ Taxi BESSON provide an excellent service to our clients plus many more and are number 1 in this region for luggage transportation. Please do contact them if they fall outside their service standards again and be sure to let us know.

Enjoy the rest of your trekking adventure.

Kind Regards

Jude
On behalf of Sara


Hi Jude

Ok, although I’m disappointed by the tone of your reply.

I’m not totally ignorant of the road distances involved nor did I assume they were only moving our bags. Today, we’re about 25 minutes by road from Courmayeur, hence perhaps some small degree of frustration. I’m certainly glad our bags have arrived each evening too, given that’s what we’ve paid for. Not sure if characterise that in itself as excellent service.

Anyway, enough said on the matter.

Regards

Tom

We have just returned from the most wonderful 11 days on Tour du Mont Blanc, on what was truly a trip of a lifetime, made so by MBT!

Organisation, planning, quality of the self guided pack, prompt replies to all our questions was all second to none. We received the detailed self guided pack a few months before our vacation and this meant that we were fully prepared for our adventure.

Good accommodation even in the remote locations and we were very satisfied with the standard, favourites must be Refuge Mottets, Hotel Crampon in Courmayeur. Opted for a bit of luxury with the bag transfer, great service and available every night apart from at the Bonatti refuge (understandable), but the real bonus was having our bags at the Refuge Mottets which was totally not expected!

Thank you to Jude, Sara and MBT for all making it all just perfect for us!

I trekked with Mont Blanc Treks last year. Of all the places I could have gone this year, I was quick to return to the MBT website and book another amazing trek. They provide a polished, delightful adventure from start to finish. Communication before and during the trek is swift and clear. Our guide (Alex Langdon) is exceptional in every way. The experience you have will last a lifetime, but will still leave you wanting more.

Mont Blanc Treks provided us better than expected accommodations with not only room accommodations at top notch hotels, but also half-board accommodations that included 3-5 course meals for dinner, and exemplary breakfasts prior to our long days on the mountain. Upon our return to the United States we have had numerous people inquire about the service we used to book our accommodations along the trail and we have been very adamant to ensure that all parties know how great MBT treated us, and to suggest using them for the benefit of their connections, as well as their trail maps which were on point to the meter and timeline. We highly encourage anyone interested in alleviating a large part of the stress of booking wile hiking the TMB to contact Mont Blanc Treks for their open and consistent communication, as well as their detailed direction and mapping.

The Alps are beautiful and the Mont Blanc Trek was a lovely one. However, there is no screening process to make sure that all hikers are at a similar fitness level. This is particularly problematic because they send only 1 guide. That means that the group was constantly separated as the guide can only be at the front or back. People in the back felt unsafe and abandoned. Not only were they given no encouragement or rooting along by the guide, but they were actually somewhat ostracized and humiliated. The group itself had no complaints about the slower/injured folks, but the guide complained about them often to the rest of us (some validated when she complained because it was an uncomfortable situation, but none were happy about it) which was uncomfortable. Two days in they were told, at dinner in front of the rest of the group, that they were "not fit enough" and the rest of the group was "annoyed" so they needed to take taxis and sign a waiver releasing our group leader from responsibility from them (which thankfully they did not do). It was uncomfortable for me, as a fitter member of the group, to watch others who paid the same amount as I did be embarrassed and treated poorly. My understanding is that MBT has been given the feedback that they need more than one guide in the past, and has not taken this under advisement which is typically something groups do to save money. Between being under-resourced, and then having a guide that was visibly stressed out and annoyed by members of the group, it took away from some of the good things about the trek which included the accommodations, luggage transfer, and route.

I’m in the process of booking an epic experience with Mont Blanc Treks. The team has been exceptionally responsive to my questions, suggesting appropriate travel connections, and managing my requests for additional nights of lodging.

MBT booked our 2019 Tour du Mont Blanc. Lots of very helpful and informative emails convinced us to book with them and we are glad we did. Top mot h service throughout.

We did the second half of the MBT, our guide Alex was fantastic!
Mont Blanc Treks did a great job notifying the hotels/refuge of my dietary restrictions. That was a relief after a long day of hiking and the (sometimes) language barrier. They were also diligent in returning my emails/questions in advance of the trip.
I would use them again!

I have already recommended Mont Blanc Treks to others. From start to finish, their service was excellent and friendly. Questions were answered promptly and informatively while the booking admin process was easy and smooth. The trek itself was an excellent experience. I was happy with the itinerary, accommodation and food and sometimes these exceeded my expectations. Our guide was top notch and fantastic company. I feel fortunate to have had her lead our group. A great trekking holiday and I shall definitely consider MBT if I am looking to trek in the region again.

I walked the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt with Mont Blanc Treks (MBT). From start to finish, MBT were professional and helpful. They are local to the Alps (based in Chamonix), so they know the area and they really know what they’re talking about, providing a very personal service - Sara, the owner, even came out to brief us up herself the night before we set out. This is a small, dedicated team and you get a service which reflects that - and it really is second to none.

We are “Repeat Customers” with Mont Blanc Treks for several reasons: (1) Attention to every detail; (2) Recognition that no detail is small to their clients; (3) Prompt responses to every question; and (4) Kindness and friendship at every step of the way, from planning to trekking.

This is the second year I have used MBT, this time their new Tour du Monte Rosa.
I have found them very approachable, they kept me updated during the booking process, this inspires great confidence. You know things will go to plan.
On arrival to the night's accommodation, some places knew my name as soon as I stepped in the door, magical.
The Huts/Hotels I stayed in, were brillant, very welcoming & friendly, perfect for the weary hiker at the days end.
Their route cards are spot on with point to point detail.

Sara, Jude, and the team at Mont Blanc Treks have been incredibly helpful, responsive and accommodating throughout booking our trek for this summer! As a group of travelers from another country it’s reassuring to know we have booked with such a reliable company! We are beyond excited for our trip and Mont Blanc Treks has significantly reduced any stress in planning it. Awesome work and looking forward to the trek!

The trek was one to remember, with beautiful vistas and good food and overnight accommodations. Itinerary was ideal and Garry was the perfect guide.

Highly recommend Mont Blanc Treks and I plan to book again with them.

My husband, daughter and I made this trek last summer (2017). My daughter chose this as her high school graduation trip. It was beyond phenomenal. My husband had done this trek 25 years ago and has talked about it ever since. Mont Blanc Trek was fantastic. They were very easy to work with and communicated with us from the time we registered through the time we boarded our flight to France. They provided everything we needed to know to prepare for the experience - physical prep, packing, insurance, transportation, finance, itinerary, etc. Our guide was incredibly experienced, knowledgeable, kind and enjoyable. We would highly recommend this trek and Mont Blanc Treks outfitter to anyone willing and able to embark on this outstanding experience.

We were frustrated that we were routed through Randa on the 5th day, rather than staying high at the Europahut. The day by day travel itinerary that we were provided was out of date, and indicated that we 'must descend to Randa,' because travel to the Europahut was not possible. We would have requested a change to this itinerary had we known that descending to Randa was not required. As a result, we forfeited one night of lodging and half board. We were also not told that the new suspension bridge was not shown on the trail map we were provided; which caused us a certain amount of confusion. Other than this, the planning and accommodations were fine.

Mont Blanc Trek's is truly deserving of 5 stars in everything they do from their customer service, to booking efficiency, to guiding/organizing treks. I completed the Easterly TMB earlier this year with Mont Blanc Treks (MBT) and I have just signed for a second trek with MBT.

Our group of 5 was very happy with the services provided by Mont Blanc Trek. We especially appreciated the personal meeting with the very knowledgeable and friendly guide Sara to review route and current considerations the day before we embarked on the Tour. We additionally benefitted and appreciated Mont Blanc Trek's email updates on weather and trail conditions with photos and videos. The trail description packet was very thorough and put to use as were the alternate routes*. The hotels chosen by MTB were comfortable with good meals and we were grateful for each comfortable night's stay. We have already recommended MBT to folks who want assistance setting up itinerary and booking. Personally we were happy to have knowledgeable professionals helping to plan and book our route, saved us a bunch of time and worry. Thank you Sara, Jude and company.

*note- there were a few reversed "go right" or "go left" directional instructions towards the end of our 10 day route that could mess someone up. We figured it out without too much drama.

Mont Blanc Treks comes highly recommended by our group of 8 trekkers. This company does exactly what they say they are going to do. From beginning to end, the accommodations, guide service, luggage transfer, answering any and all questions, are top notch. They are our go-to trekking service!!!