5 Stars (124 reviews)
This trip not only provided an upfront tour of one of the most beautiful places in Europe,but with amazing guidance, it pushes you out of your comfort zone both physically and mentally. In addition you make new wonderful friends who encourage you along the way. Almost everyone on our trip had been on multiple Active Adventures before which shows what a wonderful company it is. We started planning our next trip before we flew home.
Tour du Mont Blanc, July 2017
Linda, United States
5 Stars (124 reviews)
This was my fourth trip with Active and I will return again. First, the trip is well planned to challenge you while maximizing the exhilaration of completing the TMB section each day. We were lucky to have sun and cool breezes to keep us going. Jean-Marc's (Chamonix mountaineer) familiarity with the trail, it's mountains, culture, fauna, flora and history was refreshing, informative and humorous. Fantastic guide. Most of all I felt gratitude for the stunning beauty we were surrounded by each day and the new perspective in which to view this impressive, snow covered peak, Mont Blanc. Add to this great food, comfortable accommodations and the expert hands of both Andy (Active guide) and Corinne (Chamonix chef and logistics ) and wonderful new friends...all ingredients for an unforgettable 12 days of mountain magic.
Tour du Mont Blanc, June 2017
Virginia, United States
4 Stars (124 reviews)
This is my second trip with Active and it has made me a true devotee!
It is wonderful to know the arrangements are being expertly handled so I can just relax and enjoy the spectacular scenery and the challenge of the hikes. (Did I say "relax"??)
I loved this trip!
Tour du Mont Blanc, January 2017
Susan, United States
4 Stars (124 reviews)
Really enjoyed experiencing the best of the French, Italian and Swiss Alps through local guides. Active Adventures always adds in a local touch which is something that makes them unique and a reason to travel with them. Enjoyed mixing in kayaking, mountain biking and having time to explore on our own. Amazing trip and highly recommend it!
Tour du Mont Blanc, December 2016
Deanna, United States
5 Stars (124 reviews)
The trip was well coordinated. Everything seemed to flow smoothly with rooms ready upon arrival from the days adventures.
Tour du Mont Blanc, November 2016
Birute, United States
5 Stars (124 reviews)
I enjoyed the challenge and definitely felt achievement at the end. I realise if i had been a little fitter maybe could have been a bit more fun but nevertheless very glad to have completed the walk . Scenery was magnificent and guides excellent.
Tour du Mont Blanc, November 2016
Wendy, Australia
5 Stars (124 reviews)
Mt Blanc is a giant rock. And this trip is essentially you walking around it. Doesn’t sound too FIVE star does it? Well, as rocks go it’s pretty spectacular. And you get to go through three countries where they speak a bunch of non-English languages that I’m sure I was supposed to learn in high school and use TWO currencies … (Really Switzerland? With the Franc … Get over yourself). Although there are other trips and other providers that will guide you around this rock, the Active trip is better because the people that work for Active are awesome at what they do. We worked with Lynette in NZ to book the trip and although we never met, we are pretty much best friends now. I can think of no better indication of a good business than return customers. Of the twelve people in our group, ALL of them were return Active customers. Why? The Guides.
For this trip, we had three French guides from Companie des guides de Chamonix and one Kiwi from Active. The French guides were enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and fun. I would recommend all of them without hesitation, especially Jean-Marie our driver (see below). But Kiwi Nick from Active was the Difference Maker. He is so incredibly nice that you know he has a wonderful girlfriend back in New Zealand. And they do all these wonderful couple activities that are super cool. Like paddle boarding. And you can’t wait to hang out with them because they’re awesome. And they booze, of course, because couples that DON’T booze should not be trusted #lifelesson. And you may say, ‘Well Neil that’s not appropriate saying that about a guide’s personal life’ ... but whatever. Lynette is not going to take it out of this review because we are best friends. Nick handles all his guide responsibilities extremely well but it feels like he is a part of the group. He’s experiencing and sharing this trip along with you rather than just showing you Mt Blanc. Rarely will a guided trip like this go EXACTLY to plan. Weather, injuries, construction, conflicting personalities among the group, etc. are just some of the problems the guides need to be prepared to deal with quickly. Thankfully we had few of these issues, but Nick was always attentive to our enjoyment. I’m still not sure how he put up with me. I know how horrible I am. I live me every day.
Beyond the guides, the trip is strong.
ACTIVITIES: Although you are hiking in a relatively compact area the hikes are varied and challenging enough to make that post-hike beer taste awful nice. The kayaking day was beautiful but marred by our decision to use a double kayak. Or as they should be known, “Murder Boats”, because after about 5 minutes in a double kayak you want to bludgeon each other to death. Get the single. The last day we did the rafting option because the rope course was rained out. Not only did we not die, we ended up having a lot of fun cruising on glacial water through downtown Chamonix. On the free day in Courmayeur, I did the via ferrates up Mont Chetif, which was fun. The hike to the top was the toughest hiking of the trip. I would recommend planning your off day before the trip rather than on the fly. The via ferrates does sell out.
MEALS: There was cheese LITERALLY everywhere. If you don’t like cheese like me, just keep quiet about it. Those French obsess over cheese like there is alcohol in it. The lunch spots were transcendent. That’s when you could feel truly present in the Alps. Whatever crap you had waiting back home, like say … Ellen in HR who is pretty much just the worst (don’t worry, she’ll never read this. I bet she drowns kittens on vacation. She. Is. The. Worst.), all that stuff melts away. The dinners were local and delightful.
HOTELS: The accommodations are essentially ski lodges. We had hot showers, warm beds and beers. A few places had pools & hot tubs. They were all close to our hikes which cut down on van time, which I’m sure disappointed my trip mates because they probably enjoyed my daily dissertations on the importance of hair metal in American culture #Cinderella.
Overall, these Active folks know what they are doing and you will have fun on this trip. Maybe I’ll get to meet you on one of their other trips I’m sure we’ll be signing up for in the future … Patagonia hmmm? I’ll be the one talking about David Lee Roth.
Best,
Neil C
~~~
Jean-Marie (Driver): I think they based the “Most Interesting Man in the World” ad campaign on this guy. If he is a part of your group, sit next to him during meals and buy him wine. Get him to talk, his life is amazing. We had a guy on our trip that did 28 marathons, 33 triathlons, was a licensed pilot, spoke French, played hockey … ON ICE and that dude wanted to hear more from Jean-Marie. I shouldn’t even be allowed to read his biography (and there was a rumor he was going to write one)! He’s THAT interesting. One of the day off options should be, “Go drinking with Jean Marie”. I’d do the trip all over again if they added that. It was an injustice that he carried my bags. At least my bag was light #manpacking
Tour du Mont Blanc, October 2016
Neil, United States
4 Stars (124 reviews)
This was an amazing trip. Our trip leader was awesome and the local guides were amazing. We had a great group of people. The itinerary was great. I love how Active mixes in some kayaking and cycling. The hotels were good the food was truly amazing. I was so impressed with the daily picnics. I highly recommend this trip! Thanks Active for another great experience.
Tour du Mont Blanc, October 2016
Rob, Canada