Mont Blanc: Climbing the 'roof of Europe'

Kristians, our tour leader, is a professional mountaineering guide. It felt like he was always five steps ahead of everyone else, from packing spare clothing (the weather in Mont Blanc is pretty changeable) to helping us across trickier terrain. He also went out of his way to buy food supplies and set up a food station at the hotel, so that we could make our own packed lunches each day.
 

Kristians wasn't just super-organised and knowledgeable; he was also very personable and easy to chat to. In fact, two people from the group wrote him a poem, which they presented to him on our last night! It was a thoughtful gesture that showed how much we had appreciated everything he'd done for us over the course of the week.

This trip is graded as Moderate, and it felt like a well-paced trip with enough time to recuperate. Members of the group said that while they'd booked a walking holiday, they still wanted time to relax. We were all happy with the length and difficulties of the walks - there were a few additional walks we could've opted for, but we preferred to stop off at a cafe to rest up, talk and take in the views.
 

I'd recommend bringing walking poles and a water-to-go bottle for this Mont Blanc trip. The weather varies depending on the hiking altitudes, so layers are also essential - pack waterproofs, gloves, beanie hats, shorts, sunglasses and sunscreen.

If you're up for something a little more challenging, you could consider the Tour du Mont Blanc Trek, where you'll hike 148 kilometres through France, Switzerland and Italy.

Kristians told us the story of how the alpine ibex were saved from extinction by royalty. In the 19th century, ibex were fiercely hunted for their horns as trophies and (assumed) medicinal benefits. This eventually led to alpine ibex being hunted out of all the European mountain ranges except for the Alps, where only a hundred or so remained.
 

Then, in 1821, Charles Felix - the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia - banned the hunting of ibex across his kingdom. In 1911, the small population of remaining ibex were reintroduced to the Alps, and while there were other rewilding efforts in other European areas, they weren't as successful.
 

Today, rewilding is much more successful, with ibex spread across the Alps in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France and Slovenia. We spotted a few - although they'd climbed much higher than us!

Our base for the week was a comfortable alpine chalet-style hotel situated in the village of Les Houches in the Chamonix Valley. Complete with wooden beams and decorated with old skiing and mountaineering equipment, our hotel also offered an indoor swimming pool, sauna and cosy bar and restaurant serving local specialties and homemade dishes.
 

Our spacious rooms each came with their own balconies - perfect for taking in the tranquil atmosphere and views of Mont Blanc ahead. In the evenings, we would either eat together at a nearby restaurant or at the hotel, or we'd group off to try different restaurants and bars.