Meet at the group accommodation in the Chamonix Valley, just above Chamonix. Lying beneath the stunning north face of Mont Blanc, the views are awesome from the start! Before dinner, you will meet your trip leader to have an informal chat about the days ahead and have the chance to check out your clothing. KE Land Only package services begin with the evening meal.

We start our week exploring the lower balcony trails along the Petit Balcon Nord & Sud. Facing each side of the valley these paths wind there way through the pine forests and hamlets along the River Arve making only short climbs and descents en route. Enjoy excellent views of the Mont Blanc Massif from the sleepy village of Les Lavancher and you will soon feel the grandure of the surrounding peaks as you pass the mighty Aiguille Verte, Drus and Aiguille Rouge which line either side of the valley. We descend on easy trails through the pine forests and old village of the Bois du Bouchet to meet a wide riverside trail leading us into the historic town of Chamonix. Lunch today will be in one of the many street cafes which offer fine views of Mont Blanc. We learn from our guide (as well as a visit to the Alpine museum) about the history of this famous Alpine town from the first 'tourists' who visitied the mountains and glaciers for science to the Golden Age of Mountaineering and the famous figures conquered the summits. We return back to the chalet along the River and the Petit Balcon Sud and then the use of the delightful Mont Blanc Express train.

This walk visits the Aiguille Rouge Nature Reserve with a landscape of granite cliffs, wildlife, glacial lakes and often old snow left over from the winter. Our route begins at the Flégère cable car where we take advantage of another two stage ride up to our trail start. Our route is along a pleasant balcony trail which gives us impressive views of along the Chamonix Valley high above the treeline. After about 2 hours we reach the Lac Blanc (2352m). Voted on numerous occasions as one of the top 10 hikes in the world and there's no wonder why! From here the views of the glaciers and mountains are simply incredible. We plan to have our picnic lunch here and there is even a mountain restaurant where you can try the local myrtille berry tart! We walk back to the Flégère cable car and accept the ride back to the valley floor to save our knees!

Today we head to a high alpine 'alpage', this is a beautiful meadow where sheep graze in the summer months and which in our opinion offers some of the very best views of the mountains. After a steady climb through the forest we gain the vista for which this walk is famous. At the ancient farm of Chalets de Chailloux we have what is a fabulous vantage point giving superb views of the glaciers and peaks for which Chamonix Valley is world famous - a stunning lunch spot (as there is also a small but perfectly lovely, cafe - Although that depends on whether the 'staff' have made the hike up the mountain on that day!). We'll be back at the hotel in good time to freshen up and head out for dinner.

Our second classic trail starts from Chamonix itself. We first ride the two stage cable car to visit the famous rocky spire of the Aiguille du Midi. This amazing feet of engineering is not only one of the longest and highest single cable ways in the world but also offers unsurpassable 360 degree panoramic views of Mont Blanc, the Chamonix Valley and even into Switzerland and Italy. If conditions allow we can reach the dizzy height of 3842m. Our guide will take you around the exhibitions, views of Vallee Blanche glacier and point out some of the famous surrounding peaks. On a clear day its possible to see the Matterhorn from this amazing location. When we are ready, we return down one of the cable cars to reach the perfectly situated Refuge Plan d'Aiguille at 2200m where we will have our picnic lunch. We now join the 'Grand Balcon Nord' (the highest of the balcony trails) and walk an undulating path beneath the granite rock spires. A rocky trail traverses for 6.5 kilometres to reach the Signal Forbes viewpoint at 2198m to view the famous Drus 4000m peak and the third of our glaciers, and the largest in France, the Mer de Glace (which also featured in Mary Shelley's novel 'Frankenstein' as being where the monster hid out amongst the ice). Our trail drops down to meet the historic rack and pinion Montenvers Train. Following the route of the old mules tracks this is our ride to the valley floor and our knees will be pleased about that! To complete our day a visit to this part of the valley would not be complete without a ride on the summer luge which is included in our train ticket!

We begin today by heading towards the Swiss / French border on the delightful Mont Blanc Express - one of the world's most picturesque mountain train journeys. We alight in Le Buet where we pick up the 'Chemin des Diligences' - an ancient stage coach route - featured on the famous walk the 'Tour du Mont Blanc'. Passing through ancient hamlets and alpine pastures strewn with cows 'at work' producing milk for cheese we arrive in the village of Vallorcine - the valley of bears! We then make use of the cable car and gain height up above the tree line and walk again. After about 20 minutes of easy angled ascent we reach the Col des Possettes at 1997m and alpage coffee stop for wonderful views of the Le Tour Glacier and across to Swiss Frontier which is our next stop. A longer but steadier climb for about an hour gains the Swiss border and the Tete de Balme (2321m) where we will have our picnic lunch. You can literally stand with a leg in each country high up in the mountains! From the Col de Balme (2191m) we have a fun descent as we first use the chair lift then a bubble cable car to return to the valley floor and the village of Le Tour. It's possible to either return to your accommodation on foot or by bus from here.

KE Land Only package services end after breakfast.