In the heart of the Vanoise - guided tour

Day 1 - Pralognan-la-Vanoise - petit Mont-Blanc - Repoju hut

Meeting point at 9 am in front of the tourist office of Pralognan-la-Vanoise, the "little Chamonix" of the hike. Short transfer to Les Prioux, where we leave our stuff at the refuge. Day dedicated to the ascent of the small Mont-Blanc (2680 m), exceptional viewpoint on the glacial domes of the Vanoise and on the Grande Casse which owes its name to the white gypsum of its rounded summit.

Day 2 - Repoju hut - Les Planettes - Peclet-Polset hut

We reach the hamlet of Montaimont, then cross a vast flat area to the Ritort mountain pasture famous for its cheese. We then enter the heart of the national park and continue on a good path towards the Rosoire glacier, which descends from the Pointe de Labby and the largest ice cap in France. From Rosoire, the second part of the day takes place on a new route. By a small path, we reach the col des Planettes at 2430 meters under the pointe de Rosoire (2776 m), before going down to the valley. A last short climb brings us to the Peclet-Polset refuge.

Day 3 - Peclet-Polset refuge - Souffre pass - Saut refuge

Through the alpine grass, we reach the Souffre pass (2819 m), kingdom of the emblematic lord of the Vanoise park, the ibex. A mineral universe during the descent which follows the valley dug by the gigantic glacier of Gébroulaz. We then arrive at a green plateau, the setting for the Saut refuge (2126 m), our next stage.

Day 4 - Refuge du Saut - Pointe des Fonds - refuge du Saut

A beautiful day of hiking in a loop starting from the refuge. We explore the little corner of paradise that is the "massif" of Mount Coua and its multitude of small high altitude lakes where the Pointe des Fonds is reflected from the top of its 3,024 meters, the highlight of our day.

Day 5 - Refuge du Saut - Col du Râteau - refuge des lacs Merlet

Under the mischievous eye of marmots and, if we are lucky, of some ermines, we reach the Chanrouge pass (2531 m). We leave the path shortly afterwards to go to the mineral Col du Râteau (2689 m), where the silence of these desert places is only disturbed by a few chamois that stray at our approach. During the descent to the Grand-Plan refuge, we can observe a few fishermen who have come to "tease" trout and salmon in the Râteau and Merlets lakes! Last efforts to reach the "intimate" Merlet lakes refuge (2410 m).

Day 6 - Merlet lakes refuge - Mount Charvet ridge - Pralognan-la-Vanoise

This last day does not fail to amaze us by its diversity! First of all, the deep valley of the Avals where tarines graze, queens of these flowery meadows, then the ascent towards the teeth of the Portetta, jagged by erosion and winter storms. At the Grande-Pierre pass (2403 m) a completely different panorama opens up, that of the crests of Mount Charvet with their astonishing gypsum dissolution cones, which are conducive to the development of a rare flora! Here we are at the Golet pass, we just have to go down through pines and spruces to reach the peaceful hamlet of La Croix (1390 m). Separation planned in Pralognan-la-Vanoise, around 5 pm.

NB : the program is given as an indication.