Tour de Monte Rosa Trek

A classic walking holiday adventure trekking around Monte Rosa in the Swiss Alps. One of the finest long-distance trekking opportunities in alpine Europe is the walking circuit of the huge, many-summitted massif of Monte Rosa (4634m/15200ft) in the Swiss Alps. Starting out from the scenic alpine village of Saas Fee, we walk in a clockwise direction, crossing from Switzerland then trekking into Italy and then back again. This undiscovered gem of a walking route around Monte Rosa keeps to the high ground as much as possible, close up beneath towering Alpine peaks, crossing airy passes and encountering snowfields and even walking over glaciers. En route, there are mesmerising views of many of the big peaks of the Alps, such as the Dom (4545m/14900ft), Weisshorn (4596m/14770ft) and particularly memorable Matterhorn (4478m/14680ft). This generally overlooked area is pure Alpine magic and a trekking paradise, with its steep forested valleys, crown of impressive snow-capped peaks and high meadows. We follow good walking trails throughout and enjoy either comfortable mountain hut or hotel accommodation, including one night in the famous alpine town of Zermatt.

Trip Guide
The Tour de Monte Rosa is one of the most challenging of the KE classic Alpine walks which does not involve glacial travel (the Classic Haute Route is tougher, but that does include lots of time spent on glaciers). It is not practicable to provide vehicle support for this circuit, as nights are spent in inaccessible mountain refuges so this is an unsupported trek. You will have to carry all of your own equipment from the start of the trip to the finish. In practice, especially considering that neither sleeping bag nor camping mattress are needed for this trip, you should be able to keep the packed weight of your rucksack to as little as 8kg / 18 lbs. A rucksack of approximately 50 litres / 3000 cubic inches capacity is recommended. The Tour de Monte Rosa is a wilderness trek and there are several sections where easier alternatives are not an option, a fact which adds to the challenge. Although the trek is generally on good mountain paths and it does not involve any mountaineering, this is a trip for the experienced trekker. On average, we will walk for 6 hours each day, with some longer days. There is a considerable amount of ascent and descent on this trekking holiday.