Alexander Stewart is a keen walker and has hiked in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe.

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TREK With a group or on your own? 9 Getting to the start of the trail 12 When to go 16 Route options 18 Budgeting and costs 19 What to take Rucksack 20 - Sleeping bag 21 - Footwear 21 - Clothes 22 - Toiletries and medical kit 23 - Miscellaneous items 24 - Photographic equipment 25 Health precautions, inoculations and insurance 25 Maps and recommended reading 27 PART 2: SWITZERLAND Facts about the country 33 Alpine fauna and flora 42 The people 49 Lifestyle 49 - Language 50 - Religion 51 - Politics and the economy 51 Environmental concerns 53 - Culture 54 Practical information for the visitor Documents & visas 57 - Money 57 - Getting around 58 - Accommodation 60 Food 63 - Drink 65 - Electricity 66 - Time 66 - Post & telecommunications 66 - Holidays and festivals 67 - Shopping 68 - Safety 68 - Drugs 68 PART 3: THE ALPS Facts about the region 69 PART 4: CHAMONIX History 98 - Practical information 99 - Where to stay 101 - Where to eat and drink 104 - Nightlife 105 - Moving on 106 PART 5: ZERMATT History 107 - Arrival 108 - Orientation 109 - Getting around 109 Services 111 - Where to stay 112 - Where to eat 116 - Bars & nightlife 117 What to see and do 118 - Moving on 121 - Walks around Zermatt 122 PART 6: SAFE AND MINIMUM IMPACT TREKKING Safe trekking 138 - Minimum impact trekking 143 PART 7: ROUTE GUIDE AND MAPS Using this guide 145 The Walker's Haute Route Introduction 146 - Chamonix to ArgentiEre 152 - ArgentiEre to Trient 159 Trient to Champex 166 - Champex to Le Chble 176 - Le Chble to Cabane du Mont Fort 184 - Cabane du Mont Fort to Cabane de Prafleuri 189 Cabane de Prafleuri to Arolla 194 - Arolla to La Sage 203 - La Sage to Cabane de Moiry 209 - Cabane de Moiry to Zinal 216 - Zinal to Gruben 223 Gruben to St Niklaus 232 - St Niklaus to Europah,tte 238 - Europah,tte to Zermatt 244 APPENDIX Useful words and phrases 251 INDEX 252

The Walkers' Haute Route is probably the single finest way of getting deep into the Alps. Trekking the Walkers' Haute Route, from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn, from Chamonix to Zermatt, you'll traverse one of the finest stretches of the Pennine Alps - the mountain range in the western Alps that stretches between Valais in Switzerland and Piedmont and the Aosta Valley in Italy. A 13-day walk over 11 ridges in 113 miles (180kms), it isn't technically demanding and the rewards are immense.