Mont Blanc Treks Travel Advice - Coronavirus
10/03/2020
Book & Travel with Confidence
As news of the Coronavirus spreads, we realise there may be concerns about your trekking holiday this summer. We know you're looking forward to your trip, so we are working with the fluidity of the situation and monitoring changes and advice to travellers on a daily basis. I am personally optimistic that before the start of season everything will be back on track.
Mont Blanc Treks is a well-established company with over a decade of experience. I would like to reassure you that we have robust plans in place. We have worked through periods of uncertainty and will continue to ensure that our clients and staff are safe and well-cared for. We sincerely hope you will be able to enjoy your travel with us as planned.
We have always focused on eco-friendly holidays, leaving no trace and giving back to the communities we walk through and are immensely proud of achieving this.
We work with local guides, hotels and refuges. We are also concerned about the impact that this situation will have on them. Therefore, we feel it is important that you, our clients and our partners will be confident that any decisions made will be the right ones bearing in mind that we put everyone’s health & safety first.
Our holidays allow you a break from the hustle and bustle of normal life, by visiting these amazing places, we provide much-needed contribution to the local communities, as during our walking holidays we bring economic benefit to the region.
Whether guided or self-guided by this summer our aim remains to provide you with the best possible experience, outside, in the mountains and enjoying everything nature has to offer.
Sara Wild, Managing Director, Mont Blanc Treks Ltd
The current situation as of 10th March 2020:
Currently, there are no Coronavirus cases in this area of the Alps or in the Annapurna region of Nepal and you will be trekking in an unpopulated, pristine mountainous environment, however, we are aware of the current travel restrictions in Italy and Mont Blanc Treks have contingencies in place if this situation continues.
The Tour du Mont Blanc starts and finishes in France and our Clients use Geneva International airport in Switzerland which has no travel restrictions. The Italian section of the trek takes two or three days and this is situated in one of the most northerly points in the country. The affected areas in Northern Italy are over 300 kilometres away. The Italian Government has taken measures to make sure the Coronavirus is contained & eradicated as soon as possible. Therefore, we believe this trek can go ahead safely. However, we have contingencies in place to allow you the freedom of walking the Tour du Mont Blanc, without staying overnight in Italy if you prefer.
The Walkers Haute Route has no restrictions of any kind, either at airports or on any stops of the trek and we can accommodate people on this route if they prefer to change their itinerary.
We are monitoring all local advice in the French, Italian and Swiss Alps to make decisions on our walking holidays.
We are also monitoring the travel advice from the UK and American authorities daily, to provide you with up to date information. Please have a look at the table below to easily see any travel restrictions to the areas covered by our walking holidays and you can also check the links to your relevant advice centre above.
Should the UK FCO, or the US Travel.State.Gov, global or local health authorities advise against travel or impose severe restrictions on movement within a country, we will amend itineraries or cancel trips as needed.
We continue to monitor the World Health Organisation (WHO) and country statistics and the UK FCO for all countries we visit on a daily basis, and will communicate with clients if we believe an increase in risk in that country is likely to require changes to their holiday
How is your trek currently affected?
Click here for more information which we will keep updated as things change.
Is your booking safe?
We understand your concerns, therefore, under these circumstances, contingencies are in place. In addition to our standard terms & conditions we are happy to alter your itinerary to avoid staying in any affected area, defer your balance payment, transfer you onto another trek or if nearer the time you do not wish to travel we would transfer the booking to later in the season or defer to 2021 without any additional costs.
The only time we would cancel a trek would be on the advice of the World Health Organisation and if you are not able travel due to travel restrictions then you could tranfer the trek to later in the season, defer to 2021 or alternatively we will offer you a full refund of the trek cost.
We are also affiliated with The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) and this provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.
Your experience with Mont Blanc Treks is of the utmost importance to us, so don’t worry we will not let you down, hold tight, we will keep you informed every step of the way.
Contact Us
Should you wish to discuss your upcoming travel plans, please call us, we are here to help.
UK: +44 (0)161 408 1222
FRANCE: +33 (0)7 81 58 69 03
USA: +1 303 800 5866
AUSTRALIA: +61 75660 6258
