Walker's Haute Route East WHR-7E
Beginning in the small but historical alpine village of Arolla, Switzerland, the Eastern half of the Walker’s Haute Route impresses throughout each stage of the tour. Covering the eastern section of this classic Haute Route hike in the Alps, this self-guided 7-day itinerary is packed with glacier views, alpine passes, and challenging terrain. The eastern half of the Walker’s Haute Route has some of the biggest ascents and the most technical terrain, but it is also a very rewarding section, with iconic highlights such as Matterhorn views and the spectacular Europa Trail. This itinerary is appropriate only for fit hikers with prior experience in hut-to-hut hiking in the Alps and who are comfortable with challenging alpine terrain. The Walker's Haute Route is significantly more challenging than the Tour du Mont Blanc. We recommend this tour only for hikers with experience hiking hut to hut in the Alps, and comfort in exposed and challenging alpine terrain.
Length 7 days
Season mid-July to mid-September
Airport Geneva, Switzerland
Physical Condition 
Technical Difficulty 
Read more about difficulty ratings
Responsible Travel Score
(detailed summary available in Tour Documents)
When assessing if the difficulty level of this itinerary falls within your capability, look closely at the Distance, Elevation Gain and Elevation Loss for each individual day on the itinerary. We recommend you pay the most attention to Elevation Gain, as this is usually the most extreme factor in the Alps. Compare this to other hikes you have done.
The Estimated Time is calculated using a formula provided by the Deutscher Alpenverein (German Alpine Club). This means it is designed by people who regularly hike in the Alps for people who regularly hike in the Alps. If you are not used to hiking in this type of terrain, your hiking time will likely be much slower.
Day | Distance km. | Distance mi. | Est. Time* | Elevation Gain m. | Elevation Gain ft. | Elevation Loss m. | Elevation Loss ft. | Hiking Difficulty | Comments |
1 | 11,3 | 7,0 | 04:10 | 415 | 1.362 | 756 | 2.480 | T2 | Can substitute hiking with bus |
2 | 11,4 | 7,1 | 06:15 | 1.683 | 5.522 | 529 | 1.736 | T2 |
|
3 | 15,9 | 9,9 | 06:05 | 569 | 1.867 | 1.725 | 5.659 | T3 | Partial gondola descent optional |
4 | 17,5 | 10,9 | 07:20 | 1.223 | 4.012 | 1.069 | 3.507 | T2 |
|
5 | 17,2 | 10,7 | 07:25 | 1.113 | 3.652 | 1.816 | 5.958 | T3 | Partial gondola descent optional |
6 | 14,7 | 9,1 | 07:40 | 1.803 | 5.915 | 604 | 1.982 | T2 | Bus for partial tour optional |
7 | 21,7 | 13,5 | 07:55 | 840 | 2.756 | 1.509 | 4.951 | T3 |
|
Totals | 109,7 | 68,2 | 46:50 | 7.646 | 25.086 | 8.008 | 26.273 | T3 |
|
*Estimated time is based on a pace of 4.2 km. per hour and 400 m. elevation gain per hour. | |||||||||
Time for stops is not included. Actual time will vary. | |||||||||
-General hiking and navigation skills
-Ability to read and interpret a topographic map
-Alpine hiking experience
-Comfort in exposed terrain
-There will be snowfields on this route
Packages and Pricing
Included in all packages
- Exclusive access to tours in a navigation app, even when offline
- Custom eGuidebook containing maps, daily itinerary, accommodation information and more
- GPX File
- Carbon offsetting for your tour (1 metric ton per customer)
- Optional Airport to Airport full service booking
- Booking and logistics assistance during your tour
- Unlimited time spent answering your questions
- Peace of mind by leaving the planning and booking to local experts
- More time for the important things in life
Comfort Package
Almost Luxury
Not Available
7 days
All Prices are Per Person
Classic Package
Most Popular
1,490€ tax included*
7 days
What's Included:
-1 night in a private room in a 3-star hotel
-3 nights in private rooms in simple hotels or hostels-2 nights in dormitory rooms at mountain huts
-6 breakfasts
-4 dinners
All Prices are Per Person
Ultralight Package
Budget-Friendly
1,400€ tax included*
7 days
What's Included:
-1 night accommodation in a 3-star hotel
-1 night accommodation in a simple hotel-2 nights accommodation in dormitories in hostels or simple hotels-2 nights dormitory accommodation in mountain huts-6 breakfasts
-4 dinners
All Prices are Per Person
*Last-minute booking fees apply when booked less than two months in advance: **Private rooms are in
high demand at mountain huts and they do book out quickly. When there is no
availability for a private room, you may end up in the dormitory. Should this
happen, we will adjust pricing accordingly. We can book the best itineraries for
customers who provide us a flexible date range to work with.
Within 2 months of tour start date: 50€ per person
Within 1 month of tour start date: 100€ per person
Not included
-Paper map
-Emergency response and rescue
-Flights
-Beverages
-Any meals not specified
-Sheets at mountain huts (a sleeping bag liner or travel sheet is normally required)
-Fees for any additional transportation used during the hiking tour, such as lifts, gondolas, and buses
-Some accommodations charge tourist or city taxes that must be paid on site. These rarely exceed 2€ per person per night
Add-ons
You can select the following ‘Add-Ons’ during the online booking process. We recommend doing this at the time of booking to avoid additional fees. While some Add-ons can be added up to 30 days prior to your tour, requests made after booking may involve Change Fees, particularly if existing reservations need to be changed. Your Adventure Planning Expert will be happy to advise you.
Airport to Airport Package from Geneva Public
+4 days
960€
2 nights 3-star hotel in Geneva
1 night 3-star hotel in Arolla
1 night 3-star hotel Zermatt
All transportation between airport, hotel and trailhead (public transportation)
The Airport to Airport Package is not customizable
Add on an extra night at an accommodation included in the itinerary
Luggage Transportation from
Arolla to Zermatt
(up to 10 15kg bags)
450€*
- This requires a stay at hotels in Arolla (village) the night before the tour, and a hotel in Zermatt (city) the night after the tour. Hotels must have a staffed front desk to give out and receive luggage. No AirBnbs. No hardshell suitcases.
This add-on lowers the Responsible Travel Score from 12 to 9 points
Luggage Transportation from
Arolla to Zermatt plus 4 deliveries mid-trek
(up to 10 15kg bags)
1050€*
- This requires a stay at hotels in Arolla (village) the night before the tour, and a hotel in Zermatt (city) the night after the tour. Hotels must have a staffed front desk to give out and receive luggage. No AirBnbs. No hardshell suitcases.
This add-on lowers the Responsible Travel Score from 12 to 9 points
All prices are per person
Accommodation
While there’s a lot of variation from hut to hut, you can read our Staying in Mountain Huts Webpage for information about the hut experience.
Meals
Breakfast and dinner will always be available at, or near, your accommodation. It is not necessary to carry your own food for these meals. In most cases, the mountain huts allow us to book half-pension for our customers, which includes a multi-course set menu for dinner (usually with a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option) and breakfast. Drinks are never included (except for coffee at breakfast). In villages, dinner usually is not included, but restaurants are available nearby.
Read about dietary restrictions at the huts
For lunches, there are a few options:
There are some days when you will be able to stop along the way for a warm meal. While this sounds appealing, it is also very expensive and time-consuming. This is not a great option on long hiking days or for slower hikers who are already concerned about covering the planned route.
Most huts offer sack lunches that you can bring with you on the trail. We find these to be overpriced and repetitive to breakfast, and this option generates a lot of trash. We are not able to book these in advance for you. Sack lunches should be requested immediately upon arrival at the hut for the next day. Huts are generally not very flexible in honoring dietary restrictions with their sack lunches.
You can bring your own food for lunch. This is a great option on this route because you go through some villages where you can stock up on supplies. This is our favorite option.
The Walker’s Haute Route is likely to have the best conditions between mid-July and the end of the August. True to its name, this hike has sustained stretches at high elevations that often are not reasonable for most hikers before the second week of July. Huts are generally open until mid-September, which defines the hiking season for this route. We do not recommend starting this route before mid-July.
Here's what conditions to expect at different times of year:
July and August: Problematic snow can remain on the route through the first week of July. Summer settles in and days are usually mostly sunny with an afternoon thunderstorm or two. These thunderstorms rarely interfere with hiking itineraries and are not usually problematic. Of course, thunderstorm safety should be practiced. The wildflowers at the higher elevations should be all out by mid-July. Hiking conditions during this time are often favorable, and it’s a great time to be on the trail.
Early September: The first snow of the winter usually falls in the first week of September. The snow rarely sticks around for more than a day, but the visibility can be very low, making navigation problematic, and maybe even impossible, on this one day. Most days in early September are beautiful and perfect, and the thunderstorms are less, but there is a higher risk of snowstorms and conditions that may prevent you from completing your hike during this time. Many hikers have incredible weather in September, but some do not. It’s simply a matter of luck. The later you push into September, the higher the risk that unfavorable conditions (usually snow, but sometimes extremely cold temperatures) can interfere with your hiking itinerary. We notice that customers who are on the trail beyond September 15th are much more likely to quit their hike early due to conditions. In early September, the wildflower season is mostly over, with the exception of brilliant bursts of fireweed that mark the end of summer.
In all months, it’s reasonable to expect 1 to 2 rainy days on the trail.
To research
more detailed information about average temperatures, precipitation, etc., we
recommend checking Meteoblue
(go to “History & Climate” and then “Climate (modelled)”) for Col de
Louvie, Arolla and Grathorn.
Read more about Understanding the hut-to-hut hiking season in the Alps.
We accept bookings up to 21 days prior to the start date of the tour
If the button does not open an email window, simply send us an email at bookings@alpenventuresUNGUIDED.com
Only 20% payment due at the time of booking!
Current Availability
For 2026 bookings, we recommend a flexible starting date range of at least 1 week (or 2 weeks for larger groups).
Useful Links
Booking Process
- Initiate the booking process by selecting the green button labeled, GO Book the Tour
- Complete the fields in the booking process and continue on to process the deposit (usually 20%, sometimes 30%) via Paypal (Paypal account not needed)
- We'll start checking availability and working on your bookings. As long as there is availability, we will book the accommodations and send you your eGuidebook within 21 days of the booking (this may take longer for custom tours and last-minute tours). This will include GPS waypoints of the accommodations and will be in a format that can be saved on your smartphone for convenient use on the tour. If any changes need to be made during the tour, there will be a phone number available to you during the tour, although additional charges may apply
If there are any issues with availability, we will contact you and work with you to find an alternative solution. If we are unable to find one, we will refund the deposit in full.
The remaining balance for the tour is due 30 days prior to the first date of the tour.
Group Discount
Only one discount will be applied per tour participant. Discounts are only applicable to tours. Discounts are not applicable to fees or additional services, such as Airport to Airport Packages or bicycle rentals.
Groups of 6 or more: 15% discount for all participants & customize an existing tour without Customization Fees