The Wanderers Stories

The Wanderers in conversation with Chloe Ancrenaz

Everything the guide books or tourism websites won’t tell you about the place.

In one sentence, Chamonix is a Quintessentially French destination with a truly European character.

Chamonix Mont Blanc is a charming alpine town and the third most visited natural site in the world. Located at the foothills of the majestic Mont Blanc range and the crossroads of three countries – France, Switzerland and Italy, this alpine town is a true piece of paradise. It is an ideal destination for holiday makers, business visitors, sports adventurers or peaceful lovers during all the four seasons. You are bound to be engulfed by the scenic and pristine beauty that surrounds you and a heaven-on-Earth feeling takes you over; in two words – Simply magical!

Little known facts that everyone should know about when travelling to Chamonix.

Chamonix is the 3rd most visited natural site in the world and the Mondial capital of Alpinism or first winter Olympic games. Also of note is that the first ascent of Mont Blanc summit occurred in 1786!

What is a must buy?

1) Resin snow ball in form of pyramide

2) Pen holder

3) A cristal de Quartz or Améthyste

4) A sonnette (cow Bell) or a handmade in local wood knife – a grolle

One take-away

A wooden tray – Charlie Adam A very nice Photo from the Mario Colonel Photographer and artist
Some cheese (Raclette or rebloch on) or goat cheese with “piment d espelette” (Espelette Chili)

One thing to definitely pack

Do not forget good closed shoes and warm / windproof clothes as well as the camera when you are packing for your trip to Chamonix.

What is your advice to first time travellers?

A good camera to take back memories!

Activities anyone travelling to Chamonix should not miss.

1] Tandem Paragliding

2] A walk on the Mer de Glace with a mountain guide(for sport enthusiasts)

3] A skiing experience

4] A walk at night with light & snowshoes and ending with a drink by the fire

5] A helicopter ride over the Mont Blanc Range with Pascal – CMBH

Where should one get their picture clicked..

In front of the Mont Blanc summit on Aiguille du midi terrasse

Which is the best place to get a panoramic photo of Chamonix?

The best places to get a panoramic photo of Chamonix are Merlet animals park and Balme summit up to ‘le Tour’ village.

Best place to enjoy sunset/sunrise

Les Gaillands Lake with the reflection of the Mont Blanc in the lake – a very peaceful place!

Best romantic place to take you special someone to..

La Floria (45 min walk from centre) or a night at The Lake Blanc Hut, in the mountains, Flegere side.

Best place to have street food?

Some of the best places to savour street food in Chamonix are Linguini pasta bar, chez Francesca or Cabolée at foot of brevent lift.

Your favourite local dish and drink that you would recommend..

1] Crozets au beaufort with a glass of Savoyard wine such as Mondeuse
2] Croute au fromage with a green salad and a glass of Savoyard wine
3] A raclette with potatoes as and a glass of Genepi to finish.

The best pub in Chamonix

‘Rue des Moulins’ on pedestrian street

A local festival you feel more travellers should come and see

Cosmo Jazz at the end of July and Guide Festival between 13 and 15 August are two festivals travellers should not miss.

Things guide books won’t tell anyone about Chamonix?

There are more than 45 outdoor activities like rock climbing, paragliding, mountain biking, river sports, water sports, golf, ski, scenic flights, snowboarding, rafting, tennis etc. For a traveller, Chamonix offers a plethora of activities for all ages and all levels and can be mentored under the expert guidance of alpine professionals.

Is there any particular month you wouldn’t recommend travel to Chamonix and what would that reason be?

November, because it is the only time when the weather is not very clear and locals are away on holiday.

Chloe Ancrenaz lives the charmed life in Chamonix with her husband who is a mountain guide, and their children. She works in the Promotion and Marketing Dept of the OFFICE de TOURISME de CHAMONIX MONT-BLANC in France. We met her this summer in Chamonix as she proudly showed us the famous sights in and around Chamonix. She shares her thoughts as a resident of one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and on what makes Chamonix tick.

In July 2013, the Satyens took a trip to Kenya with The Wanderers and came back with a bag full of memories. Arshea Bimal sums up the amazing experience in a blog post for us..

Excitement was in the air as the plane to Nairobi took off. This was our first family trip abroad and we were all thrilled. Having never seen a place outside my own country, I had spent the previous few days researching every place we went to. Google provided me with information on everything, starting from the Maasai people to the black rhinoceros. Little did I know that nothing could ever prepare me for the gorgeous country of Kenya.

We arrived at Amboselli and stayed at the tented facilities of Amboselli Sentrim Camp. Our two days there were spent exploring the vast open grasslands of Amboselli National Park. The National Park is famous for its vast numbers of free range African elephants and is crowned by the Great Mount Kilimanjaro. The highlight was our sighting of a lion taking care of his sick wife and a pack of hyenas.

Then we were off to Aberdare National Park, which is a wooded region situated 7500 feet above sea level. The first word that came to mind was ‘green’. We stayed at The Ark Lodge (which is straight out of a fairytale) and its viewing galleries enabled us to see elephants at arm’s length. The highlight of our stay was a sighting of our first and only leopard. However it was so quick that the only proof we have of seeing it is a picture of its backside.

An eight hour drive from Aberdare led us to Kigio conservancy. On the way we stopped at the Equator. The Equator isn’t how one imagines it to be. I for one always imagined it to be a red glowing line on the earth, despite what I was taught in my school geography classes. It was marked by a board and a curio shop.

Here, we experienced something rather different from the rest of our trip, as Kigio is unfenced. To prove that we were indeed standing on the imaginary line, a man demonstrated an experiment. Entertainment isn’t a pasta chef, but a giraffe. Your dinner companions aren’t other hotel guests, but warthogs munching on grass. We were lucky enough to see at least 20 of the conservancy’s 45 endangered Rothschild Giraffes.

Masai Mara is famous for The Great Wildebeest Migration, so we went with a lot of expectations. Masai Mara should definitely top everybody’s bucket list. Its immensity is something that can be captured by no camera. The number of animals greatly exceeds the populations of some small countries. Here your stop sign is several herds of wildebeest, and a zebra crossing is quite literally, zebras crossing. Want some entertainment? Well the theatre comprises of a pride of lions, not to mention baby Simba and his little brother protected by their ferocious mother, a honeymooning couple (I’m still talking about lions), and cheetahs chomping down on their latest kill.

If you want the perfect getaway, Kenya is the place to go. Its serenity and proximity to wildlife and the absence of any passing traffic make it brilliant for relaxation. For the adventurer, there’s more than enough to see and do, including hot air ballooning. In addition the people are genuine, kind and cheerful and win you over instantly. It’s the experience of a lifetime, and you don’t want to miss it.

And finally, it’s the best place to spot the Super Seven, just like we did!

The views and opinions expressed in the article are of the author, who travelled to Kenya with The Wanderers. The views or any errors should not be attributed to The Wanderers.

Check out our latest package on Kenya

Tag: destinations

Insiders view on Chamonix