The Donjon des Seigneurs de Faverges (Keep of the Lords of Faverges) is a tower built in the 13th century and located inside the castle of Faverges. It is open to individuals during summer and offers a great view on the surrounding area.
I went there coming down the Pointe de la Sambuy, on the way back to Annecy.
The Cave & Waterfall of Seythenex (Grotte & Cascade de Seythenex) are natural sites at the foot of the Bauges mountains, down from Col de Tamié and Pointe de la Sambuy. The waterfall is formed by the Saint-Ruph torrent which pours from 45 meters high into large pools, on the way to Lake Annecy. A footbridge and staircases enable visitors to walk up to the top of the waterfall. As to the cave, it is the only one open to the general public in Haute Savoie. It has 1km of galeries and passages, with 250m accessible as part of a guided tour.
I spent last summer (and more) in Annecy, in Haute-Savoie. I went back on a hike to Pointe de la Sambuy, in the Bauges mountains near Faverges (south of Annecy). This time, I took the standard trail to the summit.
For my last hike of the summer, I went to Mont Charvin, a mountain in the Aravis range located near Faverges. I followed this itinerary.
The Pic de Jallouvre is a mountain in the Bornes Massif located near Le Grand-Bornand in Haute-Savoie. I followed this itinerary (in the other direction; also I walked until the Col de la Colombière and the end diverges a bit as well), going on a loop around the Pic starting and ending at Le Grand-Bornand.
The Dents de Lanfon (Teeth of Lanfon) are a mountain in the Bornes Massif bordering Lake Annecy. There is a great view at the summit but the trail is quite difficult. I followed this itinerary.
This is the second part of the loop around Pointe Rousse des Chambres. Below are photos of the trail from the summit of Pointe de Bellegarde to Samoëns, passing through Lac de la Vogealle and Combe aux Puaires.
The Lac des Chambres, Pointe de Bellegarde and Lac de la Vogealle are located next to the Cirque du Fer à Cheval in the Massif du Giffre, in Haute-Savoie. They are points of interest on the Tour des Dents Blanches, which takes multiple days. For myself, I just went there for a day-hike walking a loop around the Pointe Rousse des Chambres, starting and ending in the village of Samoëns. The itinerary I followed was like this one (although in the other direction as the one described). Here is a map. Here is more detailed description of the trail until Lac de la Vogealle and some instructions to go up to Combe aux Puaires from there. In this post, I am posting photos from the part from Samoëns to the summit of Pointe de Bellegarde. I will post the rest in Part 2.
This is part 2 of the day-hike to Pointe d’Arcalod, Pointe de Chaurionde & Pointe de la Sambuy. After Col d’Orgeval, I basically followed this itinerary. Check the previous post for a map of the actual path I walked.
After getting down to Col d’Orgeval from Pointe d’Arcalod, I went up again on the other side to Pointe de Chaurionde, just as the sun was reappearing. From the summit, I could see up to Albertville and the Beaufortain. Still no Mont Blanc unfortunately… I then followed the ridge trail to Pointe de la Sambuy. Slightly before reaching the base of the Pointe, I left the ridge looking for the way up to the summit, a path that would involve rock-climbing the face of the Sambuy to the top. I saw some pink markers but I kept looking since the path they indicated was looking more difficult than what I had read. It was the correct way however… It turned out it was not that hard even though the rocks were not very solid, so I just had to be extra-careful. Finally, I arrived at the summit! I was the only one there. I then made my way down and, after a detour through the Petite Sambuy (Small Sambuy) below, I took the ski lift to the base of the Seythenex-Sambuy ski resort. There was a summer luge track so I spent a bit of time there. The next step was pretty tedious since I had to walk back to Faverges using the paved road. It took much longer than I had estimated and when I arrived at the village of Seythenex, I realized I would not make it in time for the last bus to Annecy. At that point, I started running, cutting through the woods at some point and then on the road that leads to Tamié. I arrived at the bus stop 15min late but, fortunately, so did the bus.
At 2217m, Pointe d’Arcalod is the highest peak in the Bauges Massif. The nearby Pointe de la Sambuy and Pointe de Chaurionde are respectively the 2nd and 5th highest. It is possible to climb them all on a single day-hike, in a loop starting and ending in Faverges. It makes for quite a long day though…
