My husband and I did the self guided Tour du Mont Blanc. The trek was spectacular. Basic good information to prepare for having a successful trek was given by Salamander. Unfortunately the self-guided folks were kept separated from the guided group. This was very unfortunate and we enjoyed talking to some folks and sharing experiences with the guided group. No reason why we couldn't all be seated at dinner together or have been allowed to mingle after they had their private prep and/or debrief. The separation really made for weird dynamics. The notes given to us for the self-guided trek were quite lacking in detail and apparently they have not changed or been updated in quite some time. Some days they were completely useless and we needed to rely on our maps and the guidebook we purchased. We also found out that the guide had never even read them. We loved the Tour du Mont blanc and I thank Salamander for giving us the experience but I was not satisfied with the service. I would not book with Salamander again.