Stairway to Heaven

Holidays are meant to lift the soul, but the tacky realities of package travel all too often keep one earthbound. Geneva-based hiking company A Different View transports its customers closer to heaven with its tours through the high-altitude areas around Geneva, and the neighboring Haute-Savoie region of France, pictured. "We customize our hikes and meals to suit guests' wishes, and focus on local points of interest: plant and animal life, as well as culinary delights," says owner Trish Thalman. Her business partner, local Pierre Zuppiroli, guides hikers up mountain

paths, through hidden valleys and down winding country roads, tailoring the pace and distance to suit the clients.

For lunch he either takes walkers to restaurants that serve locally sourced cuisine, or he chooses a scenic spot, opens his backpack and serves a hearty meal that he makes from scratch: "We had ham, melon, grilled peppers, cheese and tea prepared from herbs picked along the way," says Geneva-based writer Paul Sochaczewski. He and a friend went with Zuppiroli on a seven-hour hike to La Tournette, a 2,300-m peak above Annecy, admired "views to die for," and saw meadows of Alpine flora and a herd of wild goats along the way. What a rocky-mountain high. www.a-different-view.com

Quotes of the Day »

Get & Share
SEN. MARK BEGICH, D-Alaska, after the Postal Service reversed a decision that would have discontinued the Santa's Mailbag program due to privacy concerns
For use in rail of Articles page or Section Fronts pages. Duplicate and change name as necesssary to distinguish.

Time.com on Digg

POWERED BY digg

Quotes of the Day »

Get & Share
SEN. MARK BEGICH, D-Alaska, after the Postal Service reversed a decision that would have discontinued the Santa's Mailbag program due to privacy concerns

Stay Connected with TIME.com