We provide a convenient transfer into the mountains from Venice. Meet the trip leader at 1pm at Venice Airport. A 2.5 hour transfer takes you to our first night’s hotel in San Candido-Innichen, Italy. We are in the Upper Pusteria Valley, close to the border with Austria. This part of Southern Tyrol was part of Imperial Austria until the end of the First World War. After checking into our centrally located four star hotel you will have time to explore this charming village which is flanked by the imposing towers of the Baranci chain of mountains. Get together for a drink and introduction to the tour by your guides followed by dinner. Overnight Post Hotel or Sporthotel Tyrol (or similar) in San Candido/Innichen. Transfer, hotel and dinner included.

We have an 08:30 private transfer to the trailhead. The path gently rises for an hour and brings you the idyllic Rifugio Tre Scarperi for a coffee and strudel break. The trail then takes you up through lovely woods of majestic larch trees to 1,750 meters/5,600 feet. The trail then undulates as it makes its way to Rifugio Baranci where we will have lunch. You will be treated to huge views and your first taste of Cannerderli, delicious dumplings that are pan-fried in butter and sage and topped off with generous amounts of grated parmesan. Delicious! After lunch you have the choice of hiking down to San Candido, taking a chair-lift down to save your knees, or you can try your hand at the “Fun-Bob,” a wheeled bob-sleigh that slaloms down the hillside on a sinious concrete track. You will be back in the village with time to enjoy a gelato, try out the hotel spa, or relax in the main piazza and admire the jagged peaks of the Baranci mountains which provide a scenic backdrop to the village. Meet up for an aperitivo and then dinner in the hotel dining room. The Hike: 9.3 kms. Elevation gain 480 m. Duration: About 4.5 hrs. Overnight San Candido. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.

Private transfer to the trail-head for a scenic and challenging hike to Prato Piazza. We start with a hike along the emerald green waters of Lake Braies before climbing up above the tree line. Our efforts are rewarded with a constantly changing alpine panorama. We eventually reach a high alpine plateau that offers wide-open views and which is redolent with meadows of wildflowers which create a cheerful and colorful contrast to the stark beauty of the distant limestone peaks. After lunch, we continue towards Prato Piazza which was a strategic point during the battles of 1917. Private shuttle back to San Candido. The Hike: 15.1kms/9.4 mi, elevation gain 851m/2,723 ft descent 759m/2,428 ft. Duration about 5 hrs Overnight San Candido. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.

Start your day with a private van transfer up to the Auronzo Rifugio (hut) for a hike around the spectacular massif of the “Tre Cime di Lavaredo.” The “Three Peaks” are some of the most dramatic mountains in the Dolomites due to their extraordinary shape, alignment, and subtle color changes that occur throughout the day. The Cima Grande (Big Peak) is the highest (3,000 m / 9,836 ft), followed by Cima Ovest (Western Peak) and Cima Piccola (Small Peak). We stop for lunch at a rifugio that offers magnificent views of the surrounding landscape then continue down through alpine meadows then back up to Auronzo rifugio to complete our loop. The Hike:15.5 kms/9.6 mi Elev. gain :896m/ 2,940 ft and loss:570m/1,870 ft Duration: about 5 hours. Overnight San Candido. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.

We leave the Sud Tyrol region this morning and hike towards the Veneto and its alpine gem, Cortina d’Ampezzo.  As we draw closer to the wide valley where the town lies, the surrounding peaks of Monte Cristallo, Monte Pelmo, Croda da Lago, and the Tofanes fill our view. You will see why Cortina is considered to be the most perfectly situated town in the Italian Alps. Today we hike from Cimabanche to Ra Stua, where we stop for another delicious lunch. Afterwards we go directly to Cortina by minivan. We spend the next three night at the four-star Parc Hotel Victoria (or similar), an historic hotel ideally located in the center of Cortina. Dinner in the village. The Hike:11.5 kms/7 mi Elev. gain :520m/1,706 ft and loss:332m/1,089 ft Duration: about 3.5 hours. Overnight Cortina. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.

We have a private transfer to Passo Giau to start our hike at 2,236 m (7,336 ft). The trail traverses a high alpine meadow with views onto distant Marmolada glacier and spectacular Monte Pelmo. We arrive at Rifugio Croda da Lago Palmieri for lunch overlooking Lake Federa whose still azure waters reflect the surrounding mountains. After lunch, the trail descends through coniferous forests to our pick-up spot. Tonight, is a free night dinner so you are free to eat where you like with whom you like. The Hike: 12 kms/8 miles; 4.5 hours; Elevation gain: 761m/2497ft; Elevation loss: 1292m/4239ft. Hotel, and breakfast included.

This morning you leave the hotel on foot and in a few minutes, you are beneath Monte Faloria. A breathtaking gondola ride whisks you up to 2100m/6,300 ft from where you have taken in a vast panoramic view that ecompasses much of the terrain you have covered in the preceding days, and more. The Cristallo range, Croda Rossa, Pomagagnon, Tofane, Croda da Lago and Becco di Mezzodì are easily identified, and in the distance the peaks of Monte Pelmo, Civetta, and Marmolada are discerned. On a clear day, the distinctive spires of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo punctuate the horizon. Our trail takes you towards the triangular peak of Monte Cristalo and descends the northern flank of Faloria. The trail eventually descends into the valley through passing through centuries old larch woods as the terrain transitions from high alpine to pastoral pastures. We pass a traditional malga where cheese is still produced as it has been for generations. We stop for lunch at Rifugio Mietres, a classic all-wood chalet that is renowned for its excellent food. After lunch with a view, we continue our walk descending by foot into Cortina, passing immense all-wood barns that remind us of a bygone era when Cortina was a simple farming community of hardy mountain folk. Dinner tonight at Ciasa Lorenzi where we celebrate a week of wonderful hikes amongst the unforgettable Dolomites. The Hike: 10.8 kms/6.8 miles or 3.5h mostly downhill with a total descent of 973 m/3,100 ft. Hard-packed dirt and rocky trails and some asphalt back in town.Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.

*SPECIAL OPTION: Today you can opt to try the Via Ferrata or "Iron Way" (weather permitting). If you choose this option you skip the regular hike and join a local Alpine guide to summit Punta Fiames (this requires an extra fee at your expense). The Via Ferrata is a network of iron ladders and cables that allow hikers to ascend vertical or exposed trails without the need to rock-climb.Transfer time: 50 mins; The Hike: 8.7 mi (14 km) or 5-6 hours; Terrain: hard-packed dirt trails; Elev gain 3,225 ft (983 m) and loss 850 ft (260 m). Optional Via Ferrata: 5 hours; Transfer 20 minutes.

We leave at 8:45 by van for a 2-hour transfer to the Venice airport. From there you can take a bus or water taxi into town or to the train station for onward travel. If you're flying out of Venice, don't book anything leaving before 1 or 2 p.m. to be sure. Earlier transfers can be arranged, at your expense. Breakfast and transfer included.

Please note: Some details of the itinerary may change according to the departure date of your tour. Whenever we run a tour we make new discoveries. Sometimes they are good discoveries, like a wonderful new trattoria, and sometimes they are bad, like a trail has been washed away. The result is that we sometimes change our itinerary to improve it by adding new wonderful elements to the tour or by removing something that does not work anymore. Rest assured, our goal is to always provide you with the best possible experience. We will advise you of any changes to the original itinerary prior to departure.  

The hikes in the Dolomites are the most challenging that we offer. The paths are good, but you require good footing and should be used to hiking on steep, rugged terrain.  Many of the hikes are no steeper than our Cinque Terre walk, for example, but the distances we hike in a day are a little longer. We walk 4-7 hours a day but often take a chair-lift, cable-car of funicular up or down various stretches, allowing spectacular views and for an easier hike. Daily distance between 8 and 16 kms.

Visit the Dolomites: great site about the area, see especially the section on culture, traditions, food, etc.
Val Pusteria: general site with weather forecast, photos, etc.
The Via Ferrata: very informative Wikipedia site on these unique trails
World War I in the Dolomites: a short history of some of the battle sites we encounter during our hikes
Cortina d’Ampezzo: very interesting site relating the history of Cortina and the area, going back to Neolithic times and stone-age human remains!
Speak Ladin? a short introduction to this ancient language, a remnant of the Roman occupation of 2,000 years ago