Dolomites Grand Traverse
Hut to Hut Hiking

You’ll be picked up at 9:00 am from the Porta Altinia Suites Hotel in Treviso. A scenic 2-hour and 15-minute private van ride brings you to “Spiaggia Verde,” a small lakeside restaurant where you can enjoy a snack and a WC break before setting out on your hike to Rifugio Ra Stua. Your bags will be delivered directly to the rifugio, and in case of bad weather, the van (with special access) can take you all the way there. Today’s hike leads you into a breathtaking landscape of canyons, cascades, and sparkling mountain streams. The trail follows the Rio Fanes as it tumbles through wild rhododendron thickets, its waters a brilliant sapphire blue. Along the way, you’ll stop at thundering waterfalls—including one you can slip behind for the magical view of water streaming all around you. The trail loops back down before bringing you to Rifugio Ra Stua, nestled in a peaceful, forested valley. A hearty mountain dinner rounds out a spectacular first day on the trail.  The Hike:  13.3 km/8.3 mi, elevation gain 838 m/2681 ft. elevation loss 500 m/1600 ft  Duration. 5 to 5.5 hours moving time. If the weather is not great: Shorter option: distance: 5.7 km/4 mi 408 m/1290 ft elevation gain and 70 m/220 ft elevation loss. Duration 2 hrs 10 minutes. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, transfer, bag transfer, and Hotel/rifugio included. 

After breakfast, you depart from Ra Stua to hike beneath the rampant walls of a rocky escarpment to emerge onto a high plateau. From here, the vast view of a dozen or more peaks, both near and far, is breathtaking.  You will finish your day at Rifugio Fodara Vedla. It is surrounded by lush green meadows, stunted pines, and charming alpine huts still used by local farmers when they bring their animals up for summer grazing. The rifugio's rich history goes back a century to 1923, when Hans Mutschlechner transformed an abandoned WW1 barracks into a “Malga”/summer farmhouse and barn. Han’s descendants still run this rifugio. Arthur and Frieda man the bar, their daughter Lorena serves the meal while her husband David is the chef. The grandchildren also help wait at the tables. Dinner is in the lovely wood-paneled dining room. David produces excellent local cuisine from his state-of-the-art kitchen. The Hike: 11.8 kms/7 mi Elevation gain 900 m.2,900ft. Duration: 4.5 hours duration. Overnight: Rifugio Fodara Vedla. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bag transfer, and hotel/rifugio included.

Wake up to the soft jangle of cow bells and the smell of brewing coffee. After a melodious breakfast, your guides lead you on a loop hike to Seekofel Hütte/ Biella Rifugio for lunch. Constructed of stone, it blends harmoniously with Croda del Béco's rocky flanks, which soars above the rifugio. Locally, the mountain is known as “the Abbess’s butt” for its rounded shape. After lunch, you return to the warm embrace of Fodara Vedla. Overnight: Rifugio Fodara Vedla. The Hike:  13.3 kms 525 m up. 4.5 hours duration. Breakfast, dinner, lunch, and hotel/rifugio included.

Start gently this morning as you follow a trail softened by a mat of pine needles. Then it is downhill to Rifugio Pederu for a mid-morning coffee and strudel break. Now this is civilized hiking!  The strudel will power you up the climb to the Fanes Plateau, a unique karst limestone expanse veined by babbling brooks. Have lunch at Lavarella Rifugio, where local marmots usually entertain onlookers with their antics. Then, it is a 15-minute hike to Rifugio Fanes, where you spend the night at 6,725 ft/2,050 m. Today’s hike is relatively short, but you have earned a light day after two big hikes in the preceding days. However, you can do an optional 2-3 hour afternoon hike to Passo di Sant'Antonio for gorgeous views toward Monte Antelau, or simply relax on the canvas deck chairs and take in the serenity. Dinner in the rifugio’s wood-paneled dining room. Complement your dinner with one of the many wines available from the extensive wine list. The Hike: 10.5kms/6.5 mi  Terrain: hard-packed dirt with one long, steep descent; Elevation gain 2,300 ft (700 m) and loss 1,475 ft (450 m).Duration: 3.5 hours. Overnight: Rifugio Fanes. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bag transfer, and hotel/rifugio included.
 

Today we are searching for the rare mountain ibex, a species of wild goat that has only recently come back from the brink of extinction.  They have been reintroduced into this part of the Fanes National Park. The males have impressive curved horns that can grow to five feet long. Our hike takes us into a remote area where a herd of ibex usually ranges. The hike is spectacular as we climb high above the Fanes plateau. Your guides will find out where the latest sightings have been made and lead you to the most likely place to them, and if we see the Ibex, it is an even more glorious day out. The turnaround point and our lunch spot is a high ridgeline that links several high peaks and affords a huge view towards the eastern ranges. We enjoy a picnic lunch our friends provide at Fanes hut and soak up the quiet and solitude. Not surprisingly, as we turn to face west and descend, the views are completely different from our morning hike! After your return to the rifugio, you have another delicious dinner in the stube. The Hike: 11.6 kms/7mi, Elevation gain and loss, 760m/2,400ft. Duration: 4.5 hours. Overnight: Rifugio Fanes. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and hotel/rifugio included.

You have a gentle start this morning. After a short initial climb, enjoy a beautiful two-hour, gentle descent into a wide valley surrounded by high peaks. Then you take an amazing trail that climbs steeply out of the valley, hugging the broad flanks of Monte Cavallo, before threading its way through spires of rock before plunging back down to rejoin the principal trail to Lagazuoi. The descent features a truly impressive series of switchbacks down to Lagacio Lake, where you will take a break for a picnic lunch. Following lunch, you have an epic climb to Rifugio Laqazuoi, which sits perched on a ledge overlooking the strategic Passo Falzarego. A starkly beautiful mountain landscape is made more dramatic by the visible remnants of the terrible struggle that occurred here between 1915 and 1917. Twisted bits of barbed wire, trenches, and bunkers line our route up to Lagazuoi, which, at 2,752 meters (9,029'), is one of the highest huts in the Italian Dolomites. Your efforts are rewarded by a truly awesome 360° view of the surrounding mountains and distant green valleys. You will take the gondola lift down to Falzarego pass where you will be picked up by our driver and transferred to Conegliano where you check into the four star Hotel Canon d’Oro. Together with your guides and fellow hikers you will toast a wonderful week of hikes and “Alta Via” experience during another delicious dinner.  The Hike: 7.7mi (12.4 km) or 5-6 hours; Terrain: hard-packed dirt and rocky trails, some scree, with a steep downhill and one short stretch with some exposure; Elev gain 3,500 ft (1,067 m) and loss 1,230 ft (375 m). In case of bad weather, we have another route which takes you to the Rifugio Capana Alpina where we can be picked up by our driver. Overnight: Conegliano at the four-star HOtel Canon d’Oro. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bag transfer, gondola lift, transfer to Conegliano, and hotel included. 

Your adventure ends in Conegliano. You can continue your journey within Italy from Conegliano train station, or take a taxi, train, or bus to get to nearby Venice International Airport. Travel time by taxi is 40 minutes. Or you can travel to Venice, which is also connected by taxi, train, and bus. Indeed, Conegliano is a good base from which to visit Venice. It is easy to explore Venice by day and retire to Conegliano’s low key, untouristy vibe for the evening. Breakfast 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.  

Backpacks: On this tour you will be carrying more in your backpacks than on other tours because: a) we are in the mountains, so you need to carry more layers and be ready for any weather conditions; b) you may need to carry more water since it may not be readily available.

Luggage Transfers: 
Day 1: You and your bags are picked up from Treviso. While you hike to Rifugio Ra Stua you just carry what you need for the day in your backpack. Your duffel bag with what you need for the week of hiking will be transported to Rifugio Ra Stua. If you have luggage in excess to what you require in the Rifugi, that bag will be stored by our van driver until the last day of the tour.
Day 3: Hike to Rifugio Fodara. You carry what you need for the day in your backpack. The duffel bag will be transported by 4X4 to Rifugio Fodara. 
Day 5: Hike to Rifugio Fanes. You carry what you need for the day in your backpack. The  duffel bag will be transported by 4X4 to Rifugio Fanes. 
Day 7: Hike and transfer to Conegliano. You just carry what you need for the day in your backpack. The duffel bag will be transported by 4X4 to a depot where it will be picked up by our driver. When he picks you up from the Gondola (from Lagazuoi) he will have your main luggage and your duffel bag. You and your bags will be transferred to the hotel in Connegliano.  

F.A.Q.: "Do your guests frequently experience altitude sickness in this area? If so, what pre-tour preparation do you recommend?"
None of our guests have suffered from Altitude sickness on any of our Dolomites tours. Altitude sickness usually only happens at levels above 2,500m/8,000ft. We spend the first two nights on our DGT tour in San Candido sleeping at 1,175 m/3,750ft, allowing you to acclimate. Our first day of hiking is after you have slept one night at that altitude. You may experience some shortness of breath during your first hike, but that is all unless you have some pre-existing medical conditions that make you more sensitive to lower oxygen levels.  After two nights in San Candido, we spend two nights at about 2,000m/6,600 ft followed by one night at 2,752m/8,800ft at Rifugio Lagazuoi. You will be well acclimatized for this, your fifth night of the tour. Our final two nights are back in the valley at 1,200m/3,850 feet in Cortina.  Be in shape for the tour and stay well-hydrated during the hikes.