Dolomites Alta Via 1 SELF-GUIDED Hiking Tour
Freedom of self-guided hiking in the Dolomites

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. This evening you can order a la carte at dinner.  The Hike:  Shortest 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. Full option: 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.  Breakfast, transfer, bag transfer, Hotel/rifugio included. Dinner not included.

After breakfast, depart from Ra Stua to hike beneath the ramparts of a rocky escarpment and emerge onto a high plateau. From here, the vast view of a dozen or more peaks, both near and far, is breathtaking. You will soon be at Rifugio Fodara Vedla for lunch. After lunch a spectacular out and back hike up Lavinores offers perhaps the best views of the week. An afternoon departure is ideal as the setting sun lights the eastern peaks. Return to Fodara Vedla which 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. Overnight: Rif. Fodara Vedla. Breakfast, dinner, and hotel/rifugio included.

Wake up to the soft jangle of cowbells and the smell of brewing coffee. After a melodious breakfast, you  head out for a loop hike to Seekofel Hütte, or Biella Rifugio for lunch. Constructed of stone, it blends harmoniously with Croda del Béco's rocky flanks, which soar 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. Sitting on the terrace as the sun sets and bathes the near mountains in a golden light is a well deserved treat. Overnight: Rifugio Fodara Vedla. The Hike:  13.3 kms 525 m up. 4.5 hours duration. Breakfast, dinner, and hotel/rifugio included.

A gentle start this morning as you follow a trail made soft 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. You'll have lunch at Lavarella Rifugio, where local marmots usually entertain onlookers with their antics. Then, take a 15-minute hike to Rifugio Fanes, where you'll 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. Pair your dinner with one of the many wines on 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, dinner, and hotel/rifugio included.
 

Today you will search for the rare mountain ibex, a species of wild goat that has only recently returned 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 you into a remote area where a herd of ibex ranges. The hike is spectacular as you climb high above the Fanes plateau, and if you see the Ibex, it is an even more glorious day out. The turnaround point and your lunch spot is a high ridgeline that links several high peaks and affords a huge view towards the eastern ranges. Enjoy your picnic lunch and soak up the quiet and solitude. Not surprisingly, when you turn west and descend, the views are completely different from your 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, dinner, and hotel/rifugio included.

You have a gentle start this morning. After a short initial climb, you enjoy a beautiful two-hour soft 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. We will reserve dinner for you in the hotel’s excellent restaurant. 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 you can be picked up by our driver. Overnight Connegliano. Hotel included. Dinner not included. 

You 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 bad, like a trail has been washed away. 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 always to provide you with the best possible experience. We will advise you of any changes to the original itinerary before departure.