The Italian Dolomites; The Majestic Mountains

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, the Dolomites form a spectacular majestic mountain range in North Eastern Italy. They fare part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley. ‘The Dolomiti’ are nearly equally shared between the provinces of Belluno, South Tyrol and Trentino.

This wonderful itinerary commences in amongst the incredible spires of the Rosengarten Massif where we will hike balcony trails and have time to better understand Otzi, the Copper Age Iceman found at the base of a glacier at 10,000ft, who perished in the Alps some 5,300 years ago. Utilising the rugged Alpine paths we will hike in the amphitheater of the Conca del Principe and then stay in the remote Rifugio de Tires before we journey across the Alpe di Siusi Plateau and descend into Ortisei via cable car, to stay at a luxury 5* Gardena hotel with it’s award winning Tyrolean restaurant. Our journey continues on to Corvara with magnificent vistas of the eastern Fanes and Sella mountains where we can enjoy a delicious alpine lunch along the way. Our second Rifugio (Lagazuoi) is set in a breathtaking location, and steeped in WWI history with a network of tunnels constructed inside the mountain that were used as part of the Italian stronghold against the Austrians. For our final stage of this Dolomiti adventure we descend in the shadow of the Tofane massif with many of the peaks over 10 500ft in height. Alpine meadows our at their best in early summer and we lavish in the flowers fields with obligatory photos to save the moment before descending into Cortina d’Ampezzo and enjoying our 2nd 5* luxury hotel for two nights before a farewell dinner in this beautiful Italian town.

Key information
September 10th – 19th, 2024
(Private departures also available) 

Duration: 9 days

Grade: Challenging

Airport: Venice (Italy) or Innsbruck (Austria)

Cost: from €5700 pp 

All accommodation incl 5 star hotels,  breakfast, lunch & most dinners

Professional experienced licensed guides

Authentic, flavourful local Tyrolean cuisine

Traditional mountain Rifugios

Private vehicle support during the trip

Spa Entrance

Transfers

At A Glance
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Days 1 - 3

We meet at Venice Airport (or Innsbruck / Brenner Pass) before we journey to the picturesque hamlet of Carezza with time to enjoy the fabulous spa, wellness are and relaxing gardens. 

After breakfast we start the day with a chairlift to Rifugio Fronza where our trail traverses underneath the face of Rosengarten massif to reach Rifugio Roda di Vael where we can enjoy a cappuccino with far reaching views of the Latemar massif in the distance. We then hike along the Bella Vista Restaurante at Ciampedie to enjoy a tasty lunch, then descend by cable car into Vigi di Fassa. There is time here in the afternoon to relax and enjoy the hotel’s beautiful spa facilities, visit the Otzi museum in Bolzano before meeting early evening as we host a Grappa tasting. The following day we take a spectacular trail to the Grasleitenhütte before hiking up the a steep col through an ampitheather of amazing rock formations before arriving at the Tiers mountain lodage via a mini Via Feratta.

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Days 4 - 6

Our fourth night sees us stay in the most fanatstic 5 star hotel with incredible spa facilites – we are sure to arrive in good time on this day. There is also opportunity to enjoy the vibrant town of Ortisei. Day 5 we utilise several mountain Gondola’s to hike the famous Seceda trail with two trail options, finishing in the town of Covara where we stay for 2 nights. Day 6 – an opportunity to relax of ascend on mountain transport to the beautiful Santa Croce, a small white washed church dating back to the 15th century and beautifully situated at the base of the Sasso della Croce Mountains.
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Days 7 - 8

Utilising a cable car we ascend 1500ft to arrive at the alpine plateau above Corvara. Enjoying uninterrupted views of the Sella massif and surrounding peaks hike to Rifugio Pralonga with its stunning panorama’s and excellent local cuisine. We can also see the ‘Queen of the Dolomites’ the Marmolada 10,968ft which until the end of WWI sat on the Austrian-Hungarian and Italian border. We journey along the rugged Settsaas ridge  famed for its geology and wartime remains. The local people are also trilingual speaking Ladin, a Latin derivative in addition to German and Italian. We descend to Passo di Valparola and on to Passo Falzerego where we take a cable car 2,200ft up to Rigfugio Lagazuoi at 9,030ft. The following morning we depart hiking below the Tofane massif: Tofane di Roses, Tofane di Mezzo and Tofane di Dentro, all over 10, 500ft in height on the famous Alt Via1 trail, a long distance trail across the Dolomites. We arrive at Refugio Dibona where we take our lunch. The afternoon is free to explore Cortina and enjoy the fabulous spa at our 5 star luxury hotel.
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Days 9 - 10

We journey to the impressive Monte Piano and Tre Cime di Lavaredo or ‘Drew Zinnen’ in German and formed part of the front line during WWI, as such there are a number of fortifications, trenches, tunnels, iron ladders and commemorative plaques. The 3 famous peaks are:

  • Cima Piccola / Kleine Zinne (“little peak”)
  • Cima Grande / Große Zinne (“big peak”)
  • Cima Ovest / Westliche Zinne (“western peak”)

Returning to our hotel we enjoy a farewell dinner.

Take a look

Need To Know

Accommodation
3 x nights in 5* hotels  – Ortisei and Cortina

4 x nights in 4* hotels – Carezza and Covara

2 x nights mountain Rifugios – shared dormitories & bathrooms

What’s included
All accommodation

All breakfasts, lunches and dinners ( except 3)

Traditional Tyrolean Cuisine *Specific dietary requirements catered for on request.

We provide private vehicle support throughout the trip.

2/3 Licensed Guides

Entrance to spa facilities in each hotel.

 

Guides
Our guides are exceptionally experienced with a passion for sharing the mountains, desert, flora, fauna and culture. Qualified and licensed Mountain Leaders will bring the trip alive.

We adopt an excellent guiding ratio meaning we can cater for differing levels. 

Booking and Price

Cost: 

 

3 pax – €7250pp

 

4 – 7 pax – €6500pp

 

8 – 14 pax – €5700pp

 

Deposit: €1000 

 

Single Supplement available for some accommodation if requested.

 

We manage every booking independently to ensure attention to detail and provide a personalised service.

FABULOUS! Can't stop thinking about and talking about it. The itinerary was very full and ambitious but included options for people who wanted to deviate or do less. And with 4 guides, you were able to accommodate multiple options at times which was amazing and unexpected. I loved the rigorous hikes, so I think it's great that the trip was filled with them. I also love the "all-inclusive" feel of the trip.... It's so wonderful to have logistics and accommodations and meals taken care of. What a luxury! Elyse, Sept 2023

First off – the trip surpassed all our expectations! It was amazing. In part because of weather and the group but also how it was planned and all the logistics that worked so well. Thank you! I would say overall trip design and itinerary was spot on! Scott, Sept 2023