Hike the Dolomites with your friends and a dedicated guide

This hiking adventure showcases the beauty of the Dolomites in all of their grandeur. Tinted in weathered shades of rose, yellow and gray, the fairytale spires and dramatic rock walls of the Dolomites rise in elegantly chiseled shapes of fantastic form, looking every inch like a landscape devised by the gods. If this isn't heaven, it's about as close as you can get.

Each day you'll hike up to ridges and passes for spellbinding views of huge peaks and pinnacles, seemingly architecturally inspired, then descend to lush green valleys, where wildflowers bloom in pastoral meadows and storybook villages hug the valley floor. At day's end you'll relax at hotels that are an oases of comfort, where you'll absorb the region's fascinating culture and cuisine - a unique blend of Italy and the South Tyrol, a welcome respite at the end of a day full of hiking!

Activities

9 days of moderate to strenuous hiking on rugged terrain, other optional activities as desired

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Fully-guided hiking trip amidst a glorious landscape of pillars, pinnacles, and colossal rock walls, including the stunning Tre Cime di Lavaredo
• Choose from a variety of hiking options, from easy to challenging
• Taste a variety of traditional, local Austro-Italian cuisine
• Enjoy the privacy of traveling with your own group and the individualized attention of your own dedicated MTS guide

Duration: 9 days Start Location: Selva End Location: Cortina d'Ampezzo

BRIEF Itinerary

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  Day 1 : Arrive in Innsbruck - Transfer to Selva di Val Gardena

  Transfer from the Innsbruck airport to Selva di Val Gardena in the heart of Italy’s South Tyrol. Selva is a quaint alpine town nestled in the Dolomites and an excellent homebase for all levels of hiking. You’ll meet with your Mountain Travel Sobek representative in the late afternoon for a trip orientation.

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  Day 2 : Sasso Lungo

  From Sella Pass (7,152') we'll hike under Sasso Lungo and Sasso Piatto on the famous Friedrich-August-Weg. We'll visit Rifugio Sassopiatto (7,546'), Rifugio Vicenza (7,391'), Rifugio Comici (7,063'), and Città dei Sassi (“city of stones”)—before returning to Rifugio Sella Passo. (6-7 hours hiking, ~2,788' elevation gain, 2,788' loss.)

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  Day 3 : Corvara in Alta Badia

  We'll take a cable car to Passo Gardena (6,955'), then follow a dramatic rocky trail with the pinnacles of Pizzes da Cir on either side of us. We'll then continue to Passo Cir (8,100') and Forcella Ciampai Pass (7,760') before lunch at Rifugio Puez. We'll then descend to Corvara (5,120'), located in the Alta Badia (the South Tyrol) in the heart of the Dolomites. Before the First World War, this area used to be Austria, and the Austrian-Italian mixed culture is very well marked in the food, architecture, and language.

• Day 4 : Santa Croce Sanctuary

  We'll transfer to San Cassiano (4,344') and begin hiking along a trail adorned with a number of huge crucifixes, a “Via Cruces.” Ahead is the imposing face of Sasso della Croce, “stone of the cross,” which turns a glowing fleshy pink tint as it catches the rays of the afternoon sun. We'll visit the extraordinarily photogenic church and sanctuary, Ospizio Santa Croce (6,710'), then hike back to Corvara. (5-6 hours hiking, ~ approx. 7 miles, ~ 1,935' elevation loss)

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  Day 5 : Capana Alpina – Rifugio Fanes – Pederu – Rifugio Fodara Vedla

  In the morning, we’ll transfer Capanna Alpina (5,663') where we begin our hike to Col Locia (6,788'), Malga di Fanes (6,890'), Limo Lake, and Rifugio Fanes (6,759'), where we'll stop for lunch. After lunch, we'll descend to Pederu (5,052'), where we can either hike up to the Rifugio Fodara Vedla (6,470') or transfer to the Rifugio, a picturesque mountain lodge. (6 hours hiking, ~ approx.  8.5 miles, ~ 1,450' elevation gain/ 650' loss)

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  Day 6 : Rifugio Fodara Vedla

  Your choice of hikes today around the Rifugio. Options include a hike to a panoramic ridge, or a trip to lovely Lago di Fosses (7,093') and impressive Piccola Croda Rossa. Additional hikes are also possible. (5 hours hiking, ~ approx.  6½ miles, ~ 1,800' elevation gain/ 1,900' loss)

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  Day 7 : Cortina d'Ampezzo

  From the Rifugio Fodara Vedla, we'll hike to Malga Ra Stua (5,561') and to the village of San Uberto. A hike along the Boite River leads us to the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Cortina enjoys a reputation for great winter skiing (it was the site of the 1956 winter olympics), and in the summer attracts hikers and mountain climbers with its rocky mountains. (6 hours hiking, ~ approx.  8.5 miles, ~ 1,000' elevation gain/ 2,624' loss)

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  Day 8 : Tre Cime di Lavaredo

  Today we‘ll start with a scenic drive to Rifugio Auronzo (7,650'), then hike around Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Monte Paterno, one of the most scenic mountain landscapes in the Dolomites and the world. After returning to Cortina, the remainder of the afternoon is free to wander and explore restaurants and cafes, antique shops, art galleries, and boutiques. Our guide will meet with us again this evening for a festive farewell dinner. (6 hours hiking, ~ approx.  8 miles, ~ total 2,000' elevation gain/ 1,800' loss)

• Day 9 : Transfer to Innsbruck - Departure

  After breakfast, you are free to depart on homeward-bound flights.

Properties shown are representative of the accommodations we use on this trip, may not be inclusive of all accommodations we use, and are subject to change.

Expert leadership is the key to an exciting, unforgettable experience. Our trips feature gifted leaders for whom leading trips is a true vocation. Besides showing you wonders you’d never find on your own, they make sure everything runs smoothly and safely without a hitch. They are knowledgeable about all aspects of your trip, and take great pleasure in sharing their insights with you. More than just guides, they positively elevate your experience by being teachers, companions, and the best of friends. You’ll be in good hands with them every step of the way.

• Alberto De Giuli

  Alberto De Giuli, a fully certified UIAGM/IFMGA mountain guide, was born in the small town of Padova, Italy. After receiving his degree in economics from the University of Venice; he decided to pursue his true passion, to guide in the mountains. He currently lives in Arabba, which is in the heart of the Dolomites. Alberto has spent several years guiding groups on climibing, hiking, trekking, and skiiing adventures. He truly enjoys showcasing the Dolomites to everyone!

• Giulia Monego

  Guilia Monego is a professional skier and adventure enthusiast. Her passion for skiing and the mountains has led her to work as a ski instructor, complete in many alpine ski races and events to leading hiking trips throughout the Dolomites. Whether she is leading a ski expedition in Patagonia or China to photography trips to British Columbia, she is at home at the mountains.

• Luca Gasparini

  Luca Gasparini is an enthusiastic bilingual professional mountain guide. The mountains and outdoors has always been a part of his life. He started skiing at seven years old, rock climbing and ice climbing at age 19. Luca is living in the Dolomites working as a mountain guide in heli skiing, ski touring, off-track-skiing, ski safaris, ice climbing and snow shoeing in winter and rock climbing, trekking, canyoning and mountaineering in summer.

• Marica Fave

  Marica Fave is grew up in Campitello in the Fassa Valley. She started skiing at age 3 and ski racing at age 6. Since then, she has been a part of the mountains ever since. While on Ski teams, she traveled through out Europe, North America and Canada. In 2006 she became a certified mountain guide and has been leading trips for Mountain Travel Sobek for many years. She has guided in Italy, France, Switzerland and India.

• Karin Pizzinini

  After being high school science and chemistry teacher, Karin Pizzinini decided to pursue her two big passions: travel and photography. Now she works both as an art director, making documentaries about Ladin arts and culture, and as a hiking guide in her beloved Dolomites, where she grew up and lives. She is a year-round outdoor enthusiast - enjoying telemarking and ski touring in the winter, hiking, rock climbing and climbing glaciers in the summer. She used to compete in cross country skiing, cycling and ski touring, where she has achieved the title of Italian champion. Karin says her mission is transmitting knowledge, be it as a teacher, a guide, a film director or a writer. Guiding trips through the beautiful scenery where she lives, and on trips around the world, enables her to share her enthusiasm with her groups, which is certainly one of the things she likes best.

photo credits: Tara Starr-Keddle