Italy Dolomites Alta Via Hiking Tour

Your Dolomites adventure begins the moment you land. A private group transfer from Venice Marco Polo Airport winds northeast into the Italian Alps, climbing through vineyard-covered foothills and into the dramatic dolomitic valleys of South Tyrol before arriving in the heart of Val Gardena, one of the most beautiful valleys in the entire range. Check into your 4-star boutique hotel, meet your fellow hikers and your guide over a welcome briefing, and enjoy a festive first-night dinner.

The Alta Via 2 wastes no time. Ride the Dantercepies cable car above Val Gardena to Passo Gardena, where jagged peaks, pale limestone, and wide-open sky fill the horizon. From here, hike into Puez-Odle Nature Park, a wild high-alpine landscape of sculpted ridges, hidden couloirs, and rock towers that rise like cathedrals. The trail passes Rifugio Jimmy before climbing toward Rifugio Puez, a landmark Alta Via 2 stop set on a sweeping plateau with views across the valleys below. Your descent follows the peaceful Vallunga, a long pine-lined valley threaded with mountain streams, before returning to the hotel for a well-earned mountain dinner.

After a hearty alpine breakfast, your morning transfer delivers you to Passo Pordoi. From the pass, you step onto one of the most spectacular footpaths in the Alps. The Viel del Pan, the “Way of the Bread,” was once walked by flour merchants trading their goods across the mountains, and today it offers something more valuable: an unbroken, incomparable panorama of the Marmolada (10,964') from ridge to glaciated summit that stretches the full length of the trail. Often referred to as the “Queen of the Dolomites,” Marmolada is the highest mountain in this range and home to its largest glacier. The path is wide, well-graded, and deeply scenic, rewarding both the seasoned alpine hiker and the first-timer in equal measure. A glacial lake marks the end of the hike and the beginning of an excellent coffee stop before your transfer to Val di Fassa, home for the next two nights.

Today’s hike is a study in contrast and quiet drama. A morning transfer brings you to Malga Ciapela, where the trail begins alongside the Pettorina River before climbing steadily west through mixed forest and open meadow on a paved road. Past a working agriturismo and the long-abandoned mountain village of Franzedaz, a silent remnant of the traditional alpine life once lived at altitude, the landscape shifts from pastoral to primordial. Above the pastures, the terrain turns rocky and red: Forca Rossa takes its name from the iron-rich stone that colors the pass a deep, burnt ochre. It’s a striking, elemental finish to three days on the Alta Via 2. From the pass, descend to Passo San Pellegrino for your transfer back to the hotel and a second evening in the Val di Fassa.

The Alta Via 1 makes its entrance with one of the great sights in the Dolomites. Your transfer to Passo Staulanza places you directly at the foot of Mount Pelmo’s north face: 3,300 vertical feet of raw, unbroken limestone rising from the valley floor to a summit at 10,394 feet. Standing this close, it is easy to understand why the mountain is known as the Throne of the Gods. From here, the trail leads to Forcella Roan (6,807') and the abandoned stalls of Malga Prendera (7,047'), where weathered stone walls and rough timber shelters recall the Dolomites’ old pastoral life. Once used by herders moving cattle through these high summer pastures, the empty buildings now stand quietly beneath the peaks, adding a haunting sense of history to the wild alpine landscape. Continue beneath this extraordinary massif through high passes and open ridgelines, as panoramic views unfold toward Sorapiss, the unmistakable pyramid of Antelao, and the distant Cadore Dolomites. Reach grassy Col Piombin and Passo Giau (7,336'), then transfer to Cortina d’Ampezzo, your base for the next four nights, with the drama of Alta Via 1 fully underway.

The Cinque Torri take center stage today. After a short transfer back to Passo Giau, the trail leads toward one of the Dolomites’ most recognizable landmarks: the Five Towers, rising above the tree line at 7,218 feet, west of Cortina. From town, their silhouette looks clean and unmistakable, but up close the scene becomes far more intricate, with fractured pinnacles, secondary boulders, and rocky towers scattered across the hillside. After taking in the views and enjoying a trail lunch beneath the spires, the route reveals another layer of the landscape. During World War I, this ridge stood near the former border between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the open-air museum preserved here brings that history vividly into view. Continue to Passo Falzarego for your transfer back to Cortina.

Enjoy breakfast before heading to Passo Falzarego, where a cable car whisks you up to Lagazuoi for sweeping views across the Dolomites. From the top station, begin hiking along the Alta Via 1, surrounded by dramatic rock walls and big mountain scenery. Climb to Forcella del Lago, a striking mountain pass with views in every direction, then continue onto the high plateau of Fanes Natural Park. Here, the landscape softens into wide alpine meadows and quiet valleys, a vivid contrast to the sharp peaks behind you. Reach Malga Gran Fanes for a well-deserved break, then continue through the peaceful Fiames Valley. The trail leads gently back toward Cortina, closing a spectacular loop through the Dolomites’ unforgettable alpine terrain.

The Sennes Loop is a fitting finale to your Alta Via journey, pairing peaceful high-country beauty with one last rewarding day on the trail. After a short transfer to Malga Ra Stua, hike north through Vallon Scuro to Campo Croce before joining a stony former wartime mule route. Passing the glassy Lago de Fodara, reach Rifugio Fodara Vedla, a cozy hut with beautiful eastward views of Croda Rossa rising in pale, sculpted layers above the valley. Continue toward Rifugio Sennes, then loop through a remote high-country circuit near Rifugio Biella, Lago di Fosses, and the often-dry Rememda Rossa, where wide skies, quiet meadows, and limestone peaks give the day a spacious, faraway feel. Return through Campo Croce to Malga Ra Stua, where your transfer back to Cortina awaits. Celebrate your Alta Via adventure at tonight’s farewell dinner.

After a final alpine breakfast in Cortina d'Ampezzo, your private group transfer winds back through the Dolomites to Venice Marco Polo Airport.