Highlights

  • Alpine wildflowers, crystal streams, pure air
  • Incredible panoramas of mountain peaks and steep stone cliffs
  • Insight into the Ladino people's traditional food and culture
  • Spectacular and rewarding hiking

Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2009, the Dolomites in the northern Italian Alps offer walkers who enjoy a moderate degree of challenge, some of the world's finest and most distinctive mountain landscapes. This walk in wild country of exceptional natural beauty, is within sight of 9840-feet (3000-meter) high snow-capped peaks, pink-hued rock steeples, vertical walls, sheer cliffs, and long, narrow, and deep valleys, as we explore high pastures, forest trails and gentle riverside walks. Highlights include lunches at rifugios ("mountain refuges"), one of which is reached by cable car, and an optional visit to an open-air World War I museum at Cinque Torri (Five Towers).

Sunday Overnight: Active Hotel Olympia

We meet in Verona, then drive into the mountains to fashionable Moena. Introductory Talk and Welcome Dinner tonight.

Monday Overnight: Hotel Ciasa Salares

Stroll through Moena and ascend amid woods of spruce and pine to lunch in a mountain tavern at Hennenstall. We hike in an alpine landscape to Lake Carezza, much loved by Winston Churchill, who painted here; and Agatha Christie, who set her novel 'The Big Four' here. It is spectacular. We continue to San Cassiano, our base for three nights.

Tuesday Overnight: Hotel Ciasa Salares

Drive to Colfosco with its splendid views of the cliffs of the Sella across the valley. Wear your hiking boots. We take a steep, sometimes rocky, uphill trail to Forcella (mountain pass) de Campei, at an altitude of almost 8,000 feet. Mountain trails take us to a lakeside walk and the plateau of Gardenaccia with a panorama of peaks. After lunch at Jimmi Hutte, we slowly descend by pinewood tracks and meadow paths. Dinner tonight highlights traditional local cuisine.

Wednesday Overnight: Hotel Ciasa Salares

An undulating hike, accompanied by the sound of cowbells clanging across the valley, brings us to the Church of la Croce. We continue to the Ranch Hutte da Andre for a hearty mountain lunch in this family-run restaurant. In the afternoon, walk down on meadow trails and village streets, or travel by van to the hotel.

Thursday Overnight: Grand Hotel Savoia

Today offers a wonderful, bracing day on mountain trails with unforgettable views. We start from the mountain chalet at Capanna Alpina, and ascend along a rocky trail to reach the high plateau. From here, a wide path leads through alpine pastures to lunch in a mountain 'rifugio'. Our descent leads to the dramatic waterfalls and gorges of the Fanes valley.

Friday Overnight: Grand Hotel Savoia

Drive to Passo Falzarego to admire views of the Cinque Torri (five towers) just above Cortina. We take lunch at a stunning restaurant with 360-degree views. Later, we take a circular walk around the Cinque Torri and visit the open-air WWI museum, before our Farewell Dinner in Cortina.

Saturday

Transfer to Venice, where we say 'arrivederci'.
Energetic
"The groups are really fun - witty, friendly and good company"
Terrain: Mountain trails and tracks, some steep ascents and descents, but alternative, less strenuous walks usually available. 8-14 miles walking per day

TRIP DETAILS

6 nights from
US $4,795.00
per person, double occupancy
(Single Supplement US $695.00)
Our Wayfarers friends' Price is US $4,555.00

Dates

From Aug 23 to Aug 29 (more dates)
Request booking
Arrival: Verona
Departure: Venice
The Dolomites August 2020 Map

Hotels - Where we stay

Active Hotel Olympic

Active Hotel Olympic

An authentic Italian experience the Active Hotel Olympic has been run by the Pellegrin family for over 50 years. Bedrooms are styled in furnishing that are reminiscent of Ladin culture with traditional-style fabrics and feature Italian wood and stone. Each room has an ensuite bathroom, free Wi-Fi, and a hairdryer. Spa facilities include a heated indoor/outdoor pool, Jacuzzi, and sauna. The hotel will provide towels and bath slippers at the wellness centre for the spa.
Hotel Ciasa Salares

Hotel Ciasa Salares

Crossing the threshold of Hotel Ciasa Salares in the heart of the Dolomites, you can feel the alpine tradition. The atmosphere is a homely one, the environment intimate and refined like the mountain hut you might visit to enjoy nature and good living. Comfortable old settees gathered around a crackling fireplace, the smell of wood and photos of generations of innkeepers on the walls. The jewel- in- the- crown of the hotel is undoubtedly the Michelin star restaurant, La Siriola, where the rite of dinner becomes a sensory journey through the tastes, the colours, and the liquid and solid flavours of the world. The hotel features a spa with heated and indoor swimming pools, indoor Jacuzzi, gym, massage and beauty treatments, Turkish bath, and more.

Grand Hotel Savoia

Grand Hotel Savoia

Set in the heart of town, surrounded by exhilarating Dolomite views, Grand Hotel Savoia is the grand dame of Cortina d'Ampezzo hotels. Once a stately home, this five-star hotel has been welcoming famous guests including movie stars and royals for over 100 years. Today's guests can enjoy the indoor swimming pool and spa, fitness center, piano bar, cigar bar, and free Wifi throughout the property. And it is just steps from Cortina's wonderful pedestrian shopping area. Most guest rooms have a private balcony, and all are equipped with flat screen TV, minibar, and ensuite bath.

Start planning your trip

What Is Included in the Price of My Vacation

  • Full-time services of two staff - a Walk Leader and Walk Manager
  • A backup vehicle for resting walkers and moving luggage
  • Comprehensive Travel Information Package and Reading List
  • Diverse itineraries with an emphasis on history, geography, culture, peoples, flora and fauna
  • Demonstrations, wine tasting, admissions to museums and historic sites
  • All ground transfers (ferries, cable cars, trains, etc.)
  • Maps and unique souvenirs to commemorate your trip
  • First-class accommodations with cultural and historical interest
  • All meals - with choices - (Special dietary requirements? No problem!)
  • Wine with dinner
  • On-trail snacks and refreshments
  • All gratuities at hotels and restaurants