Guten morgen! The breakfast buffet is full of local pastries, fresh breads, and dairy specialties—a real hiker’s breakfast. This is our warm-up day, making use of the many lifts and trails in the Alpe di Siusi. With your lift pass, you’ll ride unlimited throughout the tour. There are easy, medium, and hard walks to choose, and the hotel spa opens mid-afternoon. A free evening for dinner awaits. (Walking: your choice).

Today we prepare our backpacks for our first through-hike while our suitcases will be transported to our first overnight in the alpine. Our trek will take us to the Sassolungo and Sella Pass. Welcome to the High Dolomites! (Walking: 5 hours; Sleep at Hotel Passo Sella, 1 night)

Don’t miss the spectacular show that begins about an hour before sunrise: morning alpenglow. A hearty breakfast will fuel us up for the day. Then with backpacks ready for the next two overnights in high huts, we’ll take a short bus transfer down valley to hike into the mythic Rosengarten (Catinaccio, in Italian) mountains that inspired King Laurin. We’ll lunch at one of the huts we pass by, then scramble our way past the dramatic Vajolet Towers to the beautifully remodeled (in 2022) Rifugio Santnerpass at 9,000’ of elevation. Group dinner together. (Walking 4 hours: Sleep: Rifugio Santnerpass 1 night).

After a careful descent of Santnerpass, we head north through the Rosengarten/Catinaccio group to Rifugio Alpe di Tires. The route crosses two mountain passes and several soaring towers. This evening we’ll meet hikers coming from all directions across the range. (Walking: 4 hours; Sleep: Rifugio Alpe di Tires 1 night)

We’ll circle back toward Sella Pass on a classic ridge line route dotted with dairy cows. Then it’s down valley by lift and over to Passo Pordoi and a night in an alpine hotel. Our luggage and a group dinner awaits. (Walking: 4 hours. Sleep: Hotel Savoia 1 night)

Buongiorno! We’ll pack up for another two-day trek through the mountains, using private transport to take us into the Italian-speaking region, Veneto. We spend our day at Passo Falzarego, where a cable car runs to Monte Lagazuoi. The pass was on the frontlines of WWI and today is full of relics from the era. You can explore tunnels, trenches, lookouts, and even try an entry level via ferrata route used by Austrian soldiers to reach the summit—now a 5-minute cabe car ride away. Group dinner together. (Driving: 1 hour; Walking: 1 hour + your choice; Sleep: Rifugio Col Gallina 1 night).

This morning we’ll set out to traverse across to the Tofana massif, passing Rifugio Dibona and taking the Freccia nel Cielo cable car to the top of the Dolomites. Dinner is on your own tonight in Cortina d’Ampezzo. (Walking: 4 hours; Sleep 2 nights at Hotel Ambra)

We’ve come a long way! Today is a flex day in Cortina. We’ll decide among several options depending on the weather and need to make up any activities from the past few days. Tonight we’ll toast our adventure with a celebratory last night dinner.(Walking: optional)

Our adventure ends here after breakfast and checkout. We’ll help you arrange transportation out of town. Bus service to Venice and Marco Polo Airport is a snap (2 hours) or a private shuttle can take you for early morning flights. Or stay and spend more time in Cortina to visit Lago di Braies and Tre Cima Lavaredo, and do more walking in the dramatic Dolomites!