Dolomites Alta Via 1 South

The southern half of the Alta Via 1 has a wilder and more remote feel compared to the busier northern section. With slightly longer days, walking around 14-18km daily, this the ideal choice for fit and experienced hikers looking for a rewarding week’s walking on varied trails high in the Italian Alps. You should be sure-footed and have a head for heights to really get the most from this trip. It is not suitable for people suffering from vertigo.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Hut to Hut Walking | Walk from hut to hut, changing accommodation each night

Groups > 10

This walk is graded moderate to strenuous and includes daily walks of between 9 and 16.5km with ascents of up to 850m, descents of up to 1250m. You’ll be following switchback footpaths, country lanes, both narrow and wide tracks and rough mountain paths. You should be prepared for rocky and loose ground and unavoidable narrow paths across scree slopes. We have deliberately avoided routes involving via ferrata. Some of the ascents and descents are considerably steep and some can be exposed so require a good head for heights and sure-footedness in places. You should have a good level of walking fitness to get the most from this trip, and be an experienced mountain walker. On Day 6 it is possible to split up the walk by staying at Rifugio Pramperet (1857) in between Rifugio Passo Duran and Rifugio Fontana. Although other daily distances on your itinerary are as lengthy as this one, this walk has a particularly steep descent at the end of it, so you may prefer to do 2 days of shorter walking. If you wish to do this please talk to our experts.

We specifically select your rifugi to give you a taste of warm Italian hospitality and so that you are able to join in the camaraderie with your fellow walkers. For the first and last nights of your tour, you will stay in a friendly 3* hotel on a breakfast basis. In Refugio San Sebastiano only breakfast is included, but you can buy dinner locally at the refugio. For your remaining hut nights you will stay on a half board basis in mountain huts - ‘rifugi’. They offer comfortable accommodation and good local food and drink. Some of the rifugi are more basic than others; they are a mixture of CAI (Italian Alpine Club) and privately-run properties.

On certain days there are different suitable mountain huts - which mountain hut you are booked in will depend on availability.

Hut accommodation is booked in mixed-sex dormitories made up of alpine-style communal sleeping areas or in bunk beds. We can often book private rooms in the huts (some with shared and some with en suite) and where this type of room is available this is noted against each accommodation; this 'room upgrade' is at an optional supplement. Private rooms are popular and therefore always subject to availability. Please note that private rooms in the mountain huts are extremely limited. If you wish to ask for a private room you need to BOOK EARLY. While we are always happy to ask, it may not be possible to reserve private rooms in the mountain huts.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This trip is not available to solo walkers due to the remote terrain and single rooms are not available except on the first and last nights (in hotel accommodation). A supplement is payable.

Meals

Breakfast is included each morning. Dinner is not included in Cortina or Belluno as there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. Whilst staying in the rifugi dinner is included (excluding drinks). The only rifugio where dinner is not included is the Rifugio San Sebastiano at Passo Duran - dinner can be bought off the menu and paid for locally (you may not be overnighting here). Meals in the mountain huts are always simple, hearty fare.

As this is a self guided walk you will be responsible for navigation, decision making and safety during your trip. This walk is strenuous, crosses high mountain passes and the weather can change quickly. You should be able to navigate easily with a map and compass in poor visibility and be experienced in the mountains.We supply you with route notes for the recommended routes, as well as a comprehensive guidebook and Tabacco printed maps (1:25 000) and access to our smartphone navigation app along with GPX tracks, so you will have no problem following the route each day. You are of course free to walk wherever you choose, with the possibility of following the guidebook and/or reviewing the map to make your own route.

This tour is available to start any day of the week from July to September. Upgrades to private rooms will be shown as an option during the booking process. Option & extension prices will be displayed as part of the booking process. Please note that private rooms in the mountain huts are extremely limited. If you wish to ask for a private room you need to BOOK EARLY. While we are always happy to ask, it may not be possible to reserve private rooms in the mountain huts. The best time to walk is July to mid-September, with August the most popular month (with the locals too!) and so busier in the huts. It is not unheard-of for snow to fall on higher ground during the summer, and patches of snow may still be present into July. For this reason, we offer the walk starting from beginning of July. July and August are the hottest months and carry the greatest risk of thunderstorms, which can be torrential and usually occur in the afternoon—being well-prepared and equipped for all these eventualities is essential.

By Air: Venice Marco Polo Airport is the most convenient airport, with various international airlines operating here. The smaller Venice Treviso Airport is serviced by low-cost carrier Ryanair (London Stansted, Bristol, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford).

Private Transfers: We are able to arrange taxi transfers for you in Italy (bookable in advance at a supplement) from Venice Airports. Please get in touch to enquire about how we can help with transfer arrangements in Italy.

From Venice Marco Polo airport (or Venice Mestre bus station): it is possible to take the Cortina Express to Cortina (approx. 2h20); departures are twice daily, usually in the afternoon, so please ensure you check their website for timetables.

From Venice Treviso Airport: From the airport take a bus (approx.12 mins) to Treviso, then from Treviso Sud there is an ATVO bus once a day to Cortina (approx. 2 hrs). Or you can take a bus from Treviso town to Venice Mestre or Marco Polo Airport for onward connections with the Cortina Express (see above). Check the timetable on the ATVO website.

Bag transfer is included from Cortina to Belluno, allowing you to hike only with the equipment you require and you will  be reunited with your main bag at the end of the hike.

As an optional extra, you can choose to have your bags delivered to some of the huts. However, due to some of the huts' remoteness, it is impossible to transfer bags to each overnight location. If you opt for bag transfer, bags cannot be delivered to Rifugio Fanes, Rifugio Sennes/Lavarella, Rifugio Averau/Nuvolau, Rifugio Coldai, Rifugio Vazzoler and Rifugio Fontana. On these days, simply carry a few overnight things in your day pack to see you through. If you choose not to opt for baggage transfer, you will need to carry your kit with you each day. Since you are staying in dormitory-style accommodation, you will need to bring a sleeping bag liner (or you can sometimes buy or hire one locally). Bed linen is provided when booking private rooms.

At Macs Adventure we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.

For the optional baggage transfers on the Alta Via the handlers are very strict with weight limits. You are only allowed to take one small bag (duffel style) weighing a max of 10kg (22lbs) per person. There is no space in the rifugios for more baggage.

Regardless if you are opting for the baggage transfers within the holiday one main bag of a max of 20kg will be transferred from Cortina to Belluno.  We do not have control over the limits that these providers set. Therefore, it is very important that you adhere to these limits as there is a great possibility that they will not take any additional or heavier bags. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits we must respect.