Dolomites Alta Via 1 North

Hike the popular northern half of the Alta Via 1 in just 6 days, enjoying the camaraderie of comfortable rifugi, hand-picked for their ambience and character. You’ll also have time to explore chic Cortina with a stay in a 3* hotel at the start and end of your tour. 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. You’ll tick half of this long-distance trail off your list, with the perfect excuse to return next year to complete the southern section!

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 in Scotland, the world renown Tour Du Mont Blanc and Germany's Moselle Cycle Path, to name but a few!

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

Solo Travellers

The minimum age for this tour is: 18 Years

This walk is graded moderate to strenuous, due to the days where you have to carry your own pack, although grading is often subjective. It includes daily walks of between 9 and 16.5km with ascents of up to 900m, and descents of up to 1300m. 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. It may be possible to split some of the longer days of the itinerary, please see the detailed itinerary for more info. You should have a good level of walking fitness to get the most from this trip and be an experienced mountain walker.

The landscape along the Alta Via 1 is breathtaking. The hike begins at the idyllic mountain lake Lago di Braies. Along the way, you’ll traverse an impressive high-mountain landscape, featuring steep, towering rock peaks, dramatic scree slopes, and stunning views. The stages follow a mix of switchback footpaths, country lanes, both narrow and wide tracks and rough mountain paths, at altitudes of up to 2700 meters. On several days, there are a few steep and exposed sections secured with ropes. Hikers should expect uneven but well-maintained terrain. There are no technical challenges, as we bypass these via ferrata’s, and we strongly advise against attempting these sections. 

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. 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 Hikers

The Alta Via 1 North is available to solo walkers who are experienced and confident hiking in Alpine terrain. While the AV1 has become increasingly popular over the past few years, it should not be underestimated. You will be hiking in high-Alpine terrain subject to rain, fog, thunder/lightning storms and snow at any time of year. You must be confident hiking alone on difficult terrain, over snow fields and navigating in poor visibility/weather conditions. While this is a challenging hike, because of its popularity, there are more often than not other hikers in close proximity, which is why we can offer this tour to solo hikers. However, if you are a first-time Alpine solo hiker, we recommend an alternative tour. We have a range of Alpine tours that would be more suitable for you. Please contact us for more information. If you are a solo hiker, you will be booked into a dorm in the mountain hut as single rooms are not available in mountain huts. The solo hiker price has been calculated with this discount already take into account.

Meals

Breakfast is included each morning. Dinner is not included in Toblach or Cortina as there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. While staying in the rifugi dinner is included (excluding drinks). 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. The Alta Via 1 is very well signposted with red-white colours and blue triangles with the nr 1 in the centre and yellow signposts. You will regularly find the markings on trees, rocks, fences etc. You will have access to detailed trip info and mapped tracks, via the Macs App.

***July is busy on the Alta Via and you maybe not be able to book certain dates as the mountain huts are full. If you cannot find the availability for your dates, we can highly recommend one of our other Dolomites tours such as the Alta Via 1 South or one of our tours in the Tyrol.

***Should there be no availability in our first choice of rifugio we will book you into the next most suitable. Some of the hiking days therefore become longer or shorter. This is all clearly described on booking and in the app.

This tour is available to start any day of the week from July to September. 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 the 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.

From Cortina, use one of the methods metioned above to get back to Venice.

Bag transfer is available as an optional extra. 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 (44lbs) will be transferred from Cortina to Belluno (if your itinerary starts and ends in these towns), or your main bag will be stored in Cortina awaiting your return. 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.