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, this the ideal choice for fit and experienced hikers looking for a rewarding few days of hiking 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 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

Long-Distance Trails, Alpine Walking

The minimum age for this tour is: 18 Years

This walk is graded moderate to strenuous and includes daily walks of between 11 and 20km with ascents of up to 1338m, descents of up to 1314m. 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 ferratas. 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.

The Alta Via 1 South is suitable for experienced hikers with mountain/alpine experience and good physical fitness and endurance due to the length of the stages and the altitude and nature of the trail. The route profile demands surefootedness and a head for heights. You will also carry your luggage on this trip making a good level of fitness even more important. The sections to the Rifugio Averau and Rifugio Passo Staulanza are particularly challenging. Walking sticks are recommended as they reduce the strain on the joints and provide stability.​ Before your trip, we recommend walking regularly and incorporating some hilly terrain into your routine. Be sure check the daily distances and elevation changes outlined in your itinerary.

For the first and last night of the tour you will stay in comfortable hotels in Cortina and Belluno and on the other nights you will stay in a rifugio. These are Alpine-style huts with communal and mixed-sex sleeping areas. Some of the rifugios are more basic than others, but they are all friendly and you will meet other hikers from all over the world! They are a mix of Italian Alpine Club (CAI) and privately-run huts. Since the rifugios are extremely popular, and the walking season is so short, they are in high demand and therefore availability is extremely limited.   

For a smoother booking process, we no longer book private rooms in the rifugios as they put a very strict limit on these and more often than not do not even allow tour operators to book them.   

Single Rooms & Solo Hikers

If you want a single room and are traveling with other people a supplement will be applied. Single rooms are only available on the first and last nights when you are staying in hotels. This tour is not available to solo travellers because of the remote terrain. 

Meals

Breakfast is included at both hotels and in the rifigios. Dinner is included at the rifugios only and will be simple, but 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.

This tour is available to book any day of the week between July and mid-September. It is a short booking season because of the possibility of early or late snow. 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 and indeed possible in the middle of September. 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. Around August 15th is particularly busy as it is a bank holiday in Italy, so avoid booking around this time if you can.

The Alta Via has gained more and more popularity over recent years, since it is a stunning part of the world. However, the rifugios (mountain huts) have not increased in capacity and are in great demand and fill up extremely quickly. This is why it is imperative that you BOOK EARLY.   

We work with various rifugios that open at different times of the year. Therefore, your confirmation will take longer than usual. (So, it can take months, rather than weeks or days) For example, if you book in the previous summer, you will not receive your confirmation until later in the year (i.e. October, November or December) depending on which huts we are booking for you. Some huts even open in January, so it could be as late as this. However, we will endeavour to keep you well-informed of the situation while you are waiting for confirmation, and please be rest assured that we are doing the best we can.    

If we cannot confirm you on an Alta Via tour there are plenty of other walks that we can recommend Walking in the Heart of the Dolomites and the Dolomites to Lake Garda. 

This tour starts in Cortina (aka Cortina d’Ampezzo) in the province of Belluno.

By Air: Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) is the most convenient airport, with various interational airlines operating here. The smaller Venice Treviso Airport (TSF) 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. We recommend booking this bus well in advance.

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.

This tour ends in Belluno. From Belluno you can take a train (changing at Conegliano) to Venice Santa Lucia station (approx. 2h30); see www.trenitalia.com for timetables. From here, take a bus from Venice Mestre to Venice Marco Polo Airport (35 mins). See timetable.

To return to Cortina from Belluno: Dolomiti Bus Lines 9 and 30 run between Belluno and Cortina, if you need to return there to collect any additional luggage (we can request if luggage be left at your first hotel in Cortina—subject to prior agreement). Journey time takes just over 1 hr. For more information, please go to: Linee Extraurbane 2024-2025 | Dolomiti Bus

Since the rifugios you will be staying in are mostly remote, luggage transfer to each hut is not possible on this tour. It is advised, since you will have to carry your own bag, that you pack extremely lightly for the days when you will be staying in the huts. (It is recommended  that your back-pack is not heavier than 20-25% of your own body weight). One main bag per person will be transferred from your hotel in Cortina, to your hotel in Belluno. This bag is limited to 20kg of weight. We do not have control over the limits that our luggage transfer providers set. Therefore, it is very important that you adhere to this limit, 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.