Global Adventure - Trek Hut to Hut on the Alta Via 1 in Italy's Dolomites

Itinerary Highlights:  We’ll arrive at the airport hotel on Aug 20 and spend the night (double occupancy). The next morning, we’ll transfer via private transport to the town of Dobbiaco/Toblach, where we’ll have our included welcome dinner, and stay in a simple hotel (double occupancy).

The leader will lead an optional excursion, not included in the trip price, via public transport ($15), to Brunico/Bruneck, where we’ll visit the Ripa Messner Museum ($18), and travel by gondola ($70) to the Corones Messner Museum ($18), before returning to our hotel in Dobbiaco/Toblach. Participants opting not to visit the museums can purchase provisions, tour Brunico/Bruneck on their own, or just rest for the trek ahead.

On Aug 23, we’ll take a public bus (included) to the starting point of our trek at Lago di Braies and start our trek. Over the next eleven days, we’ll travel through the spectacular Dolomites, up valleys, over passes, along ridges, and past alpine lakes. We’ll stay in comfortable huts (rifugio), where we’ll have filling meals and sleep in dormitory rooms (bring only a sleeping sheet). Days will range from Easy to Very Strenuous (average Moderate), from 4.0 miles to 9.6 miles (average 6.7 miles), with elevation gains between 650 and 4340 feet (average 2300’), and losses between 200 and 5200 (average 2540’). Dinners and breakfasts are included in all hut stays.

Our final day of trekking takes to a bus stop, where we catch public transport into the nearby town of Belluno, for our final night and an included farewell dinner. Included public transportation will take us to Venice train station, where you can continue on—visit Venice, perhaps—or head to the airport for a flight home.

The trip is self-guided and will not start and end at the same place, so you’ll be carrying all of your travel gear on the trip. You may work with the airport arrival hotel to store luggage, if you are traveling before or after the hike.

This route is well established, but crosses steep alpine slopes, at times through scree and boulder fields. You should be comfortable with rough trails, moderate exposure, unstable footing, and boot-built trails. Maps and sample terrain photos follow.

Time of Year: This is late summer and toward the end of high season in the Dolomites. It will be busy, but should not be crowded.

Lodging:  We will be indoors each night, double-occupancy at an airport hotel the first night, a simple hotel in Dobbiaco/Toblach at the start and Belluno at the end of the trek (also double-occupancy), and mountain huts in dormitory rooms on the trek. Be prepared for shared baths each night in the simple hotels and mountain huts. Showers are available in most mountain huts, but likely will require a small fee. 

Food:  The welcome dinner (Aug 21, in Toblach/Dobbiaco) and farewell dinner (Sep 1, in Belluno) will be in restaurants that serve a varied menu of local cuisine. Vegetarian and vegan offerings are likely available. The mountain huts serve hearty and simple dinners and buffet or continental style breakfasts, both included. Special diets may be accommodated, especially with notice beforehand. Lunches (not included in trip price) can usually be purchased from the huts and we may be able to stop midday for a lunch at another hut.

Lunches are not included in the trip price. All breakfasts are included in lodgings. Dinners are included, except for the arrival day and one night in Dobbiaco/Toblach.

Leader’s Experience: Mike Kretzler has led Mountaineers backpacks and hikes for 20 years. He has hiked internationally (Hikers Haute Route, Corsica GR20, 5 days of the Pyrenean High Route), been a participant on three Global Adventures to Patagonia, and led a Global Adventure on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in 2024. Email: mkretzler@comcast.net.

Participant Requirements: 

Must be a current Mountaineers member with an up-to-date waiver on file. This outing includes strenuous hiking on rugged terrain, including some steep, possibly unstable slopes, for multiple successive days. There are no rest days on the trek segment. Participants need to be in excellent aerobic condition, with excellent balance, and confidence traveling on rough, sometimes exposed trail with a pack. Participants also need the experience and willingness to deal with some discomfort, including cold and inclement weather for extended periods. Occasional snowfield crossings may be involved, requiring microspikes and trekking poles.

Recent experience with multi-day, strenuous backpacking, or mountain trekking, plus a positive attitude and a demonstrated ability to get along well with groups under demanding conditions, are required.

As a Mountaineers group we will operate as interdependent, capable travelers making our way together, and helping one another succeed and be safe. You are responsible for your own safety and that of your fellow travelers. You must have the ability to navigate on trails with a map and compass.

Participants must be up to date on vaccinations for COVID-19, and take precautions before and during the trip including:

• avoiding indoor crowds and gatherings the week prior to the trip that carry a risk of bringing Covid-19 or other respiratory viruses to the group
• masking (using KN-95 or similar masks) during all transport to the starting point of the trip
• carrying multiple KN-95 or similar masks while on the trip
• carrying 4 self-tests while on the trip, and testing yourself proactively if you begin to experience any symptoms that could indicate a COVID infection, and sharing symptoms openly with the leader as soon as you recognize them.

If you become infected during the trip, we will help you make arrangements to isolate from the rest of the group, making an effort to have the least possible impact on your trip while limiting the exposure of others.  This could include – at your own expense – staying in a separate room, and/or leaving the group (via taxi, etc.) until you have been fever-free – with no worsening symptoms – for 24 hours.  We can’t force you to follow these expectations, but failure to make a good-faith effort to comply could impact whether you’ll be approved for future Global Adventures.

International medical insurance and emergency evacuation insurance are required, and must be obtained by each participant at their own expense. Trip Cancellation insurance is recommended, though not required.

Trip Price Detail: $4600 includes lodging upon arrival at the Venice airport through the end of the trek and the last night in Belluno. It includes transfers from the airport hotel to Dobbiaco/Toblach, to the start of the trek, from the end of the trek to Belluno, and back to Venice main station after the trek. Also includes all breakfasts and all but two dinners. The initial payment is a half-payment, with the remainder due in spring 2026.

The price does not include shuttle from Venice airport to hotel ($20); lunches, beverages, snacks, and two dinners ($250). It also does not include any activities on the free day in Dobbiaco/Toblach, including transport to Brunico/Bruneck and back, museum entrance fees, and gondola fares ($120).

Registration Instructions:  Please complete and submit the application form (see button below), after which the leader will get back to you with additional questions. After the leader’s approval to join the roster, please pay the 50% deposit ($2300) to hold your space. Acceptance on the roster will reflect your experience and fitness, not the date of your application. A place on the roster can only be held with payment of the deposit. You will be required to sign the Mountaineers Covid-19 code of conduct to join the roster. Registration will close as soon as the roster fills. The balance of the trip payment will be due in late spring 2026. As soon as you have registered you are asked to complete an online Trip Agreement and Liability Release form.

Cancellation Policy: If you cancel from the trip more than 30 days before the start of the trip, you may receive a refund less a $100 Mountaineers admin fee.  If you cancel 30 days of less from the start of the trip, there will be no refund. If another person registers and pays the deposit to take your place, you may be refunded you payment, less the $100 Mountaineers admin fee.

APPLICATION

Arrive at the Venice airport by afternoon on Aug 20, 2025 and make your transfer to the airport hotel. Travel to Dobbiaco/Toblach by private transfer the next day, where we’ll stay two nights, touring, resting, and provisioning. On Aug 23, we’ll take public transport to the trailhead and begin our trek. We’ll finish our eleventh trek day on Sep 2, and use public transportation to travel to Belluno, where we’ll spend the night and celebrate with a farewell dinner. We’ll return to the Venice train terminal on Sep 3, where the trip ends. It may be possible to fly out on Sep 3, but our arrival may be too late to accommodate that, so you may have another night in the area before departure.