Dolomites Alta Via 1
Self-guided trekking holiday

+ Colourful scenery and cosy mountain huts
+ Trekking on mountain paths, with no via ferrata
+ Expert advice on all the route variants

Latest news February 2012
We are thrilled to introduce our Dolomites trips for 2012. Please ask us about the AV1; our season starts on 1 July.

The Alta Via Uno is one of several North-to-South trekking routes in the Italian Dolomites, that famous region of the Alps characterised by bold, glowing limestone formations. The AV1 is a trek, without via ferrata, in 10 stages from Dobbiaco to Belluno.

Life on the AV1 quickly falls into a relaxing pattern. The huts are welcoming and the food excellent. The terrain mixes easy stretches over which you can stride out among high peaks, with tighter paths on steep rocky ground. The route can be walked without great difficulty, being made up of standard Alpine paths and with variants avoiding the harder sections.

Our routecards follow the main Alta Via Uno route; we also describe all of the common variants, so that on most days you have some choices of path. The one route that we miss is the difficult via ferrata on the Schiara, the mountain at the end of the trek above Belluno. We take the variant to La Stanga, for the local bus to Belluno, thus keeping the whole trek to normal mountain paths and tracks instead of any via ferrata.

Where we stay
Your accommodation is based on the splendid huts and auberges in the mountains, plus our super hotels at start, end and over your rest day. Enjoy the friendly welcomes and superb food of the Italian Alps.

Options

We can adjust your AV1 in various ways, as follows:

Faster treks
The AV1 can be broken up in several different ways, thanks to a fine spacing of huts along the route. Unlike the Tour du Mont Blanc, for example, there is not an obvious daily pattern of ascent to a col followed by descent to the next village. Please ask us to suggest an itinerary of between 6 and 9 stages, depending on how far you like to trek each day. Equally, slower treks are very worthwhile, to linger amid this immense scenery.

Meet tougher terrain
The AV1 sits just below the Tour du Mont Blanc in its difficulty, as per our normal AV1 route. Experienced walkers might enjoy some of the variants to the route; for example, the circuit of Monte Pelmo is an unusually tough day of scree and rock, similar or greater in difficulty to the hardest stretches of the Walker's Haute Route. We can adjust your schedule to incorporate such longer variants; other variants are possible within the normal pattern.

Start from Cortina
The AV1 starts near Dobbiaco in the North, but a first night can be spent in Cortina instead. This gives an easier journey and a vibrant mountain base.

Accommodation
The AV1 is a trek among huts, passing few villages between the start and end. However, we can adjust the mix of hotels and huts from our normal schedule. While dormitories are difficult to avoid entirely, we can reduce their number. Please ask about these and other adjustments to your accommodation.