02 8319 2266 from Australia
416-548-4819 from Canada
04 889 4515 from New Zealand
646-757-1102 from the USA
Alta Via 1 Guided
Your trips starts on arrival in Dobbiaco. This decorative town is in the Sud Tirol style and is on the branch railway line from the Brenner pass. There are several restaurants for dining out.
Hotel in Dobbiaco (breakfast)
Purple 3 (grade) 9.4km with 920m ascent, 300m descent
The mountains start immediately above Lago di Braies, a famed lake hemmed in by hillsides. In the morning you'll catch the bus from Cortina to Lago di Braies before taking to the mountains. The terrain is steep and loose in places but the views more than make up for this! As you climb towards Croda de Becco, there is an optional detour to the top of this 2,810m peak before decending to the lovely Rifugio Sennes and your bed for the night.
Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)
Red 3 (grade) 10.1km with 530m ascent, 570m descent
Cross-country is the theme for the next two stages as you cross large areas of upland meadow and rock. The views are again outstanding and each turn awards a new vista. Today's stage is divided into two, with an initial descent to the pretty valley with Rifugio Pederu at the bottom and an ascent to the pleasant high plateau area housing Rifugios Lavarella and Fanes.
Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)
Purple 3 (grade) 12.6km with 1,225m ascent, 530m descent
Today's goal is the well-positioned refuge (Rifugio Lagazuoi) on the former front line between Italian and Austrian forces in WW1. You mostly stride out along good paths and tracks, however there is one steep descent from the Forcella di Lech which, while loose in places, has great views down to the emerald lake below. The last part of the day is a steady climb up to Rifugio Lagazuoi on its hilltop and its 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains.
Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)
Purple 2 (grade) 5.8km with 120m ascent, 820m descent
From Rifugio Lagazuoi we trek downhill into the valley. There is the option to explore the Galleria Lagazuoi, a restored First World War tunnel and a great way to descent. From the valley floor we climb up the other side to reach Rifugio Averau, passing the spectacular Cinque Torri. The day has amazing views ahead to the Tofane group.
Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)
Purple 3 (grade) 13.4km with 390m ascent, 1,040m descent
You'll retrace your steps along the the ridge and skirt underneath it to reach Passo Giau, a road pass above Cortina. The hills beyond allow wide open walking over meadows, interspersed with short climbs. At the end of the day the realm of Cortina is far behind and the Zoldo area looms large. Monte Pelmo is unmistakeable in view with its two summits and steep rocky cliffs. Watch as the setting sun turns these cliffs a wonderful golden colour.
Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)
Purple 3 (grade) 18.2km with 750m ascent, 950m descent
Passo Staulanza is crossed early today, a wooded road pass. After Rifugio Coldai we pick up a long traverse around the back of the stunning Monte Civetta. Rolling downhill at the end of the day we come to the pretty Rifugio Vazzoler in its wooded setting.
Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)
Purple 2 (grade) 11.5km with 650m ascent, 760m descent
Today's distance passes quickly on generally good terrain, with short sections of more slow-going and steep walking. Several combes are crossed as we round the Southern end of the Civetta massif. Reach the quiet road at Passo Duran.
Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)
Purple 3 (grade) 16.7km with 1,085m ascent, 1,050m descent
Enter an area of bold mountains today, at times with a more remote feel than the hills before. The crossing of the Cime di Zita involves a narrow ridge at the higher end of difficulty for the Alta Via 1. On the way up we can stop at Rifugio Sommariva for lunch. In descent a long, steep and interesting hillside brings you to a grassy shelf hidden from civilisation. Here sits the Pian de Fontana refuge, another basic one and quite charming.
Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)
Blue 2 (grade) 12.2km with 250m ascent, 14140m descent
The trek is completed with a modest half-day stage to the road. To avoid the AV1's via ferrata finish over the Schiara massif we take the straightforward path to Rif Bianchet, then the wide track to La Pissa. We catch the local bus to Belluno. The city comes as a contrast to the calm of the trek, being a lively place very much in an Italian style. Enjoy a final meal with the group to celebrate completing the Alta Via 1!
Hotel in Belluno (Breakfast)
Enjoy your last breakfast in Belluno and look round the town before departing by bus or train. The train to Venice makes it easy to keep exploring Italy, and we can advise if you would like some ideas of where to travel next...
The dates of our guided trips in 2025 are as follows:
AVUg1 17 to 27 August 2025
Although the walking dates on our scheduled guided trips are fixed, we'd be very happy to book extra nights in Cortina before or nights in Belluno after your trip, for you to explore the area a little more. Please do just ask for more details.
Join us any time in our season from 14 to 18 September 2025
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Alta Via 1 (Guided) 14 July to 18 Sept 2025 |
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| Hutty | Classic | Comfy | |
| Scheduled guided | |||
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9 stages (10 nights) |
Private trips only |
GBP 2,880 Singles 190 Main Trip |
Private trips only |
Our Classic mix of accommodation aims to give a great taste of hut-to-hut walking in the alps and is what we use for our scheduled guided trips. This includes 8 nights at charming Italian mountain huts plus our lovely 3 or 4* hotels in Cortina and Belluno. We book dormitory accommodation as standard at the huts, shared with your fellow walkers. On some nights, we may be able to book small private rooms for the group.
Comfy (Private guided only)
On private guided trips, we are able to offer our Comfy mix of accommodation. Comfy trips stay in the same great hotels as our Classic trips, however the differences come in the huts we book. On our Comfy trips we will swap 2 of the simpler huts for alternatives where private rooms are available. We would also book private rooms as standard on 5 more hut nights giving the possibility for private rooms on a total of 7 nights, leaving just 1 night in dormitory accommodation. If we can't book private rooms on these 7 nights we would reduce the cost of your trip by GBP 10 to GBP 50 per person per night, depending on the hut, to account for dormitory accommodation.
Hutty (Private guided only)
On private guided trips, we are able to offer our Hutty mix of accommodation. This offers a more basic and economical trip option. On our Hutty trips we’ll book dormitory places in the 8 huts and book simpler hotels in Cortina.
Single Room Supplement
If you would like to stay in single rooms rather than sharing a double, twin or triple room in the hotels, we add our single room supplement. This covers the additional cost of booking single occupancy rooms on a per person basis. The single supplement is only applied to the 4 hotel nights where single rooms are available and is not applied to nights spent in huts, which do not offer single rooms.
Our approach to the Alta Via 1
Our guided Alta Via 1 walking holiday gives a complete journey on foot from Lago di Braies to La Pissa. The AV1 is a well-defined route with a number of variants. Where variants exist, your Leader will discuss them with the group.
Every year we recce the route and notify our guides of any changes to the trail which sometimes occur over the winter months. This ensures you and your guide will have the most up to date details on the route and trail conditions.
The Terrain
The terrain on the Alta Via 1 provides an exciting mix of solid trails, over which you can stride out among the high peaks, combined with narrower zig-zagging hillside paths on steep, loose and sometimes exposed terrain.
In some places the paths are particularly steep and loose, for example on the final approaches to mountain passes and in loose descents such as the descent from Forcella di Lech (stage 3) as well as the ascent to Col dell Orso (stage 7), and ascent to the Cita Zima ridge (stage 8). These sections require steady balance and a head for heights.
There are also sections of handrail used as aids to walking on the narrower, more exposed paths, such as those on the ascent from Lago di Braies (stage 1), on the alternative descent from Lagazuoi through the First World War tunnels (stage 4), and on the descent to Rif Pian de Fontana (stage 8). Please ask us for further details and photo of these sections.
Is it for me?
The Alta Via 1 has a wonderful mix of high mountain passes and pretty valley paths. The fine walking is complemented by comfortable huts, delicious food and outstanding views making for a great 2-week walking holiday. The Alta Via 1 should be manageable for fit mountain walkers, who are happy to walk for up to 8 hours a day over rocky and sometimes exposed ground. If you are fit and active in your day-to-day life, then the guided AVU can also be suitable for those new to multi-day trekking. With the International Mountain Leader guiding the trek there’s no need to have navigation experience.
A level of self-sufficiency on the AV1 is necessary as transfer bags (an optional extra) can only be transferred to Cortina, Passo Duran and Belluno. On all other nights you’ll need to carry with you everything you need for daily life.
Difficulty
The Alta Via 1 is first and foremost a walk and we grade it as a Purple 3. There are no glacier crossings, via ferrata or rock climbing. There are however a few sections of steep and rocky ground which require steady foot placement, and, at times, an ability to cope with walking along some narrow and possibly exposed paths.
We miss out the difficult via ferrata on the Schiara, the mountain at the end of the trek above Belluno instead opting for a variant to La Pissa, for the local bus to Belluno. We also miss out the Monte Pelmo circuit (this is a widely underestimated variant) due to its exceptional difficulty and exposure, more than that of the Walker's Haute Route.
Your guide will of course be on hand to help and provide advice and assistance at all times.
Alta Via 1 Walking Guide - more about the route itself
The making of our Alta Via 1 - our story
Travel to and from the trip is not included in the holiday price. We take care to give the most useful notes possible about all the travel options. We supply these both on booking and in your info pack, and we offer personalised tips at any point. The aim is that our walkers arrange their travel by the simplest and most scenic means as suits their plan.
Please do ask us if you have any questions about getting to the route; we'd be delighted to advise.
- 10 nights accommodation
- Breakfast every morning
- Dinner at the huts (on 8 nights for our main trip)
- Baggage transfers (1 bag per person as standard, to Passo Staulaza, Passo Duran and Belluno)
- An Alpine Exploratory International Mountain leader
- Transfers to and from the hotels and the trail by taxi or bus
- 2 topographical overview maps of the route
- Expert advice and local information
- Full support during your trip from the Alpine Exploratory team (9am until 9pm in the Alps)
- Travel to and from your trip
- Local transport whilst on the trip unless specified
- Travel insurance
- Lunches, snacks, drinks and evening meals in the towns (this would be 4 nights on our main trip)
Baggage transfer
We include a partial baggage transfer service on our Alta Via 1 guided holiday. It is important to be aware that due to the AV1 route staying high up in huts, bags can only be transferred from Dobbiaco to Cortina, Passo Duran and Belluno. Unfortunately, we are not able get your bags to you at the other huts, so on these nights your transfer bags will travel on ahead to the next available stopping point and be waiting for you there. Please do contact us for more information on baggage transfer.
 
Enquiry Form
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If you prefer, please feel welcome to email or call us. Thanks!
| Contact Alpine Exploratory | |
| info@alpineexploratory.com | |
| Phone | +44 (0)131 214 1144 |
| Our times |
9am to 5pm UK time Monday to Friday |
| Australia | 02 8319 2266 |
| Canada | 416-548-4819 |
| New Zealand | 04 889 4515 |
| USA | 646-757-1102 |
Open to the world
Since Alpine Exploratory started in 2005 we have loved getting to know our clients from around the world. Along with the UK, our best-represented countries are the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Please use our national-rate numbers for a cheaper call to contact our office in Edinburgh.
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Walking towards Monte Pelmo on Stage 6
Alpine Exploratory
+44 (0)131 214 1144
