Alta Via 9 (Guided)
Guided walking holiday

Our scheduled guided Alta Via 9 trips follow our standard schedule of 11 stages and 1 rest day, making 13 nights accommodation. The maximum group number at any one point will be 8 clients to 1 Alpine Exploratory International Mountain Leader.

Although the walking dates on our scheduled guided trips are fixed, we'd be very happy to book extra nights before or after your trip, for you to explore the area a little more. Please do just ask for more details.

We would be delighted to plan a privately guided trip for your family or group of friends at any time within our walking season. We will find you a guide and book your accommodation on the dates your choose. You will have full flexibility over the length of your trip, your choice of accommodation and your dates. Please see our self guided page for full details of the options available.

Join us any time in our season from 15 July to 16 September 2027

Alta Via 9 Guided 2026 price & early bird 2027 price
	Classic
11 stages, 1 rest day (13 nights)	GBP 3,460 Singles 440 Main Trip

Our approach to Alta Via 9
Our Alta Via 9 trip gives a complete journey on foot across the Dolomites, from West to East. In the West, enter the Dolomites through the scenic Tschamin Valley, climbing up to reach the famous rocky plateaus. On the final day descend through Val Fiscalina on the Eastern edge of the Dolomites, with the mountains ahead looking significantly different. We follow the main Alta Via 9 trail throughout the majority of our trip, with a couple of minor changes to avoid sections of Via Ferrata.

The first change comes in the Sella group after Rifugio Boè. Here the official Alta Via 9 takes a Via Ferrata route over the summit of Piz Boè (3,152m); we instead take a variant which descends to traverse around the South face of Piz Boè on an easier path, albeit still one of the most difficult stages of our route. We rejoin the official trail near Rifugio Kostner.

Towards the end of the route, after Lago di Misurina, we follow a lower route to Rifugio Auronzo ascending to the hut on a good walking path to avoid the Alberto Bonacossa Via Ferrata.

The most significant change is the ending to the trip. The official Alta Via 9 finishes in Santo Stefano di Cadore and includes an extra stage around the eastern edge of the Dolomites, before descending through popular ski areas, less suited to hiking. Instead we've chosen to finish through Val Fiscalina, a scenic valley with pretty woodland pasture. You'll really feel you've completed the trek across the Dolomites on the last stage, and it mirrors the first stage's ascent through a scenic wooded valley. We think this works well and is the best way to finish the trip.


The Terrain
The Alta Via 9's terrain comprises the full range of Alpine walking. Typically the route follows well made mountain paths, which in many cases traverse the hillside. Zig-zagging paths acrross scree are typical on steep ascents and in the valleys follow sections of tracks and two short sections along the road. On the higher sections good balance is needed on rocky paths with drops to one side. The hardest section, the traverse around the Sella Massif on stage 4, involves loose paths over scree and boulders. Our Alta Via 9 route doesn't follow any sections of via ferrata.

Is it for me?
The Alta Via 9 is likely to satisfy stronger trekkers who like a good day out in the hills. You'll know it if you've had one! The distances are modest, but the terrain followed makes the going slower. Expect to be walking for around 5 to 7 hours on a typical day. The first day in particular is tough, with lots of ascent, but the remaining days are quite even in terms of distance.

Difficulty
The Alta Via 9 includes stages of mixed difficulty. The hardest sections come around Rifugio Boe as we traverse around the Sella Massif. This is graded black - at the highest end of our offering. The first day is also on the harder end, with a significant amount of ascent and one harder section of rocky descent, with a metal cable to hold. The two stages leading in to Cortina, which traverse the cliffs below the Tofana group, also include some harder sections which can be loose underfoot. At other points, particularly stages 2 and 5, the route follows well made paths through alpine meadows and the going is easier.

Walking Guide to the Alta Via 9 - our detailed read

Your holiday starts in Bolzano, a small city on the main train line between Venice and Munich. Venice, Verona, Innsbruck and Munich all lie on this train line, and flying to one of these airports gives convenient onward travel to Bolzano.

We book your last night in Dobbiaco, a pretty resort town on the train line between Fortezza (Italy) and Lienz in Osttirol (Austria). Flights from Munich or Innsbruck work best. The journey back to Venice involves a few bus journeys (via Cortina).

Included

• 13 nights of accommodation
• Breakfast every morning
• Dinner at the huts and at your hotels at Passo Sella and Passo Tre Croci (this 7 nights for our usual itinerary)
• Baggage transfers (1 bag per person as standard, to the hotels)
• An Alpine Exploratory International Mountain leader
• 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 and drinks
• Dinner on any nights other than those specified above

Baggage transfer

We include a partial baggage transfer service on our Alta Via 9 guided trips. Your bag will be delivered to all the hotels on the trip. Unfortunately baggage transfer is not possible to the mountain huts along the route as these are not accessible to vehicles. On hut nights, your transfer bags will be taken to your next hotel, and will be waiting there for you when you arrive. If you would like more information about our baggage transfer service, please ask.

Feel free to ask any questions about your planning. Ben, Eve, Ione, Katy, Lucy, Rob, Simon, Skylar or Steph will reply with expert advice. We spend a lot of time hiking our routes (and trails around the world) so please ask us anything.

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Contact Alpine Exploratory
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