Dolomites hut to hut
Sample itinerary, nine days
Nine days above the clouds
A hut-to-hut loop through the Dolomites for walkers who like big days and long dinners. Five nights in mountain huts, three in the valley, bags moved for you.
Length
9 days, 8 nights
Walking
4 to 7 hours a day
Distance
About 97 km
Total climb
About 5,800 m
Pace
4 of 5
Group
Up to 10, private from 2
From, per person
$3,450
Sample price
A loop through the pale mountains
The route climbs out of a green valley, follows a long grassy ridge, crosses one high pass and comes back down for a night of rest before a final loop around the famous towers.
Five nights are spent in mountain huts: shared bathrooms, bunk rooms or small private rooms where they exist, and some of the best cooking in the Alps. Three nights are in valley guesthouses where your main bag waits for you. You carry a day pack with water, layers and lunch.
Where you sleep, night by night
Height in metres
1,350
D1
2,040
D2
2,350
D3
2,750
D4
2,250
D5
1,500
D6
2,450
D7
2,600
D8
1,800
D9
Mountain hut or guesthouse
Highest night, 2,750 m
Nine days, one step at a time
Distances and climbs are for the walking only. Your guide may swap two days around the weather, and a shorter option exists on every big day.
01
Day 1, Arrive in the valley
Station to the first meadow
We meet you off the afternoon train and drive up into the valley. A short warm-up walk through larch woods to the guesthouse, then dinner and a first look at the map together.
6 km
+310 m
Valley guesthouse
02
Day 2, Into the high pastures
Up through the larches to the first hut
A steady climb on a mule track, then open pasture with cowbells and the first big view of the towers. Lunch is soup at a farm hut; dinner is at your first mountain hut.
12 km
+1,050 m
Mountain hut
03
Day 3, The ridge day
Along the grassy ridge
The day most people remember. A wide green ridge with drops on one side and the whole range on the other. Easy walking, long stops and an afternoon at the hut terrace.
14 km
+820 m
Mountain hut
04
Day 4, The high pass
Over the pass to the highest hut
The biggest day. A rocky climb to the pass with a short cabled section, then a high traverse to the hut at 2,750 metres. Early dinner and, with luck, a sunset over the clouds.
11 km
+940 m
Hut at 2,750 m
05
Day 5, Down to the lake
Scree, a cirque lake and a long descent
A careful descent on scree to a green lake in a stone bowl. Swim if you dare, then a long gentle path down to a hut with the best kitchen on the route.
13 km
+420 m
Mountain hut
06
Day 6, Rest morning
Cable car down for a valley night
A slow breakfast, a short walk to the cable car and an afternoon off in the valley. Your bag is waiting at an inn with a sauna, a laundry and proper pillows.
6 km
+150 m
Valley inn
07
Day 7, Back up high
Bus up, then the balcony path
A morning bus back into the mountains and a long balcony path under the walls, with the valley far below. Tonight's hut sits on a meadow full of marmots.
15 km
+760 m
Mountain hut
08
Day 8, The towers
Around the three towers at first light
We leave before breakfast to see the three towers turn pink, then loop around them on good paths. Breakfast is eaten facing the north walls.
12 km
+680 m
Mountain hut
09
Day 9, Homeward
Last descent and the afternoon train
An easy path down through the woods to the valley, a last lunch together and the transfer to the station in time for the afternoon trains.
8 km
-1,100 m
Transfer to the station
In the price
Eight nights: five in mountain huts, three in valley guesthouses
Breakfast and dinner every day, packed lunch on days 4 and 8
A lead guide and a back-up guide for groups over six
Bag transfers to the valley nights
Station transfers on the first and last day
Cable car, buses and the printed map book
Worth budgeting for
Travel to and from the start station
Travel insurance with mountain rescue cover
Lunches on most days, about $15 to $25 at a hut
Drinks, hut showers where charged, and tips
Huts have shared washrooms and bunk rooms. Private rooms are limited and booked in the order you confirm.
Dates for the coming season
Small groups are ten walkers at most. Private journeys can start on any day in the season. All dates and prices below are samples for this template.
Dates
Type
Price per person
Availability
Enquire
A place is held for seven days while you decide. A deposit of 20 percent confirms it.