Alta Via 2: Hiking Tour in the Dolomites

What you get on this adventure:

• • An experienced, fully qualified International Mountain Leader with extensive knowledge of the area
  • 9-day Alta Via 2 guided hiking tour
  • All breakfasts and evening meals
  • Accommodation (3 nights in hotels, 5 nights in rifugi)
  • All transfers & lifts detailed in the itinerary
  • Shower wherever there’s an additional charge for this in the refuges

What’s not included:

• • Transportation to Italy
  • Airport transfers to/from Brixen/Bressanone
  • Lunches
  • Personal snacks & drinks
  • Luggage transfers
  • Towel or sleeping bag liner for the rifugi (best to bring your own)
  • Single supplement — possible in Brixen/Bressanone, very limited and often not available in rifugi, please inquire if interested upon checkout)
  • Guide gratuities — optional
  • Medical and personal accident insurance — mandatory
  • Holiday cancellation — recommended

• • Not many companies offer the Alta Via 2 hike, primarily because of the reputation of the via ferrata section. This itinerary was devised in a way to skip via ferrata, so that it all complies with the legal guiding limitations of International Mountain Leaders.
  • Only fully-qualified guides are always the ones leading the trip.
  • The best possible accommodation is chosen—your guides have tried and tested all the rifugi, and they have devised the route in order to stay in some of the best. A spa hotel is also included at the end of the trip, if available.
  • If you’d like to try a via ferrata, you can extend your trip and your guides can help you book a mountain guide for as many days as you like! Just let us know upon booking.

This Alta Via 2 hike is meant for regular hikers with excellent fitness. The trekking is relatively strenuous, but you’ll go along quality trails and walk at a steady pace so that you can enjoy the scenery and the surroundings. Please check out the itinerary to learn about day-by-day distances and elevation changes.

Luggage transfers are not included, so please note what you will have to carry your own kit for the duration of the trek. There’s a detailed kit list below.

Keep in mind that there are no via ferrata sections on this trek. There are, however, some sections where the path covers steep, rocky ground, and there are occasionally some cables and fixed equipment to help across these sections. While this Alta Via 2 hike is entirely achievable for fit hikers, Alta Via 1 does cover some exposed terrain, so make sure you’re comfortable hiking in the mountains—you can’t suddenly decide to bail, for example, in the middle of a day. So keep in mind that this is not a trek for a first-time hiker.

There is one ascent up to the Rifugio Pisciadu where you need to concentrate. There are rungs to hold onto where they are needed. It’s not a series of ladders, but rather a steep path, and children do it. Best to have a good head for heights for this trip: you won’t be doing anything ridiculous, but it’s still quite an adventurous trip. Those who suffer vertigo or are inexperienced hikers should not book.

Please bring all of the items on the essentials list for this Alta Via 2 hike. At least once per summer, unseasonal conditions make every item of the list essential. If you don’t have the full kit, you can put yourself and others at risk and the guide may ask you to leave the trip.

No luggage delivery is available on this trip, though you do have the option to leave any surplus luggage in the hotel in Brixen. Carrying your own kit is all part of the adventure and there’s an added sense of satisfaction for having completed the route in “pure style”.

Make sure to stick to the kit list and pack light!

Essential items and equipment

• • Rucksack — approximately 30-40L, for you to carry each day
  • Kit bag or suitcase — for your main luggage to be left in Brixen
  • Hiking boots — waterproof hiking boots with ankle support and a good sole (sandals good for the evening, hiking trainers both suitable and appropriate only for some days, so hiking boots are always a must)
  • Waterproof jacket and trousers — both essential items, should be as light as possible (not insulated: your other layers should provide the insulation, please ensure that you do not need to remove your walking boots in order to put on your waterproof trousers)
  • Socks
  • Underwear
  • Trekking trousers — bring something lightweight
  • Shorts
  • T-shirts — wicking t-shirts better than cotton as they are lighter and dry faster
  • Mid layer — fleece jacket is good
  • Warm jacket — lightweight synthetic belay jacket recommended (as light as possible, you don’t normally need to bring a down jacket because it won’t be much use if it gets wet)
  • Warm hat — lightweight wooly hat is fine
  • Gloves — 2-3 pairs recommended (light liner pair, waterproof gloves for bad weather, warmer pair of gloves if it snows)
  • Sun hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Suncream (small bottle to save weight) and lip balm with SPF
  • Water bottles / camelbak — at least 2 liters of water, but on very hot days you could need 3L
  • Walking poles — if there is snow, they are essential
  • Sheet sleeping bag — needed for nights in a rifugio (duvets or blankets are provided), silk is best, it’s lighter than cotton.
  • Travel towel — needed for nights in rifugios
  • Personal toiletries — toothbrush, travel size toothpaste, wet wipes, tiny travel soap
  • Head torch — a lightweight one
  • Plastic bags / dry sacks to keep essentials dry
  • Passport
  • Cash — for packed lunches and any drinks whilst on the trip
  • Credit card — for emergencies
  • Basic first aid kit – your leader will carry a large first aid kit, but you should bring a small first aid kit containing plasters, blister treatment, painkillers & diarrhea treatment (rehydration sachets & imodium)

Optional items

• • Thermal base layer
  • Long johns / thermal leggings
  • Buff — useful for extra warmth if it’s cold, or sun protection for your neck on a hot day
  • Camera
  • Book
  • Lightweight sandals / flip flops — usually provided at rifugi though
  • Mobile phone – there is phone reception for the majority of the trip, good to have it in case of an emergency
  • Umbrella
  • Earplugs
  • Snacks — not essential as you’ll go past shops most days so you can top up your supply of snacks fairly regularly
  • Antibacterial handwash
  • Insect repellant
  • Swimwear — some of the hotels have a swimming pool, spa or sauna

In mountainous terrain, the weather can vary. Temperatures can reach over 30°C (86°F) in the height of summer (July/August), but can be as low as 5°C on the passes. It is often sunny with good weather, but it can rain, and even snow (even in July or August) so you should be prepared for any eventuality. The average temperatures range from 15-25°C in the valleys, to 5-15°C on the passes. Statistically you will have some rain every other day in the Dolomites, but in reality that tends to fall in one go as part of an afternoon storm, so we do try to finish our day before that happens!

If it rains during your Alta Via 2 hike, you will need both waterproof jackets and trousers, as well as several pairs of gloves. If it snows, you will need decent hiking boots (not trainers!), walking poles, warm clothes, warm hat, and gloves. It’s also essential that you can put your waterproof trousers on without removing the boots.

All breakfasts and evening meals are included in the price of the tour. Each night, you will usually eat in the hotel or rifugio where you are staying, and experience fantastic, local Italian food. Breakfast at the hotel is excellent, but in the mountain huts it tends to be slightly more basic and usually consists of tea, coffee, bread, jam, and cereal. Still, being Italy, there’s often a fantastic spread, even in a rifugio!

Packed lunches are not included, but each day your guides tend to order food from the rifugio where you are staying, as you will not go past many shops en route). Occasionally, it can happen that you have a sit-down lunch in a rifugio. Drinks are not included, but you can normally order beer, wine, and soft drinks at hotels and mountain refuges.

Group sizes and pricing

• • For this Alta Via 2 hike, the maximum client-to-guide ratio is 10:1.
  • It takes a minimum of 4 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is set at 10 participants.

Alta Via 2 hikes can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements

• • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  • Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

To get to your Alta Via 2 hiking tour, you have to reach Brixen/Bressanone (the same town, Brixen is the German name, Bressanone Italian). To get there, most people fly into Bolzano Airport (BZO) (just 40 minutes away by car), Innsbruck Airport (INN) 1.5 hours by car), Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), Treviso Airport (TSF), Verona Airport (VRN), or Munich Airport (MUC).

Make your way to Brixen/Bressanone and check into your hotel. You’ll have a welcome dinner in the evening with your guide and your group.

We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance.

With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more. Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.

We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to. If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!