Dolomites Discovery

2007 Itinerary:

• Day 1

  Your trip begins in San Candido – Innichen, Italy. Daily rail connections are available from Milan, Venice, Munich and Innsbruck. The villages and towns in this region have both Italian and Austrian names as our trip takes place close to the Austrian border. Depending on your arrival time, you can opt to explore the town independently this afternoon or relax and begin getting accustomed to the time change. We spend the first four nights of the itinerary in our San Candido hotel, a short walk/taxi ride from the train station. Meals and rail transfer on your own. Hotel included.

• Day 2

  At breakfast we meet our guides and hiking companions for the week. After a brief orientation and a beautiful gondola ride, we set off on our hike, stopping for lunch at a mountainside rifugio along the way. San Candido – Innichen is beautifully situated in the Upper Pusteria Valley and is fringed with thick fir-woods and crowned by the jagged peaks of the Baranci chain. In the early evening, we’ll have some time to admire this charming town’s Romanesque and Baroque-style churches and visit the ancient thermal baths or simply relax at a café in the village piazza. Hiking: 4 hours; approximately 1400’ elevation gain. Breakfast and dinner included.

• Day 3

  After breakfast, we transfer to the trailhead for a scenic and challenging hike to Lago di Brais, Malga di Cavallo and Pontecello. Our efforts are rewarded with a constantly changing alpine panorama en route to our lunch spot on the edge of a meadow shaded by majestic larches. The wildflower meadows create a colorful juxtaposition against the backdrop of stark, limestone peaks and offer exceptional photographic opportunities at this time of year. After our lunch, we continue on towards Pontecello descending through verdant pine forests and along mountain streams. Return to San Candido this evening.  Hiking: 5 hours; approximately 2600’ elevation gain. Breakfast and dinner included.

• Day 4

  This morning we board a local bus for a short ride up to the neighboring village of Auronzo. Our planned hike will take us around the massif of Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The “Three Peaks” are some of the most dramatic formations in the Dolomites due to their extraordinary shape, alignment and subtle color changes that occur throughout the day. The Cima Grande (Big Peak) is the highest (9,836’), followed by Cima Ovest (Western Peak) and Cima Piccola (Small Peak). We stop for lunch at a rifugio with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, then continue down through alpine meadows to the valley below. This afternoon, we may have the opportunity for an optional hike on the famous Via Ferrata. Originally built and used during World War I by soldiers fighting battles in this region, the Via Ferrata ("Iron Way") runs throughout the Dolomites incorporating a system of iron ladders and cables to assist hikers on steep mountainous terrain. Hiking: 5 hours; approximately 2000’ elevation gain. Breakfast and dinner included.

• Day 5

  We leave the Sud Tyrol region and hike toward the Veneto and its alpine gem, Cortina d’Ampezzo. As we draw closer to the wide valley where the town was built, the surrounding peaks of Monte Cristallo, Monte Pelmo, Croda da Lago, and the Tofanes fill our view. As we gaze upon this sublime scene, it becomes easy to understand why Cortina is considered to be the most perfectly situated village in the Italian Alps. Those who prefer a shorter hiking day can catch a bus to town from our lunch stop in Cimabanche and spend additional time in Cortina on their own. We spend the next three nights at the locally famous Hotel Menardi, whose owning family have been hoteliers for three centuries.  Hiking: 5 ½ hours; approximately 1500’ elevation gain. Breakfast and dinner included.

• Day 6

  Today begins with a dramatic gondola ride from Cortina, up the side of Monte Falloria. The scenery along our walking route is stunning as we traverse around the mountain and over a high pass, finally descending to a turquoise-colored alpine lake. We’ll have the opportunity to try a delicious lunch of “canederli” (bread dumplings) before our gradual descent into the alpine forest surrounding Cortina. A less vigorous alternative is to explore lovely Cortina and perhaps relax in one of the open-air cafes. We dine independently tonight giving us the opportunity to choose from a variety of authentic local trattorias and cafes. Hiking: 6-7 hours; approximately 2500’ elevation gain. Breakfast included.

• Day 7

  Today’s hike takes us up into the Cinque Torri, the glorious mountain group located just south of Passo Flazarego, rising in isolation on the northern edge of the Averau Plateau. Resembling the ruins of an old castle, the colossal boulders originally formed a single massive tower only to collapse into their current profile due to the fragility of the formation’s clay base.  Because of its great variety of shapes and rock faces (and in spite of its modest height), the Cinque Torri provide one of the most famous training grounds for rock climbers in the Alps. Back in Cortina tonight, we enjoy a special farewell dinner with newfound friends at the Ristorante El Zocco and recap the week’s adventures one last time. Hiking: 5 hours; approximately 2000’ elevation gain. Breakfast and dinner included.

• Day 8

  A private van transfer to the Conegliano train station (approx. 45 minutes from Venice) has been arranged for us this morning. We anticipate a 9 a.m. departure from Cortina with a convenient 10:30 a.m. arrival in Conegliano.  From here, you can make a rail connection to your departure gateway or to romantic Venice where you may opt to spend a few additional days wandering the city’s narrow, twisted streets and admiring its architecture and canals.  Breakfast and transfer to Conegliano included.

Although we do our best to adhere to the schedule listed above, this itinerary is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control.

If you are traveling alone and specifically request single accommodations, you will be asked to pay the full single supplement noted on the trip itinerary. If you wish to share accommodations, we will assign you a roommate if one is available. If a roommate cannot be found, you will be asked to pay a reduced single fee which is half of the full single supplement. Please be advised that there are a limited number of single rooms available on most departures.

Hotel accommodations with private baths; meals as noted in the daily itinerary; English-speaking guides; luggage transportation and transfer to the Conegliano train station at trip’s end.

Air transportation; transfer to hotel in San Candido-Innichen; 1 breakfast, 7 lunches and 2 dinners; optional hikes on the Via Ferrata; alcoholic beverages and soft drinks; gratuities; laundry and items of a personal nature.

This trip is rated as Moderate Plus [3-4] and consists of a combination of moderate and more vigorous hiking days. Some trails can be steep, narrow, rocky and exposed, requiring holding onto cables to traverse. One or two optional hikes are fairly vigorous. We generally hike about 4-6 hours (4-8 miles) each day, with elevation gains of 1,000’ - 3,200’. The Via Ferrata option is not recommended for clients with acrophobia as hikes are typically on high, narrow and exposed trails. To maximize your enjoyment of the trip and to avoid sore muscles, we strongly encourage participants to begin a conditioning regimen at least 3 months prior to departure consisting of hiking, walking/running, stair climbing and/or cycling. If you live in an area conducive to hiking, try to get out on those hills if possible and work some elevation gain and loss into your regimen. The better shape you are in, the more you’ll enjoy all that this beautiful region has to offer.

Sunshine is typical during the months of July and August, with daytime temperatures averaging 55º - 65º F at higher elevations and 65º - 75º in the valleys below. Expect colder temperatures (10º cooler) later in the season, with the possibility of snow at high elevations. As this trip takes place in the mountains, weather patterns can be unpredictable and change rapidly.  Although all-day rain storms are unusual, showers are a possibility at any time of the year making adequate raingear a necessity for this adventure.

This trip is subject to the booking information set forth in the current REI Adventures Reservation Information. Please read this information carefully and call us if you have any questions. A full gear list and pre-departure information is sent upon sign-up. We highly recommend the purchase of travel insurance through REI Adventures. If coverage is purchased within 21 days of your initial trip deposit, the 'Pre-existing Conditions Exclusion' is waived (certain exclusions apply).

We look forward to having you join us for the trip of a lifetime! Why wait? Space is limited, reserve your adventure today.

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