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The Dolomites Val Gardena Traverse (Inn-to-inn combo hiking tour)
hiking to Vicenza hut in the Dolomites
Meet: Bolzano (Italy)
Depart: St. Ulrich/Ortisei
Length: 7 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous,   5-7 hours/day,   1000'-3500' elevation gain/loss
2010 Departure:   June 27-July 3
Tour Cost:   $3095 (double)
$350 (single supplement)

Nothing prepares you for the otherworldly beauty of the Dolomites, whose sheer pink and yellow limestone pinnacles tower like monuments over quaint villages, flowery meadows, wooded valleys, and sun-soaked trails. Italian, Austrian, and ancient Ladin cultures intermingle peacefully in the small, scattered villages in this mountainous corner of Italy. The Dolomites also boast a surprising variety of beautiful wildflowers in the grassy meadows below the mountains. This inn-to-inn tour makes a circuit the Val Gardena, our favorite corner of the Dolomites.

Our tour begins in Bolzano, a beautiful small city filled with plazas and museums, where we'll briefly meet before taking a 1 hour bus to St. Ulrich, also known by its Ladin name of Ortisei. St. Ulrich is a charming village in the heart of the very traditional Val Gardena, with miles of hiking trails radiating in every direction. We'll start with 2 nights St Ulrich, followed by 2 nights in remote mountain inns, including the historic mountaintop Schlern hut, and finish with 2 more nights St Ulrich. Both of our mountain inns feature private rooms, and our 4-star hotel in Ortisei is a treat, luxurious yet casual, with a beautiful pool and spa, and great food. You won't want to leave! hiking the Puez Odle National Park in the Italian Dolomites

Our typical day starts with a delicious buffet breakfast at our hotel - a feast of freshly baked bread and croissants, local meats and cheeses, cereal, fruit, eggs made to order, coffee and freshly squeezed juice - which gives us the energy needed for the task ahead. Soon we'll be out on the trail, where you'll get to choose between an easier or more strenuous hike for the day. Each morning, you'll be handed a lunch to carry, and at a mid-point along the way we'll choose a beautiful spot to stop and enjoy our picnic. We get a lot of compliments on our imaginative lunches - making them something to look forward to as well!

For our hikes, we'll have 2 loop dayhikes from St. Ulrich, bookending an unforgettable 3-day inn-to-inn circuit of the valley. There are many route options, and a lot of flexibility to the hikes, and we should finish each day around 4 pm, giving you time to wash up, relax, perhaps settle into the pool, or just gaze upon the outside panorama from your room balcony. After that, we'll enjoy dinner together at our hotel's fabulous restaurants. These are multi-course feasts, often featuring delicious local Austrian and Italian specialties.

hiking hut to hut in the Dolomites - a cross in the Val GardenaThe Dolomites is truly a special region. With gorgeous hotels and charming village to go with and numerous exciting hikes, this Dolomites tour will make an unforgettable vacation.

Day 1 Arrive in Italy and transfer by train to Bolzano, our meeting point in the Italian Dolomites. Bolzano is a pleasant city with large squares, outdoor markets, and an captivating natural history museum (home of the famous Ötzi iceman). After we meet, we'll take a bus to St Ulrich, a charming village with narrow cobblestoned streets lined with elegant shops. We'll enjoy a wonderful welcome dinner and settle in to our luxurious and very friendly 4-star hotel for the night.(Hotel Grones)
Day 2 St. Ulrich is surrounded by pleasant hiking trails and is blessed with beautiful views from every corner. For our first dayhike, we may choose to hike through the U-shaped Langenthal valley, or into the Puez-Odle National Park. Return to St Ulrich for a 2nd night. (Hotel Grones)
Days 3-4 Hiking hut-to-hut, we'll head up through a narrow gorge to Schlern hut, an historic mountain inn atop the mighty Schlern peak, with breathtaking views in every direction. We'll have private rooms but no showers at Schlern hut. After a night here, we'll continue on a high-level traverse above the Alpe di Siusi, the largest mountain meadow in the Alps, to the towering Sassolungo mountain group, to rifugio Plattkofel, a remote inn tucked away on the edge of the rocky group, with private rooms and showers. (rifugios Plattkofel and Schlern)
Days 5-6 A rugged traverse around the Sassolungo group brings us to the beautiful Sella pass, where we'll catch a bus or hike back down to St. Ulrich. On our last day, we like the hike through the high scenic meadow trails of Seceda, where we can look back on almost our entire route. Ortisei in the Gardena valley is one of the Dolomites' prettiest villagesIn the evening, you can unwind in the sauna or pool and enjoy the gourmet cuisine at our tasteful 4-star hotel. (Hotel Grones)
Day 7 Today we say arrivederci, and depart for our post-tour destinations.

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Arrive: Plan to arrive the day the tour meets at the latest (flights from the US would depart the day before). The closest airports are Innsbruck, Verona and Venice, but Munich is also convenient. There is a train station at the airport that will take you to Bolzano/Bozen. The Swiss Card rail pass is not useful for this tour and you should simply buy train tickets as you go instead.
Depart: Plan departure for the day after the tour finishes at the earliest. If you have a morning flight, plan on a night at a hotel in your departure city. Busses from St Ulrich to Bolzano leave often and take 1 hour, and from Bolzano you can make train connections south to Verona and Milan or north to Innsbruck and Munich.

Dates don't work? Check out our self-guided Dolomites Dayhikes tour, or ask about a private guide for your family or group. We do not have a self-guided Dolomites Traverse itinerary online, but we can arrange a similar trip for you, with 1-3 hut nights, and a 3, 4, or 5-star hotel base in Ortisei. An itinerary with 2 nights in the village of Selva/Wolkenstein, 1 or 2 nights in huts, and 2 nights in Ortisei makes a great week-long circuit of the Gardena valley.


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