Self Guided Hut to Hut in the Dolomites

Choose from 5 spectacular itineraries

A Collett’s ‘Hut to Hut’ holiday is a welcome overdose of self-guided walking amidst awe-inspiring mountain scenery, mixed with the special experience of overnighting in mountain huts (rifugios) interspersed at high and medium level throughout the Dolomites. Using our comprehensive route notes, you will follow trails that link, climb and traverse the major mountain groups, occasionally descending into the valleys before heading off again into the next massif.

Each day ends at a hospitable mountain hut, an extraordinary vantage point from which you can watch the sunset on Europe’s most majestic peaks. The huts come with well-earned liquid refreshment, the camaraderie of other walkers, an excellent dinner, a good night’s sleep and a generous breakfast to set you on your way again. We provide airport transfers to the Dolomites and the opportunity to chat with a dedicated ‘Hut to Hut’ host before you set off. Using our extensive knowledge of these mountains we have created five spectacular week-long itineraries, plus some shorter options. Some itineraries are quite challenging, whilst others will suit the more intermediate walker. Choosing which one to do might be the ultimate challenge!

On a Collett’s hut to hut holiday, we take all the hard work out of the planning for you, and leave you to simply enjoy the trek! At the planning stage, we offer factsheet for each of our routes which give a brief day by day description of what to expect, along with figures indicating height gain and distance covered each day. Once you settle on your preferred route we make the relevant reservations for the rifugios and then, nearer the time, we send you a detailed route guide printed on waterproof paper for you to use on your chosen itinerary. We also supply all of the relevant 1:25,000 Tobacco maps. On your first evening in the Dolomites, we will arrange a meeting with one of our Hut to Hut Hosts, who will take time to run through the route in detail with you, answering any last minute queries and supplying any further fine details.

To make an enquiry click here.

Three Magnificent Self Guided Walking Tours

Discover the hidden corners of Europe’s most dramatic peaks

Our hut to hut holidays are available between late June and mid September (excluding 9th to 23rd August) – depending on the itinerary. We especially recommend July, late August and September being the best periods when the huts and walks are generally quieter. The earlier you book, the easier it is for us to guarantee your accommodation and confirm your arrangements.

If you would like us to check availability in the rifugios please contact us to let us know your specific travel dates and the hut to hut itinerary of your choice. We ask you not to book flights until we have confirmed all of the accommodation for your itinerary.

For more detailed information about each tour click on the bullet point headings beneath each tour overview…

Tour 1 – Central Dolomites & Sella Grand Tour

Easier Moderate, Moderate or Hard

We offer three different versions of this classic Dolomites tour which takes in some mind-boggling scenery, and includes the Pralongia Plateau, the Val di Fassa, the Rosengarten group, the Alpi de Siusi, the Val Gardena and finally the Puez-Odle Natural Park. We use a mix of huts and village accommodation. We also use some lifts, as it vastly increases the scope and extent of the views and terrain.

• Central Dolomites and Sella Grand Tour – Easier Moderate Itinerary – The Facts
• Central Dolomites and Sella Grand Tour – Moderate Itinerary – The Facts
• Central Dolomites and Sella Grand Tour – Hard High Level Itinerary – The Facts

Tour 2 – Grand Tour of the Alta Badia

Moderate/Hard

A complete and dramatic circuit of the Alta Badia, taking in the peaks and trails of the Puez Odle and Fanes Natural Parks and incorporating the tunnels of Lagazuoi and much more besides.

• Grand Tour of the Alta Badia – The Facts

Tour 3 – Cortina & the Northern Dolomites

Hard

Wild, adventurous and spectacular, this tour takes in Cinque Torre, the Tofana group, a night in Cortina, the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Natural Park, part of the renowned Alta Via and home via the Fanes massif.

• Cortina and the Northern Dolomites – The Facts

To make an enquiry click here.

2, 3 & 4 Night Hut to Hut Circuits

Easier Moderate, Moderate or Hard

Over the years it has been popular amoungst many of our guests to add a short hut to hut tour to the start or end of a Collett’s walking holiday in the Dolomites. We have now formalised some options which take in some outstanding walks and allow you to experience two, three or four nights in some of our favourite rifugios.

For any 2, 3 or 4 night itineraries, we ask you not to book any travel arrangements until we have confirmed all of the accommodation for your chosen hut to hut itinerary.

For more detailed information about each shorter tour click on the bullet point headings below…

• Grand Tour of the Alta Badia – 2 night option – The Facts
• Cortina and the Northern Dolomites – 2 night option – The Facts
• Grand Tour of the Alta Badia – 3 night option – The Facts
• Cortina and the Northern Dolomites – 3 night option – The Facts
• Central Dolomites and Sella Grand Tour – 4 night easier moderate option – The Facts
• Central Dolomites and Sella Grand Tour – 4 night hard option – The Facts

To make an enquiry click here.

Accommodation in a Dolomites Rifugio

Good food in mountain huts that range from the basic to the surprisingly comfortable

For the first and last nights of your holiday, you will be accommodated in Badia or Corvara, either in Collett’s own chalet hotel accommodation or in a hotel or guesthouse offering accommodation of a similar standard. If you stay in a B&B dinner will be provided in a Collett’s hosted chalet hotel.

In between you will be accommodated in either mountain rifugios or village hotels (or guest houses) on a half board basis – unless otherwise specified in the individual trip notes. You should assume that, in the rifugios, you will sleep in dormitory-style accommodation. For a supplement of about £15 per person per night you can request a private room, which are subject to availability.

Breakfasts are normally buffet style and vary depending on the rifugio. A normal rifugio breakfast includes cereals, milk, bread, meats, cheeses, jam and honey, yoghurt, juice, tea and coffee. In a remote rifugio, the choices might be more limited. On some days your route may allow you to stop at another hut for lunch. Even so, you can also order packed lunches from the rifugio in which you are staying. Evening meals in the rifugios are taken from a set menu, often with two or three choices for each course. But please note – some of the more basic rifugios will offer a fixed menu with no choice. Food tends to be healthy and hearty and is typical local cuisine, ideal for those long days out on the mountain. For vegetarians and other special dietary requirements, meals will have much less choice and variation. There are limited supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables in the rifugios, so vegetarians might feel less heartily fed than non-vegetarians.

To make an enquiry click here.

Airport Transfers to the Italian Dolomites

From Venice Marco Polo or Venice Treviso Airports

Airport transfers are included in the price of our 7 night tours. For our 2, 3 or 4 night tours, airport transfers are not included and cost an additional £80 per person return.
If you need any help or advice or have any questions regarding how our Airport Transfer System works please call us on 01799 513331.

Our transfer service is not a personal taxi service and waiting can be unavoidable, so please do not book a transfer unless you are relaxed about the possibility of having to kill time either in Venice or Treviso (if time permits) or at the airport. We can arrange car hire or taxi transport (expensive) for you if you would prefer to eliminate the possibility of waiting.

In short, we send one vehicle down to the airport to drop off all our departees for their flights home, whilst the same vehicle will collect all our arrivals to take them up to the mountains. The transfer vehicle will drop off and collect from both Venice Marco Polo and Venice Treviso airports, which are about 25 minutes from each other. Thankfully, Treviso Airport is just off the motorway that takes you from Venice Marco Polo Airport to the Dolomites, so dropping in at Treviso is only a short detour.

Transfer Times
– We will contact you about 2 weeks before your holiday with the times of your transfers. These are determined by the flight times of everyone we collect on that day but 5pm is the deadline for a transfer, as this allows us to get everyone up to the mountains in time for dinner. We try to keep waiting to a minimum but we can make no guarantees. For example, if your flight lands at 11am and we have other arrivals landing at 4.30pm, the transfer is likely to set off at 5pm. On the other hand, you might be our only arrivals on that day, in which case we will meet you from your flight and take you straight to your destination.

Your flight should arrive before 5pm and leave after 11am on the day of your departure. Make sure you understand how our transfer system works by reading this page in full – Thank you.

Journey Time to Corvara and Badia – 3hrs

Homebound Transfers
– on your day of departure, be prepared for an early start. If someone has a flight home at 11.00am, we have to leave the mountains at about 6am – 11.00am is the earliest we allow guests to book a return flight. Again, departure times are dictated by the flight times of all our transferees.

Venice & Treviso Hotels
– many people choose to tag on a short stay in Venice or Treviso at one end of their holiday. Being in Venice already at the start of your holiday means you can make your way to meet a transfer at your leisure. Booking into Venice at the end of your stay means you can relax at your hotel in Venice and catch up on a few hours sleep in the event of you having to get out of bed for a 6am transfer down from the mountains. Click
here
for details of our Venice Hotels.

To make an enquiry click here.

Further information & prices

Mid-June to Mid-September, subject to availability.
7 night tours – £725 per person with airport transfer included.
2, 3 and 4 night tours – from £165 per person.

All itineraries are based on Half Board, dormitory style accommodation in rifugios and Half Board accommodation in private rooms in the hotels/pensiones.
Private rooms are available at a supplement in some rifugios.

A small number of rifugios only take B&B bookings and dinners must be paid for locally in these situations.

What’s Included

• Airport transfers to and from Venice & Treviso Airports (7 day itineraries only) –
  please make sure you understand how our airport transfer system works
• All Accommodation with first and last nights in Badia or Corvara (7 day itineraries only)
• A meet and greet with one of our own walkers based in the Dolomites
• Route laminates & maps
• Pre-departure information including packing suggestions

What’s Not Included

• Flights
• Insurance
• Packed Lunches (These are available to purchase at every rifugio)
• Drinks/snacks and any other purchases in the rifugios – some rifugios do not have drinkable tap water
• Lifts/cable cars and buses – see routes notes for details and estimated costs

At Your Own Risk

Your self guided hut to hut itineraries will be spent entirely at your own risk and it is important that you understand that whilst these routes are accurate at the time of writing, the situation on the ground may change and the itineraries rely on your sound judgement and decision making throughout.

Our self-guided hut to hut itineraries are put together on a basis of goodwill so that you might enjoy a route you may not otherwise have discovered having organised the itinerary yourself. It represents nothing more than the opportunity to go out on a beautiful walk in a part of this wonderful walking area, with the support of knowing that many of the logistics have been arranged for you.

It is a fact that mountains, mountainous areas and activities undertaken in them are associated with personal injury and death. By coming to such areas, you are exposing yourself and your party to the possibility of personal injury or even death. In such an event, Collett’s Mountain Holidays will not be held responsible for your interest in mountainous areas and your involvement in mountain pursuits, which can occasionally have tragic consequences.

It is important that you understand that these routes are put together using our extensive knowledge of the area, to provide a route which we believe will be enjoyable and realistic for people who decide that they have the appropriate level of fitness and ability in order to complete the itinerary safely. The information provided uses only marked paths which are in use at the time of writing, however, it is your responsibility to continually assess the suitability and safety of the route throughout the walk and to undertake any action necessary to avoid any terrain which each or any member of the group is not comfortable with. The route choice also assumes an ability to read maps and navigate competently.

It is the responsibility of each individual in the group to make an assessment of the information provided, and to make an informed decision about whether the itinerary is suitable for them.

Finally, during your holiday with Collett’s Mountain Holidays you act at your own risk on any ideas, information and opinions you might acquire from our walk organisers or from material prepared by us to help you get the most from the area.

To make an enquiry click here.

Click and drag on the photos below to view the 360° Panoramas

Rifugio & Monte Lagazuoi – Grand Tour of the Alta Badia

Rifugio Lagazuoi – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Above Rifugio Lavarella – Grand Tour of the Alta Badia

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA