Discover the Dolomites
Our outstanding range of ‘classic routes’ will delight all keen walkers wishing to discover the rugged wild beauty of the Dolomites For some guests, the day’s highlight is the lunchtime stop in a beautifully located mountain Refuge where we’ll enjoy local traditional cuisine. Our guided walking holiday for solos and singles offer you superb walking in one of Europe’s best venues.
The price shown here excludes flights – no sole occupancy supplement
Our speciality is offering guided walking holidays for solos and singles in magnificent locations across the UK and Europe. We also design bespoke holidays for special groups.
What you get on your Secret Hills Dolomites Holiday
- You purchase your own flights
- Transfers by train and minibus to Val Di Fassa from airport/and return
- Individual quotation from airport of your choice.
- Half-board en suite accommodation, including buffet breakfast
- Three course dinner
- Five guided walks
- Friendly, knowledgeable walking guides-UK tour guide at all times
- Any transport needed on the walks
- No single supplement- the price here is the price you pay for a sole occupancy room
- Our administration services.
Holiday Highlights
- simply the best vistas- the Val de Fassa valley entrances you
- fabulous guided walking over mountains and ridges
- lunches in fabulous mountain refuges
- lovely hotel in a local style
- staying close to vibrant village
- different views and walks daily
- our relaxed social approach
Hotel and Meals
We stay at the 3 star hotel Berg Hotel Latemar Spitze – Hotel Latemar Spitze in Vigo di Fassa in the Dolomites
This family run 3* superior hotel with 30 rooms is a short walk from all of the facilities in the village of Val di Fassa and has the benefit of a bus stop directly opposite. All of the bedrooms have private bathrooms.
No single supplement- the price here is the price you pay for a sole occupancy room
Meals are taken in the restaurant where breakfast is a buffet and dinner is a choice of 3 options for each course. Twice a week they have special fixed menus, one of which is of traditional food of the area. Wi-fi is available.
Lunch is normally taken in one of the local mountain refuges on our walks though occasionally we take a packed lunch, available at the local shops in the village.
Itinerary
Join us for a week of guided mountain walking in this unique landscape of exceptional beauty. We’ll offer a full-day walk each day, taking-in high mountain meadows, spectacular ridges and always exhilarating views… there are photo opportunities at every turn along the path!
Our outstanding range of ‘classic routes’ will delight all keen walkers wishing to discover the rugged wild beauty of these mountains: typically days of 5 to 7 hour walks at altitudes of between 2000m – 2500m.
For some guests, the day’s highlight is the lunchtime stop in a beautifully located mountain Refugio where we’ll enjoy local traditional cuisine.
Great care has been taken selecting our routes to ensure our guests enjoyment and safety.
We walk for five days with one free day. We recommend that a visit to Bolzano on the free day.
However, due to the challenging nature of the mountainous terrain there will be some steep climbs and descents so a good level of walking fitness is strongly recommended, this will greatly enhance the enjoyment of this walking holiday (a suggested kit list will be issued).
We use the excellent network of cable cars to get high quickly, as well as the reliable buses to and from some walks.
We walk for five days with one free day.
Join us for a week of guided mountain walking in this unique landscape of exceptional beauty. We’ll offer a full-day walk each day, taking-in high mountain meadows, spectacular ridges and always exhilarating views… there are photo opportunities at every turn along the path!
Our outstanding range of ‘classic routes’ will delight all keen walkers wishing to discover the rugged wild beauty of these mountains: typically days of 5 to 7 hour walks at altitudes of between 2000m – 2500m.
For some guests, the day’s highlight is the lunchtime stop in a beautifully located mountain Refugio where we’ll enjoy local traditional cuisine.
Great care has been taken selecting our routes to ensure our guests enjoyment and safety.
However, due to the challenging nature of the mountainous terrain there will be some steep climbs and descents so a good level of walking fitness is strongly recommended, this will greatly enhance the enjoyment of this walking holiday (a suggested kit list will be issued).Walking poles are strongly recommended, sun protection is very important ie wide brimmed hat and sun cream.
The area for good walking
Val di Fassa offers access to a wide selection of walking with many side valleys to explore as well as high passes and Dolomite peaks.. There are also beautifully coloured lakes enhanced by the mirror reflections of the mountains against a backdrop of pine forests adding texture to the mountainsides. Above the forests are meadowlands where cowbells are often not too far away, and these extend to the base of the stony spires of the Dolomites which you can walk at the foot of, high above the valleys below. The walking at this level is above 2000m with some trails rising over 2300m offering exceptional views not only of the valleys but also of the 3000m high peaks around you. Cable cars ascend from many of the villages to access the higher levels of the Dolomites and these often have bars and restaurants where you can enjoy spectacular views over an alpine lunch. For example from Vigo di Fassa you can take the cable car to Ciampedie where there are several delightful restaurants to choose from. There are also quiet and picturesque riverside walks if you choose to go by foot between the cable cars or villages. 
Your walking guides and Tour Leaders
Tristan Blanchard leads these walking tours.
The walks we choose
Guests are always welcome to take a day-off; a short walk from our hotel is the Museum of Local Culture, whilst a bus ride away is the major regional town of Bolzano where you’ll find wonderful shopping and the world famous ‘Iceman Museum’. Our guides will help you with travel arrangements.
On day 2 we will take 20 minute bus ride to the Passo Costalunga (1745m), our walk starts steep up through woodland then across meadows to Rif Paulina (2125m).
After a short break the path contours to the lunch stop at Rif Roda di Vael (2283m).
The afternoon walk is all down hill, again crossing meadows and through woodland offering a wonderful view over Vigo di Fassa.
In the village we will point-out the various shops, cafés, Gelaterias (the famous Italian ice cream parlours) and tourist info centre.
Day 3- We will take a minibus, down the valley then to Passo San Pellegrino (1907m).
The walk takes us across the winter ski slopes to the spectacular ridge and Rif Passo delle Selle (2528m) here there is still World War 1 evidence.
After the Rif it’s down hill via Valle del Monzoni to Pozza di Fassa village followed by a 45 minute riverside walk to Vigo.
Day 4 -will take the cable car to Ciampedié (1990m).
We will take wooded path crossing ski slopes then up the spectacular Val de Vajiolet.
We will head up to the Passo Principe to stop at Rif Principe (2599m).
We return to Ciampedié and walk back to Vigo di Fassa through woodland.
Day 5 is a a day off walking
Day 6 – We will take the local 30 minute bus service up the valley to Campitello where we all take the cable car to Rif des Alpes (2400m).
From Rif des Alpes we descend to Rif Federico Augusto (2298m) then take the high level Federico Augusto Path.
This is a contour path which hardly climbs or falls, however it does offer spectacular and far reaching views. We will lunch at the Rif Sasso Piatto (2300m) )
We then descend to the Val Duron and Campitello to catch the bus back to Vigo di Fassa.
Day 7 – we start with the 45 minute riverside walk to the neighbouring village of Pozza di Fassa where we take the cable car to Rif Bufaure (2044m).
We then walk along the Sas De Adam Ridge (2430m) to the ski resort of Ciampac and Rif Tobia del Jahger (2170m).
Option to walk down to the valley and catch bus back or join Group 2 on the cable car to the valley and catch the bus back to Vigo di Fassa.
Exclusions
Although our leaders are well trained and experienced in dealing with different capabilities of our walking clients, if they have any concerns about any clients ability or suitability to undertake safely any walking activity we plan or they feel that participation of an individual may affect the groups safety and cohesion, then they have full permission to exclude that client from an activity.
They will try at all times to provide an alternative suggested activity, though this may involve the client in additional local cost.
We rarely have to enforce this above recommendation, but it is a sensible and necessary protection for the individual client, the group and the leaders.
How to Book
Location
Val di Fassa is located in northern Italy and is amongst the mighty spires of the Dolomites. The valley is in Ladinia, a cultural area where the local Ladin language is still the most commonly spoken language and the Ladinia flag can often be seen. Italian is also spoken here, as is German due to the valley’s close proximity to the Italian province of Südtirol, where German is the native language. The Val di Fassa valley is the setting for a number of villages each with their own charm stretching from Moena to the south up to Canazei to the north. There are a vast number of chair lifts and cable cars to elevate you quickly to the main walking areas.
We stay in Vigo di Fassa (1382 m.) situated below the Catinaccio group.
Visitors will be enchanted by the beauty of these mountains which can also be easily reached from the town centre by using the modern cable-car which leads directly to the panoramic plateau of Ciampedie which is the starting point for many paths and mountain routes during summer time to then become the winter paradise of the Catinaccio ski area throughout the winter season.
Vigo became an important cross roads, when in 1895 the first section of the Dolomites’ road was completed – Vigo di Fassa, opening up the Fassa Valley once and for all to European tourism.
The important villages which come under Vigo are Vallongia, Tamion and San Giovanni. San Giovanni is the headquarters of the Ladin Cultural Centre and the Ladin Museum of Fassa, which through publications, temporary and permanent exhibitions helps to preserve and enhance the more important aspects of Ladin culture.
Photos
Reviews
Tom Low
Excellent hotel.
Very much enjoyed the guided walking experience. Tristan is the best guide I’ve had.
Very good company, best crew ever and well supported.
Rob McIntyre
Hotel was excellent, food good, staff very friendly.
Tristan was excellent as a leader, attentive at all times and nothing was too much trouble.
Thank you. A great holiday!
Ros Johnson
The guided walking was outstanding. The scenery is glorious and was different every day. Tristan was very knowledgeable – you would never have known that this was his first time leading the Dolomites trip. He was very supportive and encouraging when the walking was challenging. He even organised dry and mostly sunny weather!! (The only wet day was the rest day when the ice man museum in Bolzano is definitely worth a visit).
Never has the Secret Hills tag line “We Meet as Strangers and Depart as Friends” been more apposite. I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed the walking and the company.
Jean Sapsford
Excellent – Tristian provided an excellent service and went over and above to support the group. He provided a good level and mix of walks, used mini bus transport and cable cars to get us to the start/end of some of the walks, escorted us on our day off to the Iceman Museum in Bolzano and in particular getting us on the bus as a group which was a challenge and a half with the locals/ tourists who don’t seem to like to queue. In addition, provided support with my fear of heights on the cable cars/chairs and sent the group recordings of all the walks on ‘outdoor active’ so we could see the distance and heights we’d achieved. Nothing was too much trouble for Tristian and he knows the area very well. Thank you so much for a fantastic and never to be forgotten holiday!!!!
Michael Cumming
Alan was always there to answer any questions I had. The trip was for solo walkers with your own room and bathroom and a guide for all the walks. Once I had landed everything was taken care of by Secret Hills.
The hotel staff were friendly, food delicious and rooms excellent.
Our guide Tristan was excellent, not only for the walks where he explained route the night before describing height, distance and underfoot conditions also organising our trip to Bolzano. Tristan was always there to answer any questions I had,was good company and a nice person. 10/10
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