Hiking the Best of Val Gardena & Val di Fassa

Arrive independently in Val Gardena / Gröden (1,563m / 5,128') and proceed to check into your hotel. Private transfer is available upon request.
Set among the mountains of Sassolungo, Puez, and the Sella Massif, Val Gardena is best known for skiing and rock climbing, as well as for its rich woodcarving tradition, which dates back to the early 17th century.
Home to three very different cultures – Italian, Austrian, and the native Ladin, most signage in Val Gardena is written in the three languages – Italian, German, and Ladin!
Depending on your arrival time, you may want to go for a hike or explore one of the three villages in Val Gardena – Santa Cristina, Ortisei, or Selva Gardena.

After breakfast, take the cable car and start your hike on a gentle rocky path leading up to a charming rifugio, perched on a natural panoramic terrace, facing the Sassolungo massif.
You'll spend the day hiking through green summer meadows, landslide boulders and hairpin bends. A series of steps will lead you to a forcella where you will be able to take in the beautiful panorama of the Stevia area: an expanse of green pastures dotted with boulders, where sheep and cows graze peacefully. It won't be long before you reach your lunch spot: a cozy wooden hut perched on a grassy field overlooking the Sella Massif, the Puez Odle Natural Park and spectacular mountain ranges, such as the Pizes de Cir. (~2-3 hours hiking 5,4km / 3,3 miles, 480m / 1,575' ascent, 380m/ 1,247' descent.)

Today's destination is Mount Pic: an ancient, extinct volcano with a striking rounded profile, which you will approach by cable car (tickets not included). The most gorgeous sights offered by this hike include the Holy Lake and the Odle peaks.
The Holy Lake (Lech Sant in Ladin) is a jewel set among the green alpine meadows of Mount Pic, surrounded by the magnificent Odle peaks, which overlook it from afar. The people of Val Gardena call these peaks the Odle which means ‘needles’ in the Ladin language. Viewed from the south, the Odle appear wide, but from the east they are narrow and long, just like needles, as the original name suggests.
In the evening, dinner will be at your leisure.
(~3-4 hours hiking 7km / 4,3 miles, 420m / 1,378' ascent, 770m/ 2,526' descent.)

Occupying the head of Val di Fassa and Val Gardena is the magnificent twin formation Sassolungo-Sassopiatto; the names literally mean Long Stone and Flat Stone. Seen from above, it resembles a horseshoe which opens to the northwest; it also accommodates two tiny glaciers. Intriguing explanations concerning the origin of the mountain are found in legendary sources, one of which tells the story of Laiadro, a king who was so cruel that he had actually caused his own mother’s death. His body was buried in the mountain but his outstretched hand was left uncovered and today it is still clearly visible from Passo Sella when you observe the Cinque Dita or Five Finger peaks. This hike offers high altitude panoramic walking with superb sceneries; wild flowers grow in abundance on the grassy slopes populated by cows and marmots, while small birds of prey, hovering for rodents, can be observed.
(~6 hours hiking 15km / 9 miles, 745m / 2,443' ascent, 810m / 2,660' descent.)

Enjoy a beautiful hike through Val San Nicolò where, the higher you get, the more impressive the view of the Marmolada summits will be: Piccolo Vernel (3,098m / 10,160'), Gran Vernel (3,210m / 10,530'), Punta Penia (3,343m / 10,965'), and Punta Ombretta (3,230m / 10'595'). Stop en-route for a well deserved lunch at a local rifugio and begin your descent through a picture-perfect landscape, with picturesque wooden huts scattered all around green and flowery meadows, framed by some of the most beautiful peaks (Cima Undici, Cima Dodici, the Monzoni Group, Costabella, Cima Uomo, and Col Ombert). Take a private transfer back to your hotel. Tonight, you’ll enjoy dinner at a gourmet restaurant.
(~5-6 hours hiking, 15,4 km / 9,5 miles, 945m / 3,100' ascent, 1,010m / 3,313' descent.)

Today's hike in Val di Fassa will take you to the stunning Antermoia Lake, lying peacefully at about 2500m / 8,202' a.s.l., in the Dolomite group of the Catinaccio. The unforgettable colors of this lake, in pure contrast with the surrounding pale grey hue of the Dolomite rock,  create a highly intense and dramatic scene, which is truly worth every step of the way. In the evening, you’ll enjoy dinner in a typical agriturismo.
(~5 hours hiking 11,7km / 7,3 miles, 746m / 2,447' ascent, 746m / 2,447' descent.)

Breakfast and departure with a private transfer to Bolzano train station.