Hiking Alta Via N.1 - Getaway Part I - Women Only

Arrive in Cortina d’Ampezzo (1,224m / 4,016') on your own and check into your hotel (private transfer available on request). Cortina d’Ampezzo is a charming alpine resort town surrounded by stunning peaks. Host to the 1956 Winter Olympics, Cortina enjoys a reputation for great skiing in winter, and in the summer attracts hikers and climbers who challenge the rocky faces of the nearby mountains. This chic Venetian town also caters to the high society crowd, offering many year-round social activities, shopping, and fine dining.

In the morning, take a private transfer to Malga Ra Stua (1,688m / 5,538’), a cozy hut-cum-dairy farm set in a valley lying between the Croda Rossa (northeast) and Lavinores (west) Dolomite groups, at the entrance of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Reserve.

The Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Reserve comprises an area of approximately 25,453 hectares (62,069 acres). Clusters of old log-built farmsteads adorn the mountainsides called Viles and are a typical feature of the Ladin-speaking valleys. These tiny communities were once self-sustaining, with outbuildings, baking ovens shared communally. The Fanes high plateau is a popular walking and hiking area with a typical karstic limestone landscape, characterized by caves, fissures, underground streams and small lakes. Rugged rocks eroded by the action of wind and weather rise in all directions.

Today you will hike in the Sennes section of the Nature Reserve, along the Alta Via 1.

Leaving Malga Ra Stua you'll hike on a Jeep track to Campo Croce (1,772m / 5,814'). Climb to Lago di Fosses and to Rifugio Biella. You’ll rejoin the jeep track, turning left near a low shed, and hike south downhill to Rifugio Sennes. Continue to follow the jeep track towards the area of Fodara Vedla. You’ll depart the jeep track continuing south, following a panoramic ridge with views of the Croda del Becco, Croda Rossa, and Cristallo.
Rejoin the track just before arriving at your rifugio for the night (1,965m / 6,447').
(~5 hours hiking 12km / 7,4 miles, 920m / 3,018’ ascent, 630m /2,067’ descent.) 

Departing your rifugio this morning, you’ll hike downhill towards Rifugio Pederù (1,548m / 5,079'). The trail travels on a steep dirt road for 40 minutes (the last part of the road approaching the rifugio is a 20% slope). From Rifugio Pederù, hike uphill in the direction of Lago di Limo. When you reach Lake Lé Piciodel you’ll hike through a charming landscape studded with little lakes and rounded mountain-tops along the Ru d’Al Plan River. At the fork, continue toward your rifugio for tonight. Located just beneath the Limo Pass, you’ll have a splendid view of the Tofane Mountains.
(~4 hours hiking 7,4km / 4,6 miles, 700m / 2,298' ascent, 599m / 1,966' descent.)

Today is a lovely hike through the Altopiano di Fanes to the Lagazuoi Massif. You'll enjoy beautiful panoramas of the Western Dolomites and the Marmolada Massif, the "Queen of the Dolomites.”
From your rifugio, Alta Via N.1 continues through the beautiful high meadow and karst formations, climbing to the Forcella del Lago, a narrow and dramatic gap in the mountain with a trail descent through steep talus on the south side. At the base of the slope is the lake called Lago di Lagazuoi whose green waters are framed by pines with a backdrop of the sheer walls of the Cima del Lago and the Cima Scotoni. From the lake, the path begins the long, steady climb to your rifugio.  Entering open, rocky terrain, you'll come across ruins from the First World War,  en route to your rifugio, one of the highest in all the Dolomites (2,752m / 9,029'), with incredible 360-degree vistas. (~6 hours hiking 12.4km / 7.7 miles, 1,397m / 4,583' ascent, 705m / 2,313' descent.) 

This stage is of great interest for both the spectacular mountains around and the abundance of reminders of the terrible years of WWI, due to the vicinity of the former border between the long-dismantled Hapsburg Empire and Italy. Hike a memorable traverse below the awesome Tofana di Rozes, ascending Forcella Lagazuoi (2,573m / 8,442'), Forcella Travenanzes (2,507m / 8,225') and Forcella Col dei Bos (2,331m / 7,648') and gradually descend along the line of trenches. Reach the main road that goes from Cortina to Passo Falzarego, cross it and climb through forests to the fascinating, renowned Cinque Torri area and its rifugios. From here the incredible vistas around, including the Pale di San Martino, Civetta, Monti del Sole and the Marmolada with its shrinking glacier. Take some time to relax, and in the afternoon descend to the south to Passo Giau (2,236m / 7,336') from where you will have a transfer back to Cortina.
(~6-7 hours hiking 17.7km / 10.9 miles, 1,103m / 3,621' ascent, 1,541m / 5,058' descent, option for a shorter hike, using the Lagazuoi cable car, not included.)

Breakfast and departure on your own (private transfer on request)