We’ve just returned from completing the Alta Via Val Gardena, incredible hiking holiday in the Italian Dolomites, organised by trekMountains, and we honestly couldn’t recommend them highly enough.
From the very first contact, Ann was fantastic. With a group of five to organise, she took care of all the detail and made the whole trip feel incredibly straightforward. She provided comprehensive kit lists, guidance on appropriate travel insurance for the type of hiking we were doing, travel information including airport connections and bus timetables, and even a handy list of common Italian phrases and translations.
The attention to detail continued once we arrived. We were provided with a really useful walking booklet containing turn-by-turn route notes, distances, elevation gain and loss, maps for each day, and GPX files so we could use our own various GPS devices. It gave us the confidence to head out each morning knowing exactly what we were doing, while still feeling like we were having a proper adventure.
Our first and final nights were spent at an amazing hotel with a super host. It was modern, spotlessly clean and a lovely place to start and finish the trip. The four nights in between were spent in mountain rifugi — some surprisingly luxurious, others much more basic — but every one had its own character, fantastic hospitality and, importantly, amazing food.
And then there were the Dolomites themselves. The scenery was genuinely breathtaking. We knew it would be beautiful, but none of us expected it to be quite so dramatic and spectacular. Every day's walking seemed to bring another incredible view.
The routes were challenging enough to feel like a real achievement, but always manageable. The distances each day were really well judged too, meaning we weren't arriving exhausted at the end of the afternoon. We had plenty of time to freshen up, relax, enjoy a drink, take in the surroundings and make the most of the hospitality and food at the rifugi.
For five mates looking for a properly memorable hiking adventure, trekMountains delivered exactly what we were hoping for — and more. The organisation, information, accommodation, routes and overall experience were excellent.
A huge thank you to Ann for making the whole thing so easy and for putting together such a fantastic itinerary. We’ll definitely be recommending trekMountains to anyone looking for an unforgettable hiking experience in the Dolomites.