Summer In Alta Badia - Outdoor In The South Tyrolean Dolomites
Alta Badia offers a wide range of high-adrenaline activities and initiatives, in close contact with pure, untouched nature. Trekking, hiking, free climbing, bike touring or paragliding are just some of the activities you can enjoy in the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Alta Badia offers a wide range of outdoor activities that you can enjoy with or without a guide depending on your own personal requirements and preferences. This is the ideal way to experience this destination, being in direct contact with the mountains in their purest form. Sport, well-being and nature come together to offer a unique mix of outdoor emotions. Then, at sunset, the majestic Dolomite peaks turn a delicate pink colour, creating the stunning natural spectacle known as ‘enrosadira’. This valley combines the beauty of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage, with Ladin culture and tradition and top-of-the-range tourist services - a truly extraordinary experience.
ENJOY YOURSELF IN OUR HIGH-ALTITUDE PARKS
MOVIM’NT AREA
Within the ‘Explore your way!’ world, you’ll find the Movim’nt Parks, situated at Piz La Ila, Piz Sorega, Pralongi’ and Bo’. These can be easily reached using the cable cars thanks to the Alta Badia Summer Card, which gives you access to over 10 cable car facilities all over Alta Badia. A pleasant pathway links all the Movim’nt Parks, which you can enjoy on foot or by riding one of the E-bikes available for rent from the stations at the top of the Piz La Ila, Piz Sorega and Col Alto cable cars, or in the centre of La Villa and Corvara.
ALTA BADIA TRAILS are a new feature in the Movim’nt Area for summer 2018. These three dirt trails - easy, medium and difficult - wind their way from the station at the summit down to the Piz Sorega valley’s station. These are ‘Country Flow’ circuits, reserved solely for mountain bikes or e-bikes, with parabolic turns and easy/medium-difficulty jumps. The fact that you can choose between the different levels of difficulty makes Bike Beats Trails suitable for both families with children and youngsters, as well as anyone who wants to experience the thrill of a downhill trail dedicated to two wheels. Two events will be held along the Bike Beats Trails, planned for 7th/8th July (Rookies Cup) and for 29th July (E-Enduro Race).
The Movim’nt area also stands out for being a dog-friendly zone. Dogs, accompanied by their owners, are welcome and there are plenty of services dedicated to them, including a biscuit at the cable car departure station. Some mountain lodges have their own ‘dog bar’ and you’ll find dog toilets along the trails. On hot days, there are even tubs of water available where your four-legged friends can cool down.
LA CRUSC SUMMER PARK
La Crusc Summer Park is set up at the station at the top of the four-seater cable car with the same name. This is an educational park completely dedicated to families. Here, children have the chance to learn, enjoying themselves at the various stations, which are connected to each other by a circular path. Huge wooden chairs, large deckchairs in the shape of animals, the dragon's den, water games and a mini zoo are just some of the attractions that bring this park to life. A new feature is the Kneipp path, whose stones and water give the body a sense of well-being and relaxation. More adventurous visitors, on the other hand, can take on the two geocaching trails, trying to find hidden treasure. These trails are dedicated to the flowers that grow on the Armentara meadows. Lovers of photography and Ladin culture can visit the photography exhibition, dedicated to the history of local arts and crafts.
A visit to the Santa Croce sanctuary is also a must, which can be easily reached by taking the chairlift from La Crusc Summer Park. This is a place of worship visited by lots of pilgrims each year.
On 31st July, the meadow next to this small Gothic church will play host to the concert ‘Paolo, il pianista fuori posto’ (‘Paolo, the out-of-place pianist’), who will be performing on his piano, in this decisively unique location, from 10am to 5pm.
THE RICH ‘EXPLORE YOUR WAY!’ PROGRAMME
Mountain enthusiasts can choose from a range of activities as part of the ‘Explore your way!’ programme, depending on their personal passions. These activities are broken down into four categories. The ‘nature gym’ category is based on activities such as running, trail running, geocaching, orienteering and speed-hiking, whereas the ‘rock your body’ category includes rock climbing, free climbing, exploring, trekking and via ferratas. The ‘bike’ category is dedicated to mountain bike enthusiasts, including bike touring, freeride, e-mtb and enduro. Last but not least, there’s the ‘flying’ category dedicated to lovers of pure adrenaline, offering many possibilities for paragliding, hang gliding and slacklining.
Booking a stay at one of the ‘Explore your way!’ accommodation facilities is perfect for anyone looking for a tailor-made holiday, based on their own requirements. These accommodation options allow you to enjoy everything that this programme has to offer. Each accommodation facility taking part in the initiative has its own ‘Explore your way’ expert, who can advise guests on the wide range of activities available. The accommodation itself also offers two weekly guided activities of its own. Backpacks and walking sticks are provided free of charge for the individual activities, and constant support is guaranteed for lovers of active holidays.
TREKKING WITH OVERNIGHT STAY IN A TENT
Once again this year, Explore your way! will be offering the chance to book a trekking trip with an overnight stay in a tent. There are two events planned: 13th-14th July and 3rd-4th August with trekking from Bo to Pralongi and stargazing. The next morning, you’ll wake up before dawn. Together, you'll go on a short walk to enjoy the sunrise before breakfast and then head off for another excursion in the heart of the Dolomites. You’ll return in the afternoon. The total price is €170 per person and includes the overnight stay in a tent, dinner, breakfast and the guided excursions.
WALK WITH US: WEEKLY EXCURSIONS WITH EXPERT GUIDES Throughout the summer, Alta Badia offers a wide range of guided tours weekly, as part of the ‘Walk with us’ programme. These are perfect for even the most demanding of tourists.
The excursions are divided into various topics - culture, nature, adventure - and on the basis of their level of difficulty - easy, medium, difficult. Together with local guides, walkers will have the chance to venture into the Fanes-Senes-Braies and Puez-Odle natural parks, discovering the most hidden paths and learning about the unique flora and fauna that surrounds them, as well as the geology and morphology of the Dolomites.
To take part in a guided excursion, you must sign-up by the day before your chosen excursion at one of the valley’s Tourist Information Offices.
DISCOVERING THE SNOW CAVE
The guided tours include a trip to the Snow cave, at the foot of Santa Croce mountain. This is a natural cave, dug out by the slow advance of the snow and by the subsequent melting of the ice which comes down from the sides of the mountains above. The Snow cave can be reached with a 45-minute walk along the 15/B path, leaving from the Santa Croce church which can be easily reached with the cable cars.
This guided excursion is available every Thursday, from 22nd June to 14th September.
