Imagine a collision of the peaks of Torres del Paine and the lush meadows of the Alps: that’s the Dolomites.
These monumental mountains have attracted climbers for hundreds of years. Now, thanks to the hard work of local riders, mountain bikers are also gravitating to these impressive peaks, lured by the promise of the world’s most picturesque trails.
Your local guide for this adventure is not only a professional MTB guide, but also a local hero who can be found building trails, and in winter skiing some of the toughest routes in the Dolomites.
He’ll take you on his version of the Sella Ronda: 110 km of trails with 7000m of descent, characterising this unforgettable mountain biking experience in the Dolomites.
To find out if this intermediate+ MTB tour in the Dolomites, Italy is right for you, read more on the skill and fitness levels required.
This fantastic MTB adventure in the Italian Dolomites will take you beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary. You’ll leave the crowds behind to discover trails that some locals have yet to ride, and soak up the mountain lifestyle of Val di Fassa and the surrounding region. Most of your climbing will be gondola-assisted, so be prepared for a lot of downhill grinning on this tour!
£2,750 / $3,713 / €3,300 per person (ex. flights, based on two sharing a room)
* Single supplement is only applicable if you are travelling solo and do not wish to share a room with another rider of the same sex. If you’re happy to do that, you need not add the supplement.
Please note: A single room may not be available at time of booking, and is not available on the night spent in a rifugio.
We want you to have the best experience of mountain biking in the Dolomites, so it’s important to be sure that this is the perfect mountain bike adventure, with the right level of challenge, for you.
You’re an experienced mountain biker, riding at least twice a week through the season and comfortable on: long descents with drops, steps, rocky sections, tight corners, steep sections, and sometimes very loose surfaces. Many of the trails are used for international enduro races, so expect technical features. Read more on our intermediate+ skill level.
Does this sound like you? Your vacation time is precious and we want to be absolutely sure that you’re making the most of it. Be honest with yourself, if this adventure isn’t right for you, we have other MTB tours that may be a better fit for your mountain biking ability.
Please note: The skill level required reflects an overall rating for the trails on the trip but you should expect to find sections and obstacles that push your ability levels.
Skill level: Intermediate+
Fitness level: 5/7
Typical trails you’ll be riding
Training for your Monumental Dolomites MTB adventure
To get the most out of your mountain bike tour in Italy you should plan plenty of training in advance of your tour.
The ideal bike for the trails in the Dolomites is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with 29” or 27.5” wheels, dropper seat post, and 140mm -160mm of travel front and rear. Ideal tyres for Val di Fassa are…
You should travel with your own bike, and have some handy tips on how to do this. When travelling with your own bike, you must ensure that it has been properly serviced before the trip.
We only run small group mountain bike tours to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, and there will be a maximum of eight people in each group. The minimum number of people we require to run this mountain bike tour in the Dolomites is four.
Our mountain bike tour in the Dolomites caters for a wide age range; typically between 30- and 55-years-old. Regardless of age, you must have the appropriate level of physical fitness and mountain biking skills to participate in this adventure. Please refer to clause 14 of our terms and conditions of booking to find more information on rider age.
This Monumental Dolomites mountain bike adventure is a guided mountain bike vacation, ideal for intermediate+ mountain bikers. The terrain you’ll be riding consists of double track and singletrack through thick forests, villages and coastal mountain ridges.
You’ll encounter some steep descents, drops, switchbacks and rooty sections, as well as fabulous, swooping descents. These trails are part of the enduro racing series, so can be technical.
The distances we cover each day range from 20km to 60km, in accordance with the technical difficulty of the trails and height gain/ loss on each stage.
Each evening your guides will chat with you about the following day’s mountain biking and give you an idea of the sorts of trails you can look forward to. If there’s anything you feel anxious about, your guides will be happy to discuss it with you.
No, you only need to carry a 16 litre back pack with you whilst riding, with all of your spares and repairs, warm and waterproof clothing. Your main bags will stay at your centre based accommodation throughout the tour.
Your guide will be very happy to give you some bike skills help during your trip to help improve your confidence and your enjoyment of your mountain bike tour in the Dolomites.
If there is a section that you would prefer not to ride, then you can simply hop off your bike and walk. You won’t be the only one to walk certain sections and it’s not a competition in biking ability; it’s a mountain bike holiday!
Your mountain bike guides are local to Val di Fassa and experienced professionals who have a real passion for mountain biking and for the culture and landscape of the Dolomites. They are also enduro racers and trail builders.
Your safety is their number one priority, closely followed by your enjoyment of your mountain bike tour of the Dolomites. They will always be on-hand to answer any questions or requests you may have throughout your trip.
On this mountain bike tour in the Dolomites, Italy you will be staying in one hotel in the main town of Val di Fassa.
The reason for this is that each corner of our riding area can be reached easily each day. On day 5 you will be staying in a mountain rifugio halfway around the Sella Ronda singletrack route.
All breakfasts, all lunches, and 3 dinners are included in the tour price.
The ideal bike for the Finale trails is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with 29” or 27.5” wheels, dropper seat post, and 140mm -160mm of travel front and rear.
Read the full kit list to find out what you need to pack for your mountain bike tour in the Dolomites of Italy.
Yes, you will have the chance to have laundry done at your accommodation.
Unfortunately not. We are working hard to provide each and every customer who rides with us an unparalleled mountain bike experience in every destination we ride. This takes years of experience, riding and planning to get right, and a drone adds a very real danger to the group’s riding experience and health & safety.
Your MTB adventure in the Dolomites will start in Venice. Venice airport is well-served by many major airlines from all over the world.
For up-to-date timetables and booking visit:
www.ba.com
www.airfrance.com
www.swissair.com
www.delta.com
Here are some handy tips and video on how to pack your bike for travel.
Visas
Citizens of most countries do not require a visa to visit Italy. For more information on visa requirements visit the Schengen visa site. https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/italy/visa/
Arrival and departure details
Your Monumental Dolomites mountain bike tour in Italy will start and end in Venice.
We advise you to arrive the day prior to your tour start date and spend one night in Venice, allowing for any delays to flights or luggage.
We recommend the Annia Park Hotel, which is easily accessible by road and offers a shuttle service from the airport. Your guide will meet you in the foyer of this hotel on the morning of day 1.
On the last day of the tour, your guide will ensure you are dropped off at Venice airport in time to catch your flight home. Therefore, we would advise booking your flights home no earlier than 4pm on your day of departure.
Our mountain bike guides in Val di Fassa, in the Dolomites are of the highest level.
They are qualified in first-aid and they have the knowledge and experience to lead a group safely in these remote, wild and beautiful parts of the Dolomites, Italy.
Our guides have years of experience in the saddle on the trails of the Dolomites area and will be able to enhance your holiday with facts and fables on local history, flora and fauna. They’re also genuinely nice people and will do their best to make sure that everyone in the group has a great time.
We aim to use the best, locally-run accommodation in each country, and that which is traditional to that specific area, whether it be city or mountain.
On this mountain bike tour in the Dolomites you’ll be staying in one hotel in Canazei, except one night when you will be staying in a rifugio. The region is small enough that we can reach all four corners of Val di Fassa from Canazei, allowing us to work with the weather to deliver the best trail experience each day.
We will enjoy a wide array of food on our tour, all of which is prepared with the greatest of care and skill, using local ingredients.
Whilst not all dinners are included in the tour price, we will eat together as a group at each mealtime, in carefully selected cafés and restaurants.
No vaccinations are required for visiting Italy.
We recommend you check before drinking tap water, but 99% of this is safe for consumption. Bottled or filtered water will be readily available throughout the trip.
Please let us know if you have any special food requirements, allergies or pre-existing conditions your guides should know about.
Your health and safety on tour is our top priority and when you travel with us you will be covered by Global Rescue emergency medical and evacuation services.
You should always consult your own doctor or physician before travelling to new countries to seek their advice on matters concerning your health abroad.
The official currency of Italy is the Euro. ATM machines are readily available in Canazei town.
It is not compulsory to tip your guides or drivers in Italy, but if you feel that you have had a good service or experience on your mountain bike tour in the Dolomites, you can tip at your discretion. We recommend around 5% of your tour price.
It is not compulsory to tip in restaurants, however should you wish to tip your servers, 10% of your meal cost would be acceptable.
You are required as a condition of booking to be insured against medical and personal accident risks. In this policy you must include cover for mountain biking and we recommend that you take out a policy which covers cancellation and baggage, including your bike.
We work with Global Rescue whose policies are specially designed for adventure travel and you can arrange your insurance cover directly with them.
To make this a private tour for you and your favourite people, complete the form and we’ll work with you to make it happen.
To make this a private tour for you and your favourite people, complete the form and we’ll work with you to make it happen.
Our local mountain bike guides in Val di Fassa, in the Dolomites, are true mountain men, who live to get out and explore the wilderness on their bikes. There’s not an inch of trail that they don’t know and they’ll make sure you have the most incredible experience in their backyard.
Submit your review | |
Our weeklong tour was "monumental," indeed. We chose H+I and the Dolomites for our first group trip to Europe and couldn't have had a better experience. Canazei is beautiful and the riding is world class. H+I arranged for the best of local accommodations to help take care of ourselves, our bikes and gear each day. The combination of scenery, riding challenge, food and camaraderie made this one of the most memorable experiences of our 25+ years of riding adventures.
Our guide Andrea is quite an amazing person and a true native of the valley. His knowledge of the trails, the valley and its history is complete and informative. He proved his skill as both a rider and guide daily. His connection to each of us through the week grew stronger as we kept finding common interests and experiences.
I'll be returning to Europe to ride and will definitely be planning another H+I adventure.
My friends and I recently returned home after a week or riding with our guide Andrea, in the Dolomites. This was a dream come true week with incredible riding and unbelievable views.
The staff took care of all our needs, including the hotel staff (Hotel Cesa Tyrol) who were amazing. They had a bike storage area where we could clean, maintain and store our bikes.
Our group usually doesn't ride with guides or tour groups, but this was WELL worth it. Andrea has local knowledge of all the trails which allowed us maximum riding time with no missed intersections or map reading! He absolutely crushed it as our guide! I'll be looking at other rides with H+I for sure!