All our hiking & walking trips can be customized to fit your ability levels, time frame and budget, be it in the Alps, or other areas of our expertise.
If you are two people or a large group, if you want to go hiking with your family, or with friends, we will endeavour to build a trip which is suited to your needs. Here are the main trip aspects that can be customized for any of our private hiking trips:
There are many arguments to either book a guided, or a self-guided trip.
All our guides are certified hiking guides and have undergone several years of training and assessment.
Guides not only ensure a safe and well planned trip, they also possess an intimate knowledge of the area and speak the languages of the countries they trek in. They have the expertise to navigate alternative routes, stopping to visit small, family-run dairy farms, and taking the time to interact with the locals, such as the farmers, hoteliers and shepherds.
For the more experienced hiker, self-guided tours offer satisfying alternatives to group hikes.
If you’re comfortable using maps and a compass and prefer to navigate solo, our self-guided trips may be for you. Contrary to popular opinion, “self-guided” doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. For example, many travel groups want to have all accommodation, luggage, and transportation arranged before they start on the trail. If you want to eliminate the hassles of trip planning but preserve your independence, our self-tour of Europe can offer you the best of both worlds.
Most of our accommodation is generally booked three-star hotels, except in the Dolomites, which offers great value for money, and four-star hotels that have been in the same family for centuries are the norm. They often include 4-course dinners, and afternoon coffee/tea and pastries.
Accommodation is a very important part of your trip, and making sure it is what you expect will be our priority.
We can offer any kind of accommodation as long as there is a choice at the specific location, from mountain hostels to five-star boutique hotels. Several of our alpine hiking trips include one or several nights in a mountain hut, which is more basic, or a mountain hotel (which has all comforts you would normally see down in the valleys). Let us know your preference, and we will make ensure that your places you stay in are a highlight of your trip. Knowing what you are looking for can very well influence the hiking itinerary, so be sure to mention any specific requests you might have.
Many trips that are offered for group departures are either too short for your preferences, or too long. You might also have guests who would like to join the group halfway through the trip, or need to leave earlier.
We can customize any of our private trips to fit your needs and make sure the trip fits with your overall travel plans.
That said, some itineraries do include some mountain huts or hotels, and it might take some time to get to the next travel hub. Let us know your plans, and we will take care of the rest.
All of our hiking trips have options for luggage delivery, meaning you can hike with a day-pack only, only carrying what you need for the day (food, water, respective sun and weather protection / clothing, etc). Choose between having your luggage delivered to your next hotel (if you are going on a through-hike) everyday, or occasionally to allow for some change of clothing, or not at all, whatever your preference is.
We will provide any extras or look at any special requests you might have. The most common are dietary preferences, and most hotels / restaurant are used to accommodate these, but definitely some better than others – especially in the Alps, where meat, cheese and high carbohydrates are the norm. (Delicious, but not for everybody). Other special requests could be spas, massages, sight-seeing or anything other idea you might want to explore.