I went on a 4-day via Ferrata hike in the Dolomites and it has been the best! The views and routes were crazy, so in this blog I’ll take you with me into the world of ‘via Ferrata’ aka ‘klettersteig’ aka ‘iron path’ and will also tell you something about the route that I’ve done.

What is a via Ferrata?
Via Ferrata – in case you’ve never heard of it – is like hiking 2.0 or mellow climbing. It’s a unique mix of physical challenge and mental focus, with rewarding views. You scramble and climb your way from A to B, without the need to carry a heavy rope. No climbing experience necessary; all you need is a via ferrata set and a helmet to clip into the steel cables that are fixed into the rock. It allows you to reach places you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get to, and is often more intense than regular hiking. The name literally means ‘iron path’, referring to the cables and rungs bolted into the mountain walls. The first via ferratas were built in the Dolomites during World War I to help troops move through the mountains more easily. Nowadays people use them as a fun outdoor activity. There’s via Ferrata’s in different difficulty levels ranging from A to F.

3 things you need to know before you start your via Ferrata adventure.

It’s good to realize that it’s a lot of fun!! So great you’re thinking about exploring this, congratulations; you’re going to have a great time! Before you start, please check out my tips below. 🙂

1. Be aware of the risks
   First of all it’s good to realize that via Ferrata routes are not as easy as some hiking routes. You’ll need experience with hiking in the mountains and preferably also with some climbing or bouldering. Always check the level of the via Ferrata (the ‘Feratta guide‘ app is very useful for that), they range from A to F. You don’t want to be stuck in a route that you’re not comfortable in!
2. Double check the weather
   Via ferrata’s almost always include climbing, small ledges and belaying on iron cables. Therefore, it’s super important to make sure the weather will stay good! That means; no rain or thunder. Rocks tend to get slippery and you don’t want that when you’re climbing your way up or down a route because you’ll probably loose grip!
3. Make sure you have the right equipment
   Everything you’ll need to get yourself onto a via Ferrata and explore some of the world’s loveliest places are a via Ferrata set, a helmet, climbing harness, slinge, karabiner and good hiking shoes. You can buy all this in most outdoor shops. With the slinge and karabiner you can make yourself a self securing so that you can rest a bit while hanging somewhere. Can come in quite handy!
   

4-day hiking & via Ferrata on the Monte Popera Circuit in the Dolomites

Ohhh how much I loved this trip! We’ve walked over cliffs, little ridges, climbed over mountains, scrambled over one too many scree slopes and hiked over the last snow of the season. We encountered almost no other hikers and got to experience the Italian hospitality. Below the pictures I made a short summery of the trip, but please don’t hesitate to send me a message if you want to know more about this trip! I’d love to tell you all about it!

The route
We took the via Ferrata on the Monte Popera Circuit starting and ending at Rottwandwiesen. The cable car that takes you to the start, is located in the town of ‘Moso’. The route takes you around and over the Sextener Dolomites in four days. It’s 43.9KM long and has a total elevation of 3565 meter. There’s six different via Ferrata’s and the level of the routes vary from beginner to advanced. Along the route you’ll sleep in mountain huts. This trip goes over altitudes of 2600 meter so it’s important not to go too early in the year. Usually the routes only open up in the beginning of July. Because the weather has been good, we were lucky enough to be able to do almost all routes! (except for the ‘Croda Rossa’ which was still too snowy) Fun fact; we were the first of the year to do the ‘Via Ferrata Roghel and the via Ferrata Cengia Gabriella’! Very important: check out this website to see the actual updates of all via Ferrata’s in the Sextener dolomites. In case the weather gets bad; there’s two bivaks to hide for a storm along the route on day 2 & 3!

For a detailed description of the route check out the blog ‘in a far away land’ wrote about it. It’s been a great help for us when we planned this trip!

Do you like bouldering, hiking and via Ferrata’s? You might also like our trips! In 2026 we organize another climbing trip where we teach you all about lead climbing! We also organize active trips where we do a mix of hiking, kayaking, sailing and exploring in our double decker bus! You can pre subscribe for our 2026 via the button below and we’ll let you know whenever we have something cooking!