Easy trails suitable for most in a stunning and wild part of Piedmont.
Full board with all meals, including picnic lunches to bring on the trails.
Top-rated mountain huts with private rooms, spa facilities and restaurant.
Luggage transfer included on all stages of this tour.
Maira Valley is a hidden gem waiting to be explored at your own pace, offering a glimpse of the untouched beauty of the Italian Alps.
Details
ItineraryAfter 5 km of walking you arrive in San Martino di Stroppo composed of two different villages, Inferiore and Superiore, both are very charming and picturesque. Over the years many abandoned and ruined houses have been taken over and renovated maintaining the original characteristics and here stands the cultural center, a historic stopover born from a vision of a German couple who helped launch Occitan itineraries internationally.
You then reach the Colle di San Giovanni, an extremely fascinating place. Near the larch wood there is the circular chapel of the same name. This place is very scenic. You make a small detour to Fremo Cuncuná, a tongue of rock suspended in the void that is very famous because it recalls the great sheer fjords of Norway. The name means “crouched woman”: if she is observed from Elva’s Vallone (Orrido), she looks like a crouched lady.
Finally you reach your destination. The parish church of Elva is a small Sistine Chapel. Inside it houses a cycle of frescoes by the Flemish painter Hans Clemer. It is always open, but if it is closed, the Locanda Occitana has the keys and makes them available to interested parties.
Elva is the second highest municipality in the province of Cuneo, at an altitude of 1,637 metres. It is a picturesque village immersed in a fairytale setting. The Caviè Museum, the hair collectors, and the parish church with the frescoes by Clemer are not to be missed. All this next to the Locanda di Elva which awaits you for a night in this place so steeped in history.
A first part on paved road but in a wide and panoramic environment that becomes magnificent after the village of Chiosso, one of those villages where time has stopped. From here you descend on paths through coniferous woods and splendid panoramas.
We then go up to Colle San Michele where one of the symbols of Valle Maira appears in all its beauty: Monte Chersogno. From here a gentle and pleasant descent will take you to Borgata Allemandi where you can breathe and feel the Occitan traditions: the Al Chersogno farmhouse, in addition to being in a wonderful place, produces honey, vegetables and potatoes of ancient varieties.
Ring itinerary for an extremely panoramic trip through fir woods and undoubtedly numerous brooms, a plant that is encountered along the entire route with a characteristic yellow colour. The route crosses the Vallone di San Michele, an independent municipality until 1928 and subsequently joined to Prazzo.
“Lou viol dal Genistè” begins in the Allemandi hamlet. In this stretch, which extends up to Colle Ruvera, it is possible to see a beautiful panorama over the entire Maira valley, while walking among broom, lavender and Scots pine. Once at the Colle there is the “Granjo ‘d Mundin ‘d Roc”, that is a structure with an oven built into the rock.
We then continue towards Borgata San Vittore, where it is possible to admire a well and a chapel close to the rock in an extremely panoramic point. From here, take the road back to Allemandi.
(Morning after: departure day in case by a transfer to Camoglieres ).
The tour concludes with a wonderful tour around the Rocca Provenzale which is certainly one of the Musts of the Maira Valley, but the village of Chiappera on the slopes of the Rocca is already decidedly fascinating and must be visited carefully.
Climb directly in the direction of the Rocca, passing alongside its smooth and imposing walls. After 3.5 km, having reached the pass near Rocca Castello, the view opens up over the whole range of mountains in the upper part of the Maira Valley up to the French border.
We begin the descent to reach the last mountain pastures and from here we return towards Chiappera staying to the left of the stream while on the other side the Maira waterfalls observe you in their beauty.
We retrace the town to return to the Chiappera School for your last evening.
Location And Getting ThereReaching Valle Maira is convenient with several travel options.
Airports: Cuneo Levaldigi Airport (90 km), Turin Airport (150 km), and Milan Malpensa Airport (250 km).
Car: Renting a car is recommended for flexibility, with rental services available at all major airports. By car, Valle Maira is accessible via the A6 motorway from Turin, exiting at Fossano or Dronero.
Public transport: includes trains to Cuneo, followed by buses to Dronero and Acceglio, the valley’s main towns. However, bus services are limited, making car rental the most efficient way to explore the valley’s remote trails and villages.
AccommodationExamples of accommodation on this tour:
Accommodation
This tour is designed for two participants sharing a double, twin, or family room. Solo travelers should anticipate an additional surcharge for single occupancy in double rooms. On certain routes, particularly those involving high alpine huts, private rooms may not be available due to limited capacity or late bookings. In such cases, shared accommodations will be required and will be clearly indicated in your itinerary.
Linen & Towels
Most huts and hotels provide linen and towels. In rare instances where you need to bring your own towel and sleeping bag liner, this requirement will be clearly outlined in your itinerary.
Luggage Transfer
Luggage transfer is included on most stages of our tours. However, some remote huts are inaccessible by car. In these cases, you’ll need to carry a few extra essentials in your daypack, and your luggage will be delivered to your next hotel the following day. This will be clearly specified in your itinerary.
Included Services
Add to this tourWhen booking this tour online, you will get the option to add the following services:
GuaranteeThis tour is fully covered by the Danish Travel Guarantee Fund (Rejsegarantifonden), ensuring financial protection and security for all participants. The guarantee covers situations such as company insolvency, securing refunds for canceled trips or necessary repatriation. Importantly, this protection applies to travelers of all nationalities, not just Danish citizens. By booking with a company registered under the Danish Travel Guarantee, you can embark on your adventure with confidence, knowing your investment is secure and your travel experience is safeguarded, regardless of your country of residence. Learn more here.
WeatherFrom April to October, the Maira Valley offers diverse hiking conditions across its varying altitudes. In lower elevations (1,000–1,500m), temperatures range from 10–20°C in spring and autumn, rising to 15–25°C in summer. Spring and autumn bring cooler mornings and a higher chance of rain, while summer offers warm, pleasant days with occasional afternoon showers, especially in June and July. Mid-altitudes (1,500–2,000m) are cooler, with temperatures between 12–22°C. Higher elevations (above 2,000m) remain crisp, ranging from 5–18°C, with lingering snow in early spring. Layered clothing and weatherproof gear are essential for changing alpine conditions.
Difficulty
This tour is categorized Easy
Easy trails, shorter distances and suitable for people with no prior mountain experience. Physicality is not very challenging, although participants should still be able to hike 10-15 km without problems on a flat road. Suitable for children above the age of 8.
FAQIf you cancel your tour 60 days or more before the departure date, you will lose your deposit. If you cancel your tour between 60 and 45 days before the departure date, you will lose 50 per cent of the total tour price. If you cancel your tour within 45 days of the departure date, you will lose the full amount. If you fail to turn up on the first day of your tour, Outdoor Italy may not be able to make arrangements for you to join the rest of the tour, and you will lose the full payment. If, for any reason, Outdoor Italy has to cancel your tour, you will be offered an alternative tour or a full refund.
You can book your tour directly on the Outdoor Europe website. Choose the tour from the dropdown menu, select the date you would like to start, and the number of participants in your group. You can either pay a deposit (60 days or more from the start of your tour) or pay the full amount. Click ‘book’ and follow the instructions. Once we have confirmed your payment, you’ll receive your confirmed tour itinerary within 10 days. There may be seasonal variations in the time it takes us to arrange everything. Please note that programmes on the tour pages are only examples — there may be several differences in the final programme you receive.
When booking your tour, you can choose to pay by credit/debit card or direct bank transfer. Direct bank transfers will generally take longer to process, while credit and debit card payments are processed instantly. You are, by default, asked to pay a deposit of 25% of the total cost of the tour. If you choose this option, you will be asked to pay the remaining 75% one month before your tour. Please be sure to follow the payment links you receive in your invoice or reminder email, which we will send you when the second payment is due.
This depends on the individual tour and when you book it. When hiking in the Alps, most people stay in dorms or shared rooms as the availability of single, double and family rooms are limited. We can only guarantee your own room on certain tours such as in the Lys and Ayas Valleys — but only if you book in time. If this is your preference, we will do our best to ensure you get your own room, but please expect to spend some nights in shared accommodation if there is limited availability.
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer this service with all our packages. Often, the huts or hotels we work with are in locations that can only be reached by foot or helicopter. Indeed, when choosing a tour that includes baggage transport, there may be one or two exceptions depending on the route. This will appear clearly on the tour page and in the program you receive when your booking has been confirmed.
All our tours include the day of arrival and the day of departure. This means that a six-day tour will include five nights of accommodation, a seven-day tour will include six nights, and so on. On the first day, guests are usually expected to arrive in the afternoon. And the program does not include any activities except for a briefing by our representative on the first evening. On the day of departure, guests are free to decide if they want to leave directly after breakfast or go on a shorter tour before their journey home.
Most of our tours will include Half Board (HB) services, which means breakfast, a three-course dinner, and a light-packed lunch. Please check the individual tour page for details, however, as variations occur with certain tours.
We specialize in self-guided tours. These tours are designed for travelers who love the independence of hiking, skiing, or running on their own but want to know that everything else is taken care of. In some cases, we are able to offer luggage transport to lighten your load as you enjoy the Great Outdoors.
Whether you’re already a group of friends, business colleagues or a sports club looking for an active mountain adventure, we can design and organize your Alpine tour for you. We also offer guided group tours for individual participants on fixed dates.
Yes, absolutely! Outdoor Italy can design the perfect mountain adventure for you and your friends or colleagues. Whether you want to hike, ski, run, cycle or climb, we have the expertise and experience needed to create a bespoke package for any level of experience or physicality. Please contact us if you would like us to create a customized package for your group.
There are few better ways to spend time with your children than with an active holiday in the mountains. Sharing a mountain adventure with your child is a memory that will last a lifetime. We try to design child-friendly variations (marked ‘family’) of all our Alpine tours. Children can hike, ski or bike a lot longer than you might expect, as long as you make it entertaining for them. However, they will respond instantly to the way you behave, so please consider whether you are able to create a safe environment for your children when faced with the many different challenges of an alpine environment.
Yes, we are able to offer a discount for children on most of our tours, provided they are not yet 13 years of age on the first day of the tour. Please see the individual tour page for our child discounts.
Many single travellers chose Outdoor Italy due to our high level of service and our expertise in self-guided mountain tours. And the safety of one of our representatives will only ever be just a phone call away. However, please expect additional costs, as our prices are based on two persons — the industry standard for outdoor tours of this nature. Private rooms and other services are often more expensive for individual travellers. You can find information about any additional costs for individual travellers on the tour page.
We are all different. Some of our clients are 70+ and have lived an active lifestyle all their life. Others may be twenty years younger and have barely left their office chair. It is very difficult to judge the physical and mental ability of a person on the basis of a phone conversation. If you are in doubt, each tour is rated for level of physicality, which you can learn more about here. You are of course welcome to call us and we will do our best to advice you. Find your level of physicality here (link to Find your level page).
Our local partners know every square inch of this beautiful Alpine region. During the introductory briefing, you will receive an app, physical maps and a phone number to call if you need advice. In some cases, you’ll be able to forward your location to a local guide with the press of a button. This may prove helpful if you become lost.
We recommend that you speak to your insurance provider to ensure your existing policy covers mountain-based activities such as hiking, skiing, and mountain biking. Please note that any costs relating to emergency situations and the potential need for evacuation are the sole responsibility of the client.
We are all different. Some of our clients are more than 70 years old and have lived an active lifestyle all their life. Others are twenty years younger and have barely left their office chair. It is very difficult to judge the physical and mental capabilities of a person on the basis of a phone conversation. If you are in doubt, each tour is rated for the level of physicality involved, which you can learn more about on our Find Your Level page. You are, of course, welcome to call us, and we will do our best to advise you.
Enjoying the mountains with your best friend can be a joyful experience, which is why we try to make our tours dog friendly wherever possible. Unfortunately, it is not always possible due to local rules. Selected tours are marked ‘Dog Friendly’ on the tour page. This means that your dog can stay with you in your private room or, in a few cases, the hut will have a separate or external room for dogs. Please refer to the individual tour page for more information.
This tour is based on a minimum of two participants. Only services mentioned above are included in the price. Luggage transfer may not be available on some stages.
Additional Information| Start | Flexible |
|---|---|
| Time of departure | Flexible |
| Month | April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November |
Whether you're a large family, a work team or a sports club, we will help you create a perfect group adventure.
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