Camper Van Travel In The Dolomites

Introduction

On the 7th May 2022 my friend Brian and I took a trip for 1 week to the Dolomites. After 2 years of the COVID pandemic, lockdowns and working from home, my friend Brian and I decided we had to get away and see and experience something new. We had spoken during the lockdowns via phone calls about a trip when the pandemic was over and in February 2022, with restrictions lifting in countries across Europe we decided to book a camper van trip departing in May.

The primary purpose of this blog is to hopefully inspire you to take your own trip and also provide some information on our experience of travelling in a camper van in the Dolomites in May, the places we visited plus perhaps some advice to help you plan your own adventure. For context Brian had been on a camper van holiday in Ireland for 2 weeks the previous yea with his wife and 2 young children so he had some experience of camper vans but I myself had never experience “van life” of any kind. However, I had done my research and the flexibility and convenience that a camper van brings to your travel experience was very appealing to me.

I will provide the locations we visited and parked-up at while wild camping using What3Words. What is what3words? Well in the their own words from their website “we divided the world into 3 metre squares and gave each square a unique combination of three words. It’s the easiest way to find and share exact locations.”

What3Words has a website - (www.what3words.com) and an App for your smart phone and I thoroughly recommend you try it out as it is quickly becoming the go-to tool for many people, including the emergency services, when needing to accurately find a specific location.

Reference Resources

Apple App Store Mac - https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/what3words/id1482771079?mt=12

Apple App Store Mobile - https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/what3words/id657878530

Google Play Store - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.what3words.android&gl=IE

Why the Dolomites & Why Camper Van Travel

The Dolomites are a huge mountain range in Northern Italy which attract millions of visitors each year, in both the winter months for the ski season and the summer months for many other out door activities, including hiking which was our choice. During the 1 in 100 year pandemic we all just lived through I would often find myself dreaming of taking a big trip as soon as this was over. I had seen the Dolomites on a video on Christian Schaffer’s Youtube Channel when she took a hiking trip in Sept with her friends. Christian is an Adventure Photographer and YouTuber and her channel is amazing so I recommend you check it out. The Dolomites were immediately appealing to me, attracted by their stunning beauty, the vast vistas and possibilities of seeing new places. The Dolomites are also very accessible with daily flights to Treviso and Marc Polo airports near Venice which then allow easy access to Northern Italy and the Dolomites. There are of course other airports in other countries you can fly in to and then travel on in to the Dolomites but Treviso Airport was our choice.

The Dolomites, Northern Italy

Why a Camper Van? As we wanted to see as much of the Dolomites as possible during our 1 week trip we needed to be mobile and not tied to any 1 particular location or accommodation. We did not want to have to drive out early in the mornings each day and spend each day travelling by car, to then have to drive all the way back to a hotel or Air BnB each evening as this would limit the ground we could cover. I am a hobbyist landscape photographer who also dabbles in video and have spent many late nights driving back to a base somewhere after a sunset shoot knowing I would love to jump in to a camper van and stay on location for sunrise the next morning as well. To have the freedom just to jump in to a camper van late at night and have you hotel room with you has huge benefits and it allows you to cover much more ground and see so much more over the duration of your trip. We decided to hire a Camper Van from Indie Campers and this became both our home and form of transport for the week.

The Camper Van Experience

When you are going to live and travel in a camper van for a few days, a week, or longer you need to be aware that this comes with many pro’s and con’s. If you are used to holidaying in hotels or Air BnB’s you will be used spacious accommodation which likely has all of the comforts of your own home, including food and drink on tap and a WIFI connection. A camper van offers a different experience providing mobility plus a high level of comfort. The compromise comes in the size of the accommodation and also having to plan ahead. You will need to be happy to stay in what is effectively 3 star accommodation on wheels which is obviously smaller than any hotel room or air BnB. By planning ahead I can explain as follows. “Van lifers” (those who live in a camper van full time) often refer to decision fatigue. Each day they must decide where they will park up for the coming night and where they will refuel and refill the van with its essential supplies. But for a shorter trip such as 1 to 2 weeks, if you plan ahead a little, and are prepared to go with the flow as well, or even have no plan at all which can be incredibly relaxing, then camper van travel is a great experience.

Don’t choose a van larger than you need as its less manoeuvrable and more difficult to drive

As long as you know what you want from your camper van there is a van to suit your needs. For Brian and I, all we wanted was a van which:-

• Could sleep 2.

• We could stand up inside.

• We could take a shower and use the toilet.

• Was small enough to drive along windy roads without stress.

• Was large enough for us to live in for a week without killing each other.

You can hire much larger camper vans than Brian and I chose but some basic principals apply no matter which van you choose.

• Pack light as you will not need as many clothes as you think and you will not have the space to store lots of clothes and possessions anyway.

• Prepare to spend time with your travel companion(s) or friend all day in a small space together. As long as you are ok with this then this can be a great experience on its on. Spending quality time with your friends, away from the distractions of life and work, allows you to re-build or strengthen friendships as you will have an amazing experience together which will be unique to you and your travel companion(s) alone.

• Prepare to do a little planning each day to ensure you have somewhere to park the van up each night plus the basic amenities, and any non basic amenities you desire in the van with you each day.

If you prepare for these above principals then you can guarantee that you will have an amazing trip and experience new places in a way nobody else has unless they are mobile.

Camper Van Travel

Pretty much all camper vans have a small basic kitchen / diner, bathroom & shower, a lounge area and bedroom or sleeping area. The larger vans obviously provide more space and often separate toilet and showers and the smaller vans typically combine the lounge area and sleeping area in one space as a convertible bed, which is fine if you don’t mind making up your bed every night.

Some essential parts of camper van travel I would like to make you aware of is fresh water, electricity and having to deal with your toilet and waste water. Obviously the van is mobile and so is not continually connected to the electricity, a water supply and drainage like a traditional sticks & bricks house or hotel. So, when travelling in a camper van you have to be prepared to replenish these “essential services” during your trip and a change in mindset towards not wasting water and electricity needlessly is a good idea.

Electrical Power

The camper van has a leisure battery to store electricity which provides power to the vans lighting and 12 volt power sockets. In the same way you can charge your mobile phone using a cars single 12v cigarette lighter socket a camper van has 12v supplies around the van which provide power at all times. The van also has 1 or 2 220v power sockets like your home (220v in Europe anyway, 110V in the USA) but these will only provide power when the van is connected to a mains power supply (commonly known as shore power from the boating industry) at a campsite. Unless the van has a solar panel (some do not) then the only way to charge the van leisure battery is by driving the van for half a day or so as the engine of the van charges the battery when running. Connecting the van to mains power at a campsite will also charge the leisure battery.

Fresh Water

The van has a fresh water tank which when filled will store approx 100 litres of water (tank size differs from van to van) and unless you find a location to top up the fresh water tank this tank of fresh water will obviously become depeleted as you use it for washing dishes flushing the toilet or using the shower. Showering should be done by wetting yourself allover, turn off the water and soap allover, then rinse off and do not leave the water running to brush your teeth or while doing dishes. You can find locations to top up this water as there are road side Aires (the name for Camper Van service points) plus also look for petrol stations with water supplies you can use.

Waste (Grey) Water & Toilet Waste

The van also has a grey water tank which collects and stores all of the water you use from showering and washing dishes etc. Finally the van has a cassette toilet, which is used like a traditional toilet but the toilet waste is stored inside a small removable tank (cassette) which sits underneath the floor of the bathroom (only visible from outside the van) and is removable from outside the van for emptying through a little lockable door.

During your trip be aware of your water and electrical power levels and plan your route with locations in mind for top up.

During your trip in the van you will need to monitor the fresh water, electrical power levels in the vans leisure battery via the vans in built monitoring system to ensure you do not run out, and also keep an eye on the cassette toilet and grey water tank and make plans to stop at facilities provided at Aires or a campsite to empty and replenish the van.

Europe, including Northern Italy, caters very well for camper vans as there are many, many road side Aires or campsites where you can replenish your water and empty the grey water and toilet waste.

When you collect the van from the hire depot the hire company representative will give you a full demonstration and instructions on how to manage the vans water and waste systems, its very easy so do not let this put you off hiring a camper van. The freedom the van provides to go where you want and always have your accommodation with you is an amazing experience and well worth the “chores” which come with using the van.

When the van is driven the vans engine charges the leisure battery so we found that while touring around in the van for a week, if we drove the van for half a day or more the leisure battery energy levels were boosted significantly to almost being full once again. The toilet cassette needed to be emptied on the 3rd day but keep in mind we spent large parts of the day away from the van hiking or simply seeing the towns we decided stop in. Also, keep in mind when you return the van at the end of your trip the hire company will charge you extra money if you do not empty the toilet before drop off. Regarding fresh water for the van, we managed to find a fresh water supply at a road side petrol station one day to top up the fresh water tank so keep an eye out for opportunities like that. We decided to use the van water for only cooking and showering and we bought bottle water for drinking.

Due to the time of year we took our trip, May is very much off season, the vast majority of the campsites were closed but with a combination of using the road side Aires and staying at 1 campsite for 1 night we easily kept our van and ourselves going on the trip.

Our Van

The van we rented was called the Nomad which although relatively small can accommodate 4 people sleeping and travelling in the van, as the van has 4 seat belts and sleeping for 4. The Nomad has 2 double beds (1 above the other - like bunk beds) at the rear of the van, a small kitchenette, combined dedicated toilet and shower and a dinette / lounge for eating and relaxing. The drivers seat and passenger seat both rotate 180 degrees to face in to the dinette area.

When we collected the van it came fully equipped with cooking utensils, cutlery and pots & pans etc. Ours even came with a coffee press. The kitchen had a small sink and a 2 burner gas stove. The van also comes with some basics to get you going such as 2 toilet roles and a full bottle of gas plus a part full bottle of gas, left from the previous users of the van. We never ran out of gas for the week, not even close. Regarding bedding, Brian brought his sleeping bag but I paid the extra cost with Indie Campers for bedding due to the fact my sleeping bag would not fit in my luggage. The bedding provided is a duvet (which was not very warm so if you are the type of person who feels the cold you may want to bring your own sleeping bag), sheets, duvet cover, pillows and pillow cases. I am a person who does feel the cold and my experience in May was that if we parked up for the night at high altitude then it was cold but a lower altitudes it was fine in the van. The van does have a heater which runs off of the gas bottle so you can always turn on the heating and it does heat the van in about 15 minutes. If you have any doubts bring your own sleeping bag.

When you make the booking for your van you will have other options to add with additional costs to the base price including, fold up table and chairs, insurance for a 2nd driver, additional milage (there was a 1500 mile limit included in the van rental when we hired the van), WIFI, child seats, a BBQ and more. We decided to take the insurance for the 2nd driver as we were hiking on our trip and wanted the option of a 2nd driver incase one of use twisted an ankle or could not drive for any reason at all. Regarding the fee for additional milage, during our week we covered allot of territory but we still only travelled about 850 miles in total so I would think hard about paying for additional millage when making your booking. I would recommend a 2nd driver unless one of you loves to drive.

Finally before I move on I should make your aware of the website and mobile app called Park4Night. Anyone who is going to be travelling in a camper van and needs to find locations to park-up for the night, either on a campsite or wild camping (known as Boondocking in the USA) should know about this app. There is a free version or a subscription version which is only €9.99/year so I recommend you spend the €9.99 for your trip as its a valuable resource which you will not be able to manage without. Park4Night identifies all camp sites and Park Ups (places to park which are not camp sites) for you on a map and includes reviews and other useful information such as where you can get fresh water and empty your toilet.

Thoroughly recommend Indie Campers!

I would like to note at this point that the service we received from Indie Campers was great. Throughout the booking process I had many questions for them including collection of the van, bedding, insurance, and many others and the Indie Campers team were great. They were always responded to my questions and emails the next day and provided great advice and support to allay my concerns. When we collected the van we were late (after 5pm) and the gentleman at the depot stayed back while everyone else went home to allow us to collect the van. The van was modern, in great condition and the handover of the van to us was very detailed and covered all aspects of living in the van for our trip. Finally during our trip we had a problem with the vans hot water system, I called the helpline and they talked me through the solution to the problem over the phone. They also gave me a Indie Campers WhatsApp number which we used a couple of times to resolve some other questions we had with the vans control panel. I could not recommend Indie Campers enough. They were great!

Reference Resources

Park4night Website - https://park4night.com

Park4night App iOS / iPhone - https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/park4night-com/id430946556

Park4night App android - https://play.google.com/store/search?q=Park4night&c=apps&gl=IE

Indie Campers website - https://indiecampers.com

I found this instructional video for the Nomad on you tube. It has no audio but it still of use to provide information on how to use the van - https://youtu.be/YdPuvqhLIKg

Day 1 - Dublin to Italy

Our 1st day was a flight from Dublin Ireland to Treviso Airport landing at 5pm. Treviso Airport is a small regional airport close to Venice. You can also fly in to Marco Polo Airport depending on which airline you use services which airport in the area. We collected our checked bags (1 each) and then went straight to the taxi rank outside the terminal building.

Take a taxi from the airport to the van collection depot

When planning our trip we looked at other transfer options to get from the airport to the van collection depot. As the depot is located within an industrial development there are no other transportation options which pass by the depot. Indie Campers offer a shuttle bus collection service (at €50 per person), but at the time we travelled it was not from the airport, but from the centre of Venice. This means you still have to pay for some form of transport from the airport to Venice and then pay for the transfer bus from Venice to the Indie Campers depot. So, we chose to take a taxi from the airport directly to the collection depot which cost €80 at the time, which between the two of us was cheaper than the other transfer options, and took about 30 minutes.

When planning your trip factor in your flight arrival time and the time it will take you to collect your checked luggage and travel to the van collection depot. The depot we used closed at 6pm and they were calling me when we were in the taxi to ask what time we would arrive. We arrived at the depot after 6pm and there was 1 guy left at the depot. He was polite and okay with our late arrival but the fact that he was calling me demonstrated he understandably wanted to go home. You should be aware that collection and dropping off the van out of normal working hours is charged at an additional cost so don’t be late as you will spend about 1 hour 30 minutes at the depot being shown how to use the van and signing paperwork.

Make sure you can reach your 1st nights Park Up destination before darkness.

When we collected the van we had planned to drive quite a distance on the 1st evening to Monte Civetta, which would have taken 2 hours at a distance of 137km, so we would be in the right location for our 1st hike on Day 2. However, by the time we collected the van and got on the road it was well after 7pm and so we decided to go for plan B, which was Brian’s preferred option, drive to a town call Belluno. This journey took about 1 hour and by the time we arrived we were running out of day light. The Park Up we used was located in a public car park on the outskirts of the town centre. This park up location was not what I had imagined for our 1st park up in a wilderness amongst beautiful scenery but it was a good choice considering the time of day and close to the town allowing us to buy groceries. We walked in to the town to buy some basics food supplies, milk, bottled water, cheese, jam and cereal for breakfast and lunch the next day. By the time we finished shopping it was dark, raining and quite late so we grabbed a pizza and a beer in a small local diner, which was so cheap (€20 for a large pizza and large bottle of Italian Beer) and tasty and then headed back to the van for the night.

The Park Up In Belluno

Reference Resources

We collected our van from the depot located here - https://w3w.co/bout.larger.lettuce

The van we rented - The Nomad - https://indiecampers.com/rent-an-rv/venice/venice/2023-04-08/2023-04-15/nomad/offer/special

Day 2 - Belluno to Monte Civetta

First of all I should tell you that the roads and road network in the Dolomites is amazing. Large wide roads and motorways and the narrow mountain roads are all in good condition. I appreciate that we did not travel in the depths of winter but our experience was that the roads were completely clear and well maintained. We did not see many other camper vans at all throughout our trip, once again I expect that was because it was off season. The few campers we saw were mainly at the big tourist destinations or hiking hotspots and most of the people were long term travelling for months or a year rather than short term tourism. The larger motorways were toll roads and I had heard through my research that the tolls would be very expensive but this was not the case. All toll booths took credit or debit cards (we actually used Revolut cards) and the tolls were only a few euros each time. Most towns we passed through, and this was true for the entire week of travelling, were pretty much deserted of tourists and even the local people. We were told by one lady working in a bar that the locals go off on holiday between the end of the Ski season and the start of the summer season which means everything closes down for the month of May. When we did find restaurants open they were Pizzeria’s and I assume that this is because Pizza is fast and easy to cook and does not require many ingredients.

So, on Day 2 we woke about 8am and after breakfast in the van we drove 5 minutes up the road to a local supermarket we had seen the night before to stock up entirely on food supplies for 3 days. We then drove for approximately 2-3 hours to the start of a trail to hike for views of Monte Civetta. We parked the van up at the bottom of a ski slope, and headed off on a hike. We hiked for the afternoon up to the a Ski lift station. That’s probably the incorrect terminology as I do not Ski but we reached the highest point the ski lifts stopped in this particular location. We enjoyed the views for a couple of hours, I shot some photos and then we returned to the van late afternoon. After the hike we drove for about an hour exploring the towns / ski resorts in the area deciding then to stop for the night in a town as it had a Pizzeria open. We showered and changed in the van and went for dinner and a few beers.

Reference Resources

Belluno Park Up Location - Very cheap parking €2 per night https://w3w.co/slid.onwards.secondly

Belluno Town Centre - https://w3w.co/posed.hopping.snail

Large Supermarket in Belluno called “CONAD” - https://w3w.co/crate.basis.shocks

Day 3 - Cortina d’Ampezzo and Lake Misurina

The next morning we woke around 8am, had breakfast in the van, and set off for a day of exploration on the road. We drove through the various ski resorts and towns, amazed at how there were so few people around, following the winding roads through the mountains from town to town taking in the beautiful vistas all around us. The roads although steep and winding were never unsafe. We drove to Cortina d’Ampezzo which is one of the largest towns we visited during our trip. As we drove down in to valley we stopped at a viewing area with a picnic bench to enjoy views of the town and met a very nice local man who was with some friends who were in Italy visiting him. The man recommended we visit Lake Misurina but our intention was to find a camp site to stay for the night in Cortina. We drove on in to Cortina but unfortunately we found that all of the campsites were closed. We drove around several campsites, stopping to fill the van with fresh water outside of a roadside restaurant who were kind enough to allow us to do so, but we had no luck with the campsites. In one of the campsites in the centre of the town there were people using their stationary caravan’s but we buzzed the reception office door and there was no answer and nobody answered the telephone number we dialled which was in the window.

The view of Cortina d'Ampezzo as we approach from the mountains

When filling the van with fresh water do not leave the filler cap on the bumper!

When filling the van with water be very aware of where you set down the filler cap. The filler cap is not attached to the van with a plastic chord in the same way that a fuel filling cap is on most cars and vans. We removed the filler cap and became so preoccupied with the process of filling the tank and checking the level to ensure it was full before we left, we forgot to replace the filler cap in the filling point on the side of the van when leaving. Shortly after we had left the restaurants car park Brian realised our mistake and when we returned to the location about 30 minutes later we saw the remains of the crushed filler cap on the road which had obviously been run over by the passing traffic. At that point we realised we had set the cap down on the vans rear bumper when filling and it had fallen from the bumper as we pulled away on to the road. Over the next few days when passing through towns we stopped at shops and garages to see if we could buy a replacement water filler cap as we were worried about how much Indie Campers would charge us for the missing cap when we returned the van. We were unable to find a replacement during the rest of our trip and we actually had no need to worry. When we returned the van on our last day the lady checking back in the van was cool about the missing cap and we saw they had a box of new water fill caps to one side so our problem must have been a common occurrence.

We gave up hope of being able to stay in Cortina so headed out of the town to a Camp Site about 30 minutes north called the International Camping Olympia. The campsite was open but after talking with the camp site manager using the intercom at the entrance we established we could not check-in until 3pm. So, we drove back in to Cortina and parked up in the town for some lunch in a local dinner and some shopping from a supermarket. During our lunch Brian and I discussed the current state of the vans fresh water and power levels in the leisure batteries. As we had been driving the van for a large part of the day the leisure batteries were almost full again, and as we had just filled the water tank and the toilet had not been used allot, we decided we would wild camp for the night instead of using the camp site. We drove on to Lake Misurina following the recommendation from the nice local man we had met earlier which took about 30 minutes.

Lake Misurina is a beautiful location, a large lake surrounded by mountains and a handful of what looked like large houses and a couple of large hotels. When we arrived it had started to rain so I made some tea in the van and enjoyed the view of the lake until the rain stopped. It was obvious that Lake Misurina was a popular location as we had seen only a couple of camper vans so far during our trip but when we arrived at the lake there were several parked at the lake. I would expect that the lake area is incredibly busy with tourists and camper vans during the peak summer months.

Lake Misurina

The next day our plan was to hike up to the Three Peaks of Lavaredo and so after an hour or so looking around Lake Misurina we drove on a short distance to Lago Antomo stopping to empty our toilet on the way at a camper van park up area which had a toilet dump station. If you google Camper Van Toilet Dump Station Signs you will see the signs you should look out for on your trip. These dump stations or Aires are free to use.

When we arrived at Lago Antomo we were puzzled to find that the road from the lake to Rifugio Auronzo - Località Forcella Longeres and the 3 peaks of Lavaredo was closed with barriers by the local authorities. We had hoped to be able to drive closer to the Three Peaks and our hike location for tomorrow. Although tempted to drive around the barriers that evening we did not, so we parked up for the night at Lago Antomo, with several other camper vans and their occupants who also planned the same hike the next day as we did.

Lake Antomo

Throughout our trip we found that the Dolomites and towns we passed through were very clean, litter free and very well maintained. There was no chewing gum on the ground, graffiti or rubbish anywhere to be seen. Lake Misurina and was no exception but Lago Antomo was a location where we did see evidence of previous camper vans. We saw litter at the lake side and even some evidence of toilet waste in a small area of woodland near the lake which was very disappointing to say the least. When you take your trip please be respectful of your surroundings and other people. Take the time to plan your journeys so you do not run out of water, your toilet does not over fill or you do not run out of electrical power. This planning can seem like a daunting task but believe me with a little planning ahead you will easily get access to the resources you need.

Reference Resources

Cortina d’Ampezzo - https://w3w.co/penguin.funkier.flashing

The camp site we never actually stayed at - International Camping Olympia - https://w3w.co/soundman.cactus.freelance

Where we filled up with water (and lost our water cap) - https://w3w.co/positivity.tenses.collage

Lake Misurina here - https://w3w.co/stuntmen.greet.flatten

Great View as we approached Cortina d”Ampezzo - https://w3w.co/awakes.chimes.programmers

Where we parked up at Lago Antomo - https://w3w.co/nocturnal.freebie.timeless

Campervan Park Up and Toilet Dump Station we used - https://w3w.co/polisher.fewest.testers

Day 4 - Three Peaks Of Lavaredo

The Three Peaks Of Lavaredo

We woke at 8am inside a very cold camper van, caused by the fact we were now at quite a high altitude so over night the temperatures had dropped significantly. We turned on the heating of the van and after 15 minutes the van was nice and warm while we ate our breakfast. It was yet another beautifully sunny day with clear blue skies. As we put on our boots and packed our back packs with lunch there were many other hikers and camper van occupants walking buy setting off on the hike we were about to start. We set off through the road barriers and hiked the 6km to from Lago Antomo to Rifugio Auronzo - Località Forcella Longeres, which is at the very base of the Three Peaks of Lavaredo. The first 4km was on winding tarmac road and the last 2km were covered in snow to above our ankles which explained why the road had been closed at Lago Antomo. As we continued to hike the mountains around us were covered with a blanket of snow and as we approach Rifugio Auronzo a snow plough driver was working to clear the road from Rifugio Auronzo.

If there is plenty of snow and if you do not have hiking boots stick to the road to reach Rifugio Auronzo.

As we hiked we saw many others taking the same hike but in regular trainers or soft shoes. If you are going to hike during your trip bring appropriate footwear. In the summer months I think you could use trail running shoes but if there will be snow I would recommend hiking boots of some sort with ankle support. If you do not have boots then stick to the tarmac road to reach the Rigugio. The dirt tracks you will see provide a shorter and steeper route but we saw several people attracted to the short cuts coming out the other side walking in just very wet socks, having lost both their shoes or trainers which were sucked off of their feet in the deep snow and muddy ground.

When the snow clears later in May or June it is possible to drive from Lago Antomo to Rifugio Auronzo. However, there is a road toll on the way and Camper Vans are not allowed through the toll barriers, although as long as you can find a parking space, and there are not many at all, you could park at the toll barriers and walk the rest of the way.

At Refugio Auronzo there is another 7km hike around the Three Peaks of Lavaredo. The trail route is directly at the foot of the mountains so has sections with steep falls to one side. After a short rest and shooting some photos at Rifugio Auronzo we set off again but almost immediately the trail was covered in snow. To get by the snow we were forced to walk along the exposed edge and a long fall down the mountain. At this point my vertigo kicked in big time so I decided to stay at Refugio Auronzo while Brian walked on with many other hikers around the Three Peaks. I ate my lunch and drank some water while enjoying the sunshine and the stunning views and then broke out my camera and drone to get some video footage and shots of the mountains.

Unfortunately, Brian never got to complete the 7km loop of the 3 Peaks. He and the majority of the hikers had to turn back as the snow was getting up to 3 feet deep and there were also some people getting trapped up to their waste in snow slipping on to the trail from the mountain. By this time I had burned through 3 drone batteries and shot many photographs, a couple of time lapses and Brian and I met up again. We then hiked the 6km back to the van at Lago Antomo. After a short rest in the van we drove on to our next destination, Lago di Braise which took about 1 hour as we stopped at a lake on the road side call Dürrensee to check out the views. On arrival at Lago di Braise we parked up for the night. It was dusk at this stage so we showered and changed and walked about 1 km back down the road to eat dinner at a local restaurant. We had a beer, dumplings for starter, the food was pricey but amazing, and well deserved after our day. It was the 1st time we had found a restaurant which was not only serving pizza. After dinner we walked back to the van and bedded down for the night at Lago di Braise.

Reference Resources

Rifugio Auronzo - Località Forcella Longeres - https://w3w.co/freights.preferably.rock

Three Peaks Of Lavaredo - https://w3w.co/thrillers.teach.sloths

Road Toll between Lago Antomo and Rifugio Auronzo - https://w3w.co/obeys.scream.convenience

Lake at Dürrensee on route to Lago di Braise - https://w3w.co/childbirth.posse.corks

Lago di Braise Park up location - https://w3w.co/marinas.adventurer.expressway

Where we ate dinner “Gasthof Albergo Restaurant” - https://w3w.co/rants.tells.wits

Day 5 - Lago di Braise

Cell phone coverage not a problem

When planning our trip we were concerned about the prospect of having very limited or even no cell phone coverage when driving or even hiking in the mountains but we need not have been concerned. Brian brought his Garmin GPS tracking device on the trip but throughout the trip we noticed we had rock solid mobile network coverage. This was a surprise to us but probably makes sense considering millions of people Ski high in the Dolomites every winter so network providers must have invested in infrastructure and cell phone towers high in the mountains to ensure the tourists have coverage. I obviously cannot guarantee that you will have cell coverage on your trip so please take your own precautions and plan accordingly. I can only tell you we had no issues, even on the highest points of our mountain hikes we had 4G coverage.

Lago di Braise was a location I really wanted to capture photographs of at sunrise. So I woke at 5am dressed quickly and left the van with my camera bag. Day light was just beginning and I walked the short walk from the van to the lake and set up to shoot the beautiful vista at sunrise. There was absolutely nobody at the lake at this hour until about 30 minutes in to shooting the lake a young couple appeared from the adjacent hotel and waked down the jetty in to the middle of the lake. I quickly realised what was about to happen and after a few quick thoughts about their privacy I shot photographs of the gentleman proposing to the lady. I guessed that they might like to have the photographs of their big life event. I was fortunate to capture the moment for them and after walking over to meet and congratulate them they gave me their email address for me to send them the photographs after my trip. They were delighted to have their big moment captured on camera and I was delighted to capture it for them.

Walking around the lake is a must!

The couple returned to their hotel I continued to shoot the lake for an hour and then returned to the camper van for breakfast. While we were at the van a parking attendant called by to collect €10 parking fee along with a few other camper vans which had arrived during the night. After breakfast we left the van to walk the lake. There is a dirt trail around the lake which is an easy stroll for pretty much anyone who can handle walking and some stairs and this is a must-do if you visit the lakes it is incredibly beautiful.

After we walked the lake we left Lago di Braise and drove for the rest of the day touring the mountains and through the towns on route. We stopped in a small town for some food supplies in a local supermarket and then kept going. At this stage of our trip we decided we had to find a camp site. After finding a couple that were closed we finally found a campsite which was open in a stunning setting with amazing facilities.

This campsite was beautiful with amazing facilities!

The campsite was called “Ansitz Wildberg” and I was hugely impressed. Brian warned me that based on his previous years camper van holiday experience with his family, I should not expect all campsites to be like this one. Antsitz Wildberg is an old family run farm which has converted the farm house builds and some of its land in to a campsite. The main building is beautifully converted to office, check in facilities with beautiful apartments above. There are 3 areas to park the camper van with 3 different grades of camping pitch available. The more expensive pitches have more space for you and your van to spread out with outdoor seats and tables for example. As we were only staying 1 night and it was off peak the campsite was not busy so we chose the cheapest pitches (€34 for 1 night) and had nobody around us. I felt this was quite expensive considering it was off peak season but we needed to recharge the van’s batteries, replenish the water tank and also we had not found any camp sites open until now. The owner / manager who checked me in handed me a beautifully presented booklet and he marked on the map our pitch location and the new shower block which he said they had recently built. We parked up the van, connected up the mains power, filled the water tank with fresh water and then I headed to the shower block with my towel and wash bag. The shower block was indeed brand new, spotlessly clean, with a look and feel of a 4 star hotel. There were large rooms inside the shower block which were individual private shower rooms with plenty of space to shower and then step out of the shower and get dressed. After my shower I took a look around the rest of the building to find other large rooms with rows of individual sinks and mirrors plus washing machines for you to do your laundry if needed. I returned to the van very impressed by the facilities and then Brian and I went in to the local town, San Lorenzo di Sebato, for dinner which was less than a 10 minute walk from the campsite. After dinner and a beer we returned to the van, had another beer, and then off to bed around 10pm.

Reference Resources

Lago di Braies - https://w3w.co/bind.secrets.blends

The Campsite we used - https://w3w.co/occupiers.exiled.preventable

Campsite Website - www.campingwildberg.com

Location to empty the toilet within the campsite - https://w3w.co/griddled.hindered.attitudes

Where we ate dinner “Alte Post Resturant” - https://w3w.co/restriction.jammer.pending

The town next to the campsite - San Lorenzo di Sebato Saint Lorenzo - https://w3w.co/blending.tactical.background

Local Supermarket in San Lorenzo di Sebato - Conad - https://w3w.co/pull.paybacks.books

Day 6 - Mount Seceda

The next morning we woke to another beautifully sunny day. There were chickens and a rooster walking by our van and I saw the man who checked us in the day before taking a Shetland pony out of the barn next to the main reception building for 4 young children to brush down and stroke. I decided that I would come back to this camp site one day for sure.

After breakfast we packed up the van, topped up with fresh water again, emptied the vans cassette toilet and then with the van fully reset and ready to go we left the campsite at about 9am heading for our next destination for a day hiking to mount Seceda. We drove for about 2 hours to Col Raiser and parked the van in a carpark at the bottom of a ski lift station.

Once again the roads were great with a mixture of motorway and single lane roads all of which were modern and in good condition. Brian had suggested on route that if the cable cars were running we could ride the cable car to the top of the mountain and hike back down again.

The Car Park at Col Raiser

On arrival we saw the cable cars moving so were hopeful this would be possible, only to be disappointed to find the cable cars were being worked on by maintenance crews so not running for public use.

No ski lifts open in the summer months.

Throughout our trip we saw no ski lifts working, the lift cars were all stationary or even removed from the cable systems entirely and stored for the summer at the ski lift station in the car parks, so don’t plan to use ski lifts as part of your trip in the summer months.

After my failed attempt to drive the camper van up a steep narrow dirt track to get closer to the start of our hike route I parked the van once again in the ski lift car park at Col Raise and then set off on our hike. This hike was the most difficult hike we undertook on the trip, hiking in 27 Degree heat up what were the steep inclines and woodlands which would have been packed with skiers 4 weeks ago. There was no snow left on the ground apart from the snow we could see at the very top of the mountains around us.

Brian had set off ahead of me while I attempted my van parking debacle and being allot fitter than me he was long gone in to the distance. I hiked for about 3 hours stopping every now and again to enjoy and photograph the beautiful vistas and take on some water. The scenery once again was stunningly beautiful although it was a strange experience hiking past deserted ski chalets, large restaurants and hotels closed up with only CCTV cameras to watch over them. I stopped at a particularly large hotel and restaurant and ate my lunch alone on the terrace of the hotel enjoying the silence on one of the hotels terraces. I then flew my drone to get some video of Seceda and the surrounding mountains and shot some photographs and time lapses. I hiked on for another hour or so while sending and receiving What’s App messages from Brian to check on each others progress, once again the mobile phone network coverage was rock solid. By now Brian had reach the Secede Ridge Line and was enjoying the views and his lunch.

It was now 3pm and Brian was on his way back down. I packed up my camera bag and just started to head back down the mountain to meet Brian at the van when by shear luck he came through a tree line. After we caught up on what he had seen up at the ridge line we hiked back down the mountain to the camper van. By the time we reach the van at Col Raiser it was around 5pm and we were both tired and hungry. We had been contemplating driving back to the campsite we had stayed at the night before but we decided to park up for the night in the car park of the Col Raise Ski Lift station. So we moved the van to a level area of the car park, showered, changed, and then we walked in to the town nearby to find dinner. Once again the town was empty and everything was closed. We asked a couple of locals if they could direct us to a restaurant but they told us everything was closed as it was off season. We were about to give up and head back to the van to cook up some pasta when I spotted in the distance at the far end of the town some white festoon lighting. Tired and hungry we walked on to investigate the source of the lights and we found a small bar open with a lady behind the bar and 1 customer sitting at the bar visible through the large window. We were delighted to be told we could have beer and flat bread sandwiches so we ordered a beer and 2 flat breads sandwiches each and sat in their outdoor dining area while we ate.

As the Dolomites straddle the borders of many countries including Switzerland, Austria and Italy it should have come as no surprise to us (but it did) that as we travelled from town to town the architecture of the buildings changed. Almost every building was constructed from timber, which was not a surprise as the Dolomites are covered in huge areas of forests. At the start of our trip on the Italian side of the Dolomites Italian was obviously the spoken language and the beer in the supermarkets was also Italian. As the week passed we found German was the language of choice, the architecture was all of a sudden Bavarian and the beer in the supermarkets was German. The lady who served us in the bar spoke German 1st but then also Italian if needed but also had excellent English. Only to be expected in a location where all nationalities flock each year to enjoy the Ski season.

After our meal and a 2nd beer we headed back to the van and slept soundly until the next morning.

Reference Resources

Col Raise Ski Lift Station - https://w3w.co/versatility.reclaims.shepherdess

Seceda Ridgeline - https://w3w.co/periscopes.confesses.princess

Where we parked the van for the night at Col Raise - https://w3w.co/phone.falling.goals

The only restaurant open for dinner - Bar Cafe 2000 - https://w3w.co/hardens.devolves.exporters

Day 7 - Last Full Day In The Van

This was our last full day and as we had hiked yesterday the goal for today was sight seeing and ensuring we did not have too far to drive tomorrow morning to reach the Indie Campers depot back near Venice to drop off the van. I had 1 particular location I wanted to visit and photograph and then we would start to travel south towards Venice and get as far as we could before we parked up for the last night in the camper van.

We had been concerned about parking up for the night in the Col Raise Ski Lift car park but we had no need to worry. At peak season we would definitely have been told to move on and find somewhere else to stay for the night but we were not disturbed and apart from our van the car park was empty. We slept soundly and woke again around 8:30am to eat what had become our breakfast for the week of cereal, roles with butter and jam and hot tea and coffee.

Church of Saint. John

After breakfast we set off and drove for about 1 hour to the Church of St John which is a beautiful tiny and very simple little church located within a stunning setting surrounded by hills and mountains. We parked in the car park of a small restaurant called Waldschenke which is a car park not only used for patrons of the restaurant but also for those visiting the church. When we arrived at the car park there was another camper van which had been parked up for the night and I immediately had some regrets that we did not drive to this location the night before to allow me to shoot photographs of the church at sunrise. By the time we arrived it was late morning and the sun was high in the sky behind some cloud.

After spending about 2 hours photographing, taking in the church and its surroundings we headed back to the van and set off for the last afternoon and night in the van. We drove for approximately 3 hours and the last hour of this journey we climbed in altitude across a mountain and down the other side in thick fog. We reached a town, again empty of people, and arrived at a campsite on the far side of the town. This campsite was very basic which had a gravel stone surface, no showers, camper van pitches marked with power hook up and water fill stations around the perimeter, a central shed with large wheelie bins to dispose of rubbish and a concrete drainage area inside the shed to empty the grey water and toilet waste from our van.

We decided we would empty the vans toilet in the morning before we leave and Brian decided to go for a walk in to the town while I stayed at the van and drank tea while dumping video footage and photos from my camera and drone on to my hard drive while at the same time shooting a time-lapse of the mountains and fog immediately in front of the camp site. During this time a very nice lady arrived in her car and politely asked how many nights we would be staying and then asked for €12 payment to stay at the campsite for the night. After taking payment and writing me out a receipt she drove off after warning me that we had parked our van in an area where the street lighting did not work and she asked if I wanted to move the van to the opposite side of the campsite to ensure we had lighting outside the van. I thanked the lady but I never moved the van as we were happy enough where we parked and were not worried about having no lighting outside the van.

The rest of that night was uneventful but very cold. After the week on the road we were both very tired. So tired I forgot to record the location of the town and campsite we stayed at for our last night. We relaxed in the van drank a bottle of beer and Brian made a lovely pasta dish for dinner. We very quickly dropped off to sleep as the temperatures plummeted once again due to the high altitude.

Reference Resources

Church Of Saint John - https://w3w.co/someone.deluges.suckled

Day 8 - Time To Go Home

This was end of what had been an amazing experience. The Dolomites are an incredible and vast vista. A photographers and outdoor enthusiasts heaven on earth with every inch of the landscape oozing beauty.

Brian and I are both Project Managers by profession and so prior to our trip we had several zoom calls after we booked the trip trying, as project managers do, to plan for every aspect of the trip and worrying about almost anything which could happen or go wrong. Were the roads going to be in bad condition or covered in snow? Were we going to be hiking knee deep in snow or would the snow have melted? What clothing should we take on the trip, would we need clothes for the extreme cold all day every day or would summer hiking clothing be okay? Would we be able to find campsites and replenish the van or would we run out of water and electricity every other day? We worried and planned but we should have not worried at all. Living in the van for the week was an amazing experience allowing us to wake up somewhere new and beautiful every day. It allowed us to see infinitely more than we would have seen if we had based ourselves in a hotel, Air BnB.

Reference Resources

Church of St John - https://w3w.co/pierced.snuffles.gasp

Waldschenke Restaurant Location we parked close to Church of St John - https://w3w.co/servicing.icon.obstructing

Go Ahead, book your trip, you won’t regret it.

We had a trip which we will never ever forget and a trip we hope to repeat again one day in the Dolomites and other locations in Europe.

If you are thinking of taking trip to visit the Dolomites, or anywhere for that matter, I strongly recommend a camper van as a home and mode of transport if you want to cover allot of ground, travel in relative comfort and wake up somewhere different every day. If you want to experience the outdoors more then a camper van is the perfect solution. Plan your trip but do not over plan. Sometimes the best plan is to have no plan and just take in the journey as it happens.

So go ahead - don’t wait - book your trip. You will regret it if you don’t!