Challenging7 daysItaly
Dolomites High Route
Hut to hut beneath pale limestone towers, with two short via ferrata sections for those who want them and a rest day in a valley village.
From$2,190 per person
View trek: Dolomites High RouteSmall-group treks since 2014
Earn the view,one ridge at a time.
Eight hikers at most, a guide who grew up on these trails, and every bed, meal, and transfer arranged before you land.
Dolomites High Route, first light
About Cairn
We walk slowly, in small groups, with people who know the way home.
Cairn started in 2014 with one guide, one route, and six friends who wanted to see the Dolomites without a coach tour. We now run thirty-one routes on four continents, and the rules have not changed: no more than eight hikers per guide, local guides paid fairly, and days planned around the walk rather than the timetable.
- Hikers guided
- 12,400+
- Average rating
- 4.9/5
- Years on the trail
- 12
- Kilometers walked together
- 186,000
- Routes on four continents
- 31
- Guests who come back
- 64%
Treks
Routes we know by heart
Our guides walk every route each season, so the timings, huts, and water stops you get are current.
- Strenuous9 daysChile
Patagonia Lakes Circuit
Granite spires, glacier-fed lakes, and long days in the wind. Camp is pitched before you arrive, with hot dinners in a dome tent.
From$3,450 per person
View trek: Patagonia Lakes Circuit - Easy6 daysIreland
Kerry Headlands Walk
Cliff paths, sea stacks, and green headlands, ending each day at a family guesthouse with a fire and a proper dinner.
From$1,390 per person
View trek: Kerry Headlands Walk - Moderate7 daysPortugal
Madeira Cliff and Levada Trail
Old water channels lead along steep green cliffs above the Atlantic, with sea swims in the afternoons and nights in quiet farm guesthouses.
From$1,690 per person
View trek: Madeira Cliff and Levada Trail - Moderate6 daysRomania
Carpathian Beech Trek
Old beech woods, shepherd huts, and open ridges in autumn color, led by a local naturalist who knows every track in the mud.
From$1,290 per person
View trek: Carpathian Beech Trek - Moderate8 daysJapan
Kii Mountains Cedar Path
Stone steps through tall cedar forest between mountain shrines, with nights in family inns and baths fed by hot springs.
From$2,640 per person
View trek: Kii Mountains Cedar Path - Moderate6 daysMorocco
Atlas Valleys Traverse
Red earth villages, walnut groves, and mule trails over high passes, with Amazigh guides and mint tea at every stop.
From$1,290 per person
View trek: Atlas Valleys Traverse - Moderate5 daysJordan
Jordan Sandstone Canyons
Narrow canyons, sandstone arches, and two nights under the stars at a desert camp run by the family who guides you.
From$1,480 per person
View trek: Jordan Sandstone Canyons
What's included
We carry the logistics. You carry a day pack.
One price covers the walk and everything around it, from the airport pickup to the last dinner.
Expert local guides
Every guide was born in the region they lead, holds a wilderness first aid certificate, and walks the route each season before you do.
Technical gear
Poles, helmets, crampons, and sleeping bags, checked after every trip.
Door-to-trailhead transfers
We meet you at the airport, drive you to the start, and take you back.
Mountain meals
Breakfast and dinner at huts and inns, a packed lunch for the trail, and a stove for tea at the top.
Small groups
Eight hikers per guide at most, so the pace fits the people.
Flexible dates
Move your trek for free up to 60 days before you start.
Gallery
Postcards from the trail
Moments our guests sent home this season, from first light on the ridges to the last stars over camp.
Guides
Guides who grew up on the trail
- Wilderness first respondersEvery guide holds an 80-hour wilderness first aid certificate, renewed every two years.
- Born in the ranges they guideThey lead the valleys they grew up in, in their first language, and know who to call.
Chiara Dalpiaz
Dolomites, Italy
- Years guiding
- 14
- Languages
- Italian, German, English
- Certified in
- Mountain leader, Via ferrata
Tomás Aguilar
Patagonia, Chile
- Years guiding
- 11
- Languages
- Spanish, English
- Certified in
- Mountain leader, Glacier travel
Aoife Brennan
Kerry, Ireland
- Years guiding
- 9
- Languages
- Irish, English, French
- Certified in
- Coastal leader, Sea rescue
Youssef Amrani
High Atlas, Morocco
- Years guiding
- 16
- Languages
- Tamazight, Arabic, French, English
- Certified in
- Mountain guide, Desert navigation
How it works
From first click to first summit
Booking takes about ten minutes. After that, your guide and our planning team take care of the rest, and you get a clear plan for every day on the trail.
Choose a route
Filter by terrain, length, and difficulty, or tell us what you have in mind and we will suggest two or three routes that fit.
Reserve a place
A 20% deposit holds your spot. The balance is due 60 days before you start, and you can move your dates for free until then.
Get ready
You get a packing list for your route, a training plan, and a video briefing with your guide two weeks before you fly.
Walk with your guide
We meet you at the airport. From there your guide handles the route, the weather calls, and the dinner tables.
Reviews
Home again, still talking about it
What guests wrote after their last day on the trail.
4.9Out of 5, from 1,860 reviews
Chiara knew every hut keeper by name. I have been on guided trips before, but never one where a group of seven strangers felt like friends by the second evening.
Margot L.Dolomites High Route, September 2025 The packing list was spot on and the briefing call answered questions I did not know I had. Youssef set a pace that worked for me at 64 and for my son at 31.
Ruth A.Atlas Valleys Traverse, April 2026 We had two days of wind and rain, and Tomás rebuilt the plan both mornings without any fuss. We still saw the towers on the one clear day, and it was worth every wet sock.
Daniel K.Patagonia Lakes Circuit, February 2026
Journal
Notes from the journal
- Gear
- Training
- Routes
FAQ
Questions before you go
Still deciding?
Write to us with your dates and the kind of walking you enjoy. A guide, not a sales team, will answer within one working day.
Talk to a guideEach trek has a difficulty rating. Easy and Moderate routes suit anyone who walks often and can manage five to six hours on foot with breaks. Challenging and Strenuous routes add longer climbs and some exposed ground, so we send a training plan when you book.