TOUR RATINGS

Whether you are an experienced hiker or a beginner, choosing the right hike is essential for a safe and rewarding experience. Our programs are designed to meet every type of need, adjusting to your fitness level and preferences. Below you will find a detailed description of the different difficulty levels, which will help you identify the hiking tour that best suit you.
Our tour rating is determined by two main factors: "Technical difficulty" and "Physical effort". Each aspect is evaluated to provide a comprehensive view of the challenge that an hiking tour may present.
The "Technical difficulty" refers to the complexity of the trail in relation to various parameters that directly affect the skills required to tackle it. These include: terrain type, vegetation, required experience, objective difficulties, navigation skills, etc.
The "Physical effort" describes the level of energy, endurance, and strength needed to complete the hike and takes into account: walking distance, elevation gain, and hours of walking.
TREKKING
The term Trekking comes from the Dutch word "trekken," which means to walk or undertake a long journey. A "Trek" was the long journeys made by European settlers who had settled in Southern Africa during their movements in search of fertile land. Today, when we talk about trekking, we refer to hike that can last up to a couple of days, moving from one place to another.

LEVEL 1 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 3 | LEVEL 4 | |
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY | Day hikes from a basecamp hotel, particularly suitable for a first active holiday experience. The hikes develop primarily on well-maintained and marked forest roads or paths, and no prior mountain experience is required. The itineraries do not go beyond the tree line and typically reach a maximum altitude of 2300 meters. You will only need to bring the essentials for a half-day hike excursion. The programs are suitable for everyone, including families with children. | Hut-to-hut itineraries, previous experience with day hikes, preferably in mountain environments, is required. No prior experience with multi-day hikes is necessary. The trails extend beyond the tree line and may reach rocky areas, while still following well-marked paths. There are no technical difficulties, but some programs include short sections of protected (barriers) or equipped (ropes) trails designed to ensure the safety of hikers. Some programs of this level are suitable for children from 8 years old. | Hut-to-hut itineraries that require prior experience with multi-day hikes in mountain environments, as well as good physical fitness. The trails reach high-altitude areas with no vegetation, passes, and possible summits accessible via hiking paths that do not require alpine skills. The tours may include exposed trail sections and protected (barriers) or equipped (ropes) passages designed to ensure hikers' safety. The trails are mostly well-maintained and marked but feature long ascents and descents, sometimes steep, as well as sections on less visible terrain such as moraines, snowfields, or open slopes that require a steady step and a lack of vertigo. Basic mountain navigation skills are required. Depending on environmental conditions, equipment (crampons) will be provided for crossing any snowfields. Some programs at this level are suitable for children from 13 years old. | Hut-to-hut itineraries suitable only for experienced hikers. Advanced physical preparation and prior hiking experience on complex terrain are required. The trails may be rough or poorly marked, and some sections are on rugged or unstable terrain that requires a steady step and a lack of vertigo. Exposed passages may require the use of via ferrata equipment, as well as crampons for crossing snowfields, which will be provided by the organization. Navigation skills and the ability to read a topographic map are essential. |
PHYSICAL EFFORT | Up to 4 hours of hiking, with a distance between 5-8 km, and a total elevation gain of no more than 500 meters. | Up to 4-5 hours of hiking, with a distance between 8-13 km, and an average positive elevation gain around 500-700 meters. | Up to 5-7 hours of hiking (8 hours in exceptional cases), typical distances ranging from 10 to 15 km, with an average positive elevation gain around 700-1000 meters. | Over 7 hours of hiking, a total distance of more than 15 km, and a positive elevation gain greater than 1,000 meters. |
VIA FERRATA

The Via Ferrata is a trail equipped with cables, ladders, rungs, and other safety devices that allow you to walk safely in rocky environments. It is a climbing route for hikers who wish to challenge vertical or exposed terrain without having specific climbing skills. During the route, you are attached to a safety cable using the appropriate via ferrata kit.
LEVEL 1 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 3 | LEVEL 4 | |
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY | Equipped routes with limited exposure and long stretches of hiking. Excellent fixed protections, mainly consisting of metal ropes or chains, used solely to enhance safety. Hiking experience in mountain environments is required. | Via ferrata routes that may include gullies, chimneys, and short vertical sections where chains, ropes, stirrups, and ladders assist with progression. Itineraries suitable for a first via ferrata experience, provided you have prior hiking experience in mountain environments, a steady step, and no fear of heights. | Via ferrata routes that require prior technical experience. The itineraries may include long vertical passages or overhangs, which can be tackled with ropes, chains, stirrups, and ladders. A lack of vertigo is essential, and good physical preparation is required. | These programs feature many exposed sections and sequences that require excellent fitness and progression technique. The itineraries are vertical, and the overhangs are equipped with few artificial fixtures; often, there is only a single metal rope with step pegs. |
PHYSICAL EFFORT | Up to 4 hours of hiking, with a distance between 5-8 km, and a total elevation gain of no more than 500 meters. | Up to 4-5 hours of hiking, with a distance between 8-13 km, and an average positive elevation gain around 500-700 meters. | Up to 5-7 hours of hiking (8 hours in exceptional cases), typical distances ranging from 10 to 15 km, with an average positive elevation gain around 700-1000 meters. | Over 7 hours of hiking, a total distance of more than 15 km, and a positive elevation gain greater than 1,000 meters. |
MOUNTAINEERING - HIGH MOUNTAIN
Mountaineering is a discipline closely related to the exploration of high mountains, typically above 3,000 meters. High-altitude tours involve climbing summits, as well as crossing glaciers or equipped sections. High physical and technical preparation is required, along with the use of specific equipment such as crampons, ice axes, ropes, and harnesses.

LEVEL 1 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 3 | LEVEL 4 | |
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY | Tours suitable for experienced hikers interested in a first mountaineering experience. They require a steady step and no fear of heights to tackle possible short sections on ridges or rocks. Prior knowledge of technical equipment is not required. | Tours that require a steady step and no fear of heights. The hikes take place on firn or moderately steep icy terrain, with sections on ridges and rock. A basic knowledge of glacier progression with crampons is recommended. Previous experience with via ferrata or climbing can help in more easily tackling technical sections, which, in short stretches, are rated as grade II. | Tours that require prior experience in high-altitude mountaineering. The daily hikes are quite long, and good focus is necessary to tackle the technical sections along the route. The hikes take place on firn or moderately steep icy terrain, with sections on ridges and rock. There may be short stretches of rock climbing rated grade II or II+, some of which are equipped. | Tours for experienced mountaineers that require a good command of crampon and ice axe techniques on exposed and steep terrain, with sections having inclines greater than 45°. Mastery of rope maneuvers and the ability to tackle sections of grade III climbing are required. |
PHYSICAL EFFORT | Up to 5 hours of hiking per day or a positive elevation gain of up to 800 meters. | Up to 7 hours of walking per day or an average positive elevation gain of up to 1000 meters. | Up to 9 hours of walking per day or an average positive elevation gain of up to 1200 meters. | Over 9 hours of walking per day or a positive elevation gain of over 1200 meters. |