Nature holiday in Majella National Park, Italy with SNP Naturreizen
Tour type:
individual
Tour operator:
Park:
Highlights of the holiday
During this nature focused walking trip travellers experience Majella National Park at its best: impressive limestone massifs, clear streams, endless beech forests, skyscraping mountain peaks. We learn about its most typical species: wolf, chamois, deer and otter. All this is combined with visits to ancient monasteries and charming towns.
The tour is organised by the Dutch tour operator SNP Naturreizen.
Holiday type
- walking tour
- day walks
- guided trip
Duration of holiday
9 days
Activities by days
Day 1 – Travel to Majella National Park
Flight from Amsterdam to Rome and transfer to Caramanico Terme.
Day 2 – Canyon walk, visiting Caramanico Terme and search for otters
We start the day with a short visit to the Information Centre of Majella National Park. Then we hike through the gorge of River Orfento cutting its way through a limestone massif. We explore amazing nature: clear water, unusual rock formations and a variety of plants characteristics for the canyon. Length of hike: 3.5 km, altitude: 150 m, duration: 1.5 hours.
After walking around in the charming town of Caramanico Terme we travel to Decontra, where you can walk through an undulating landscape to the canyon of River San Spirito and can also explore the hermitage of San Bartolomeo. Length of walk: 5 km, altitude: 150 m, duration: 2.5 hours. To end the day we visit the venue of the most successful otter reintroduction project in Italy.
Day 3 – Enjoying mountain scenery and learning about plants of Majella
We walk from beech forests to mountain meadows above Lama Bianca. In spring mountains are covered with wildflowers, in autumn the colours are brilliant. We are surrounded by skyscraping mountain peaks of Majella. Length of the hike: 7.5 km, altitude: 300 m, duration: 3 to 3.5 hours. Afterwards we drive to Roccacaramanico and Sant'Eufemia, where we take a walk in the largest botanical garden of Majella.
Day 4 – Walk to admire mountains in close-up
We drive to Brunu Pomilio refuge where we start our walk over a ridge toward Monte Cavallo (2171 m). In clear weather we have the view of the Adriatic Sea and the peaks of the Majella, Abruzzo, Gran Sasso massifs. Length of the hike: 10 km, altitude: 300 m, duration: 4 hours. In the afternoon we travel to our accommodation in Passo Lanciano to enjoy a pool and sauna relaxing our muscles.
Day 5 – Species day: deer and wolf
We drive to the village of Serramonacesca to visit the 11th century Abbey of San Liberatore. From the Abbey we hike in a fairytale valley once occupied by hermits. Length of the walk: 2 km, altitude: 50 m, duration: 1 hour. At the end of this short walk we arrive at the fauna park of deer to learn about the species typical for the area. In the afternoon we visit the hermit church of Sant Onofrio. Length of the walk: 2.5 km, altitude: 150 m, duration: 1.5 hours. In the afternoon we learn about symbol of the park: the Appenine wolf with the opportunity to see the species in a fauna park.
Day 6 – Forest walk and leisure time in Palena
After a short transfer we hike through a beautiful beech forest to descend to a small church and more open landscape. Length of walk: 6.5 km, altitude: 50 m uphill and 300 m downhill, duration: 3 hours. The afternoon is at leisure in Palena.
Day 7 – Day hike in Majella
We start walking after a short transfer to enjoy the views and the amazing flora of Majella and descend through a beech forest. Length of walk: 13 km, altitude: 200 m uphill and 450 m downhill; duration: 5 hours.
Day 8 – Getting to know chamois and canyon walk
In the morning we learn about the chamois reintroduction program and the natural habitats of the species during a visit to their reintroduction project site. Then we travel to the ’pasta-capital’ of Italy: Fara San Martino to hike in a beautiful canyon.
Day 9 – Travel to Amsterdam
Transfer to Rome airport. Depending on flight schedule we take a walk to admire the beautiful Bosco San Antonio, millennial beech forests. Flight to Amsterdam.
Supporting wilderness conservation
By participating in this trip you support the PAN Parks Foundation and thus financially contribute to the protection of Europe’s wilderness, the continent’s most undisturbed areas of nature.
More on what the PAN Parks Foundation does
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