Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park is the largest protected area in South Tyrol and part of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site. At its heart are the broad plateaux of Fanes and Senes, ringed by Dolomite walls and marked by striking karst features: limestone pavements, sinkholes, swallow holes and caves. Around them lie alpine lakes, high pastures and silent valleys, a place of real natural value where the pale rock runs the show.
What makes this corner of the Dolomites stand out is also its myth. The Fanes area is the setting of the Ladin legends about a mysterious people and its princesses, a story that even ties into nearby Lake Braies, from which, the tale says, a passage opens down to the underground refuge of the Fanes. In practice, a dense trail network crosses the park, dotted with refuges that make multi-day traverses possible, like the ones along Alta Via number one. The most famous way in is Lake Braies, but the interior holds lonely landscapes loved by anyone after real mountain wilderness.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park special?
It's the largest protected area in South Tyrol, with karst plateaux, alpine lakes and refuges, and it's bound up with the old Ladin legends of the kingdom of Fanes, which tie into the story of nearby Lake Braies.
How do you access the park?
The best-known way in is Lake Braies, but the park has many trails and refuges you can reach from other valleys in the Pusteria area and Alta Badia.