Day 2 : Rifugio Garelli to Limonetto

Long trek, but pleasant. There is no water source along the way, except at Chalet le Marmotte, and there is a lot of open terrain, so bring plenty of water along.

Starts with a gentle ascent to Colle del Prel (1925m) and Passo del Duca (1989m), with impressive karst landscape. From there continue along the clear path; soon you see Cappanna Morgantini some distance above you in the mountains. The path take you to the hut (not open to guests; it is a base for scientific exploration of the caves in the area), and up to Colle Piana di Malaberga (2219m). From there, you basically follow a mountain range, with moderate ups and downs between the various passes. In bad weather, the old military (gravel) road provides an alternative (longer, but more level) route to Colle di Tenda. There are several forts in the area; after Colle della Perla, there is a sign for Fort Pepin (which you have seen from a distance), but the main route continues along the ridge and finally descends with views of Fort Central, which lies on a small peak near Colle di Tenda. The official route goes via the fort and down behind it, crossing the road, but we took a small detour to Chalet le Marmotte, for a drink and a bit of rest; there is a path from behind the chalet, cutting through the field back to the main route (NB: go down before crossing the stream; the GPS track follows the wrong side of the stream). There are some houses in the upper valley, including Hotel Arrucador, which has good reviews, but a bit on the pricey side.

Continue down, partially following the piste and partially by trails to reach Limonetto. The main accommodation is a few km down the road, closer to Limone. We stayed in Hotel Edelweiss, a pleasant hotel with excellent food; if you call them, they are likely to come pick you up in Limonetto, so that you don't have to search for the hotel. If not, follow the road out of Limonetto (down), but take a left turn near the last few houses, to follow the old roman road that shortcuts a few turns. Upon reaching the main road (busy) turn right, and Hotel Edelweiss is a few 100 m along the road, just around the next curve or two.