Italy - Walking holiday in Sardinia - incl. car rental

You arrive to the Airport in Sardinia (any airport will be fine) where you get your car from the rental-company. After getting your car, you drive onward to Oliena. After settling in your hotel you may freshen up and opt to make already a short walk climbing up to the high plateau of Punta Sos Nidos, a perfect introduction to the wild nature of the Supramonte. In the evening you will enjoy a nice dinner based on local specialties in your hotel’s restaurant.

Hotel (example): Hotel Enis***

This morning you will walk through a wild limestone landscape, beneath the towering walls of the Supramonte’s highest peaks. This vast area is an isolated land of shepherds, slashed with deep gorges and inaccessible peaks that are home to a rich fauna of eagles, mouflons, foxes, wildcats, and wild boar. From the mountain’s flanks there are airy views across the high belvederes and karst plateaus of the Supramonte and into the fertile valley of Oliena. Halfway through your walk you will arrive at the beautiful Su Gologone spring, an opening in the limestone that is the only source of running water in the area. After a well-deserved lunch break you can choose to continue walking to Oliena or travel back there by private transfer. Walking back to Oliena, you pass through a pleasant agricultural landscape of olive groves and ‘Canonau’ vineyards. After crossing a small ancient bridge of Roman origin you then arrive at Oliena where you can freely wander through the old village centre before being picked up again for the ride to your hotel where you have your dinner.

Walking: 11(21) km, 4(7) hours
Hotel (example): Hotel Enis***

After breakfast you begin your day with a short drive into the valley of Lainaittu, past the grotto of Sa Oche. Here you can pay a visit to the amazing Nuraghic temple of the Sacred Spring, discovered only recently. You then start your great day walk, which will bring you into the homeland of the Nuraghic people. You start with a rough stretch climbing up towards Mount Tiscali. The underground village of Tiscali, situated in a large sink hole (doline) at the top of the mountain, is perhaps the most scenic archaeological site you have ever seen! Then, after a stop at a great viewpoint, overlooking the Flumineddu River and the Su Gorropu Gorge, one of the most impressive natural beauties of Sardinia, you re-descend to the lush valley of the Sa Oche, where you can now take the time to visit some grotto’s and the archaeological sites, before driving on to your next hotel at Dorgali. In the evening you will enjoy a hearty dinner and have plenty of opportunity to taste the heady local ‘Canonau’ wine.

Walking: 13(24)km, 5(7) hours
Hotel (example): Rifugio Gorropu***

Today you walk from your hotel to the centre of the little town of Dorgali, well-known for its artisan tradition of wood and leather working. Then, from Dorgali, you climb up from the Flumineddu Valley to the saddle of Monte Tuili. From here you can see the entire Supramonte!  You cross the saddle through an old rock-hewn tunnel and then start walking down towards the Codula Fuili Gorge. While walking through the fragrant Mediterranean maquis you will marvel at the fractured vertical cliffs of the gorge and be able to glimpse the dazzling white beach of Cala Fuili. Along your route you also have the opportunity to visit the remains of a tall nuraghe, situated on a natural panoramic terrace. A small path then takes you along the coast to the little village of Cala Gonone where you will have plenty of time to relax on the beach and have an ice cream or refreshing drink before taking the local bus back to Dorgali where you can be picked up for your private transfer (optional) back to the hotel. In the evening you can relax with a nice aperitivo on the hotel’s panoramic terrace before having yet another great dinner based on local specialities.

Walking: 14 km, 4,5 hours
Hotel (example): Rifugio Gorropu***

Today you have the opportunity to walk to the amazing Gorge of Gorropu, sculpted by the forces of the Flumineddu River. After breakfast you transfer (optional) from your hotel to the trailhead of today’s path, near the modern bridge over the river.From here you follow an easy path upstream along the river passing through the fragrant Mediterranean maquis coloured by wild flowers and the red fruits of the strawberry trees. When arriving near the gorge you can climb down into it. Local guides will explain the nature and geology of the amazing canyon to you after which you are free to walk in and explore this eerie wonder of nature on your own. By climbing over huge boulders and passing through narrow passages you reach the point where the base of the gorge is only 5 m. wide! From here you turn back to the entrance of the gorge, and backtrack your route to your pick up point near the modern bridge for your transfer back to the hotel (optional). Dinner is in the hotel’s restaurant again.

Walking: 13 km. 4-5 hours
Hotel (example): Rifugio Gorropu***

This morning you drive from Dorgali in southern direction, along one of the most beautiful roads of the island, with great views over the Gulf of Orosei and the bare Supramonte peaks. Your destination is the medieval church of San Pietro, on the high plain of Golgo above Baunei. From here you make a great round walk through an amazing, almost ‘Far West’ landscape. Your walk will take you past the great sinkhole of Su Sterru, and a number of natural ponds. From the high plain you then descend towards the coast along the magnificent gorge leading to the little bay of Cala Goloritzè dominated by its tall rock needle of Punta Salinas reaching over 75 m. tall. Here you have time for a refreshing bath in the crystalline water where up until a few years ago monk seals still swam around. You then walk back up from the little bay to the Golgo high plain by way of the Serra Salinas, offering beautiful views of the coast towards Porta Quau. Through Mediterranean maquis and holm oak forest you reach the high plain again where you have the time for a drink at the ‘Rifugio’, before continuing to your hotel in either the charming village of Baunei or in Santa Maria Navarrese, where you can spend the next two nights in a nice family-run hotel near the sea.

Walking: 13,5 km, 4-5 hours
Hotel (example): Hotel Plammas***

Your last walking day is dedicated to the wild coast immediately south of Santa Maria Navarrese. After breakfast you walk from your hotel through the village of Santa Maria Navarrese to the trailhead of the path leading south along the steep rocky coast in the direction of the limestone monolith of Pedra Longa. You will pass through fragrant Mediterranean maquis dotted with wild flowers and small shady patches of holm oak. During this first part of the walk you will enjoy marvellous views of the spectacular coast of the Gulf of Orosei and the towering Pedra Longa. After arriving at the gigantic rock jutting out of the sea you can climb down to its base for some impressive views from below, before climbing up the quiet tarmac road to the mountain saddle dominated by the Monte Scoine and the Monte Oro. From here an incredibly panoramic gravel road takes you back in the direction of Santa Maria Navarrese. The view includes the whole of the bay of Arbatax with its coastal lagoons and red basaltic rocks, against the back drop of the Ogliastra Mountain Ranges. At the end of the walk a short steep descent takes you back down to Santa Maria Navarrese. In the evening you are free to go out for dinner in one of the nice little restaurants in the little village.

Walking: 13 km, 3-4 hours
Hotel (example): Hotel Plammas***

Today is the end of your walking holiday. You leave the hotel and go to the airport where you return the car.