Walking tours – South Sardinia Coastal Tour

(9 days – 8 nights)

Departure dayFROMTO
DailyApril 1, 2021 July 25, 2021
DailySeptember 1, 2021October 31, 2021
ITSW340

Individual tour – Minimum 2 people

When you first got here, in the region of Sardinia called Sulcis-Iglesiente you immediately feel why it is also known as Costa Verde-The Green Coast-: this place is remote, wild and has an industrial-mines past that forged the landscape and the people. This past of mineral extraction (started 8.000 years ago) creates a unique combination of abandoned mine sites together with the natural beauty of the area and stimulates the curiosity of whom come to this area for the first time, that feeling of “here there’s a story to be told”. In 2007, this mining area (circa 3.800 km2) was added to the Geoparks list of UNESCO. The more you walk towards the south the more you get to know the Sardinian people, very helpful, welcoming and smiling (sometimes with a sardonic laughter! Some people say comes from their way of laughing to the various invaders they had for centuries…) The Sulcis region is famous (in the world of wines) for the Carignano, a red grape that can live with almost no water and is no more than a foot high from the ground, because the strong winds don’t allow it to grow higher; almost every family still have a little vineyard to produce the Carignano del Sulcis and after a sip you know why they still make it! The island of Sant’Antioco makes the perfect final stop for this trip: besides walking through stunning views and ancient watchtowers, you will have the chance to discover the many souls of this island with a range of optional activities such as fishing boat trips and horse riding.

Day 1 – Arrival in Cagliari

Arrival at Cagliari airport. Private transfer to the hotel reserved. Rest of the day at disposal. We can book visits and activities. Overnight

Day 2 – Cagliari – Montevecchio

Today a private transfer will take you from Cagliari to Montevecchio, where you will sleep in a nice Agriturismo surrounded by nature. You can relax or take a dip in the pool, admiring the Sardinian sea at a distance. Overnight.

Day 3 – Montevecchio circular walk

In the morning you have the option to go on a guided tour (there are 4 different tours of about 45’) of the abandoned mine site of the Miniere di Montevecchio (from 2007 added to the UNESCO list of Geoparks); then you can do a loop walk in the Croccorigas forest, home of the ‘cervo sardo’ (Sardinian indigenus deer). Overnight.

Challenge: 9.5 km, 370 m ascent, 370 m descent

Day 4 – Piscinas to Scivu

At some point today you may feel close to Charles Darwin when he arrived at the Galapagos in the 1830s. The dunes of Piscinas are the most extended desert area in Europe. For about 6km there is just you, the sea, the sand and the wind! The last part of the walk is on gravel roads to the Agriturismo Fighezia, where you are going to spend the next two nights.

Challenge: 13 km, 335 m ascent, 193 m descent

Day 5 – Capo Pecora loop walk

Today you are going back to the sea (Scivu beach) then you take a footpath inside the Mediterranean macchia, leading you to a panoramic view point on Capo Pecora granite promontory. Almost at the end there is the famous beach (for surfers ) of Portixeddu. Overnight.

Challenge: 18 km, 637 m ascent, 665 m descent

Day 6 – Walk from Portopaglia to Portoscuso

Morning transfer (1 hour) to the tonnara of Porto Paglia, the starting point of today’s walk. Even if this is a marked footpath (red/white signs) it is on a very wild and remote coastline. You follow a sandy footpath with stunning views of the cliffs. Today’s walk is not suitable for people who suffers from “vertigo”, since there are a couple of section with no railing close to the cliff’s edge. Overnight.

Challenge: 12 km, 379 m ascent, 386m descent

Day 7 –  Carloforte loop walk

Today you take the ferries to Carloforte where start a round walk, climbing on secondary asphalt road towards the north side of the Island, where at the end of May they start the so-called Mattanza, a system of nets that for about 45 days capture the tuna fish. Back in Carloforte take a ferries to Calasetta then a private transfer to Sant’Antioco. Overnight.

Challenge: km, 439 m ascent, 381m descent

Day 8 –  Transfer to Capo Sperone and Sant’Antioco walk via Torre Cannai

Today’s a private transfer takes you to Capo Sperone, then you walk back to S.Antioco, passing by the watchtower Torre Cannai and the beach of Maladroxia (popular spot when the maestrale wind blows). The last part to town is on asphalt road.

OPTIONS FOR TODAY (not included): fishing boat trip / horseback ride / Archaeological walk in S. Antioco

Challenge: 12 km, 439 m ascent, 381m descent

Day 9 – Cagliari/departure

The trip and our services end after breakfast. Private transfer to Cagliari airport or proceed with your trip in Italy.

ROUTE PROFILE AND MAP

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Difficulty: 🔴 🔴 ⚪️ ⚪️ ⚪️

Activity characteristics: On this journey you walk 82.2 km over 6 days (an average of 13.7 km per day). The two longer walks can be shortened by van transfer to the starting point (5km on day 4 and 4km on day 6)
The walks are on various areas and terrain: gravel road and paths, in the forest, along a beautiful rocky and sandy beach, follow rocky coastal footpaths in the Mediterranean macchia, sometimes through low vegetation/bushes and mule tracks, along remote sandy footpaths by high cliffs, with a few sections of secondary surfaced roads as you enter the villages /towns. We have graded the route as moderate because the terrain is rocky and the trail not always obviously visible, walking on the sand can be tough and
sometimes you walk for 5 hours along a remote paths

ACCOMMODATIONS

Hotel 3* in Cagliari, B&B La Miniera Fiorita in Montevecchio, Agriturismo Fighezia in Flumininmaggiore, Hotel Don Pedro in Portoscuso, B&B Il Sentiero a Sant’Antioco

PRICE PER PERSON IN EURO

2021PRICE
April 1 – June 10
September 16 – October 31
940
June 11 – July 25
September 1 – September 15
980
July 26 – August 31Not Available

PRICE INCLUDES

  • Accommodations in double rooms in the hotel category mentioned above
  • Daily breakfasts in hotel, 2 dinners
  • Private transfer in Cagliari (day 1), transfer Cagliari/Montevecchio day 2 and transfer Sant’Antioco/Cagliari (day 9)
  • Transfer Montevecchio-Piscinas (day 3)
  • Transfer from Fluminimaggiore/ Portixeddu-Tonnara di Porto Paglia (day 6)
  • Transfer from Calasetta harbour and transfer to Sant’Antioco (day 7)
  • Transfer Sant’Antioco-Capo Sperone (day 8)
  • Luggage transportation
  • Detailed information pack, route notes and maps with tracks on
  • 24/7 phone assistance

NOT INCLUDED

  • Local tourist taxes that are collected directly by the hotels
  • Trains or busses wherever necessary
  • Any service not mentioned in the “price includes”

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • The package can be booked starting from day 2 with individual arrival in Cagliari.
  • We listed the hotels used for this itinerary. It may happen that due to high demand, these hotels are not available. We will provide alternative accommodation of the same type and category
  • Self guided walking tour requires individuals to use problem solving skills, be adaptable and have a keen eye. It is recommended that you are comfortable map reading, referring to route notes and that you have a good sense of direction (or are willing to work on improving this!) Sometimes route finding, losing your way, finding it again and asking the locals for help is all part of the adventure. Please be assured that our written material issued to you for route finding is updated regularly and we provide a 7day service hotline in the event of any problems
  • Supplements may apply during special events dates
  • Pre-post itineraries can be arranged

Please use our contact form or request form to submit your request for this itinerary.