An untamed adventure.
Walk the southwest corner of Sardinia and be enchanted by its varied landscapes and memorable locations. Be prepared for remote and sparsely inhabited areas with long, golden sandy beaches and ever green hills, it is the perfect setting for this week long hiking tour. Walk amongst stunning Mediterranean scenery and enjoy it all at your own pace. Your adventure will take you along picturesque wooded tracks that follow abandoned miner’s trails and weave through remote mining villages and secluded valleys.
Your base for the first part of the week is nestled in the peaceful foothills of the Sulcis Mountains in the southwest part of the island. Here you will stay at a family-run agritourism inn, with mouth watering homemade food and great hospitality. From here we take a few days to explore the mining region following a network of ancient mining paths through lush vegetation.
Moving to the coast mid-week, your accommodation is a charming 4-star hotel on the beach. With sun terraces overlooking the uninterrupted views of La Costa Verde, it is only a short walk to the magnificent sand dunes of Piscinas. Coated in juniper and Mediterranean scrub, the dunes reach heights of up to 164 feet in places. It is a stunning place to walk.
Mysterious towns and ruins will surround you on your walk to the next accommodation. Heading up stream and leaving behind antiquated buildings and mining materials, the landscape opens up to granite boulders and the summit of Mt Linas ahead of you. For your final day walk, the scenery yet changes again. Taking a well beaten track past a goat farm and into the lower slopes of Mt Linas, you reach the sleepy village of Fluminimaggiore. Here the coast is again enchanting.
- Cost
- € 1210 – € 1500 ($) see PRICING details below
- Duration
- 8 days/7 nights
- Start/End
- Cagliari/Portixeddu
- 2010 Start Dates
- ..
Highlights of the tour
- Walk ancient trails that connect remote mining villages.
- Relax in quiet, comfortable inns.
- Explore the spectacular sand dunes of Piscinas that stretch along the coast for miles.
- Enjoy hikes through oak forests with sacred shrines nestled among the trees.
- Experience enjoyable walks along sheep pastures and goat trails.
- Walk along rivers that take you into canyons and onto abandoned mining areas.
- Discover “Smuggler’s Way,” the route used by thieves to take stolen cattle to the coast.
Day 1: Welcome to Sardinia!
Arrive at the Cagliari airport where you will be transferred to your first accommodation and be briefed on the walking tour. Dinner is included.
Day 2: Two walking options to begin the tour – Easy Option – Loop of Sanna Mines
A gentle start to your walking holiday, beginning at La Miniera Fiorita and following old miners’ trails past abandoned buildings and through lush vegetation. As the route is not overly long, you have plenty of time to explore the fascinating old zinc and lead mines – mineshafts with their original equipment, former factories, and workers’ villages, all set amid lush oak woods. It is likely that you will see some Sardinian deer during your walks. In the afternoon you can visit the museum in Montevecchio, which offers a historical account of the mining tradition of this area. (5 miles/8 kilometers, 3hrs) Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.
Medium Option – Loop walk Mt Arcuentu
Begin your tour by exploring the Mt Arcuentu range, a volcanic range that rises quite dramatically from the Campidano Plans. After a short transfer, the walk starts on a gentle path that becomes steeper as you reach the sacred basalt summit. A shrine nestled in the dense oak wood and the surrounding views make it a truly remarkable place. Descend across pasture land all the way to your accommodation in Montevecchio. (6.2 miles/10 kilometers, 4hrs) Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.
Day 3: Hike from Montevecchio to Piscinas
Today walk towards the coast on gently meandering footpaths through dense shrub and past shepherd holdings. The path reaches Riu Irvi, an iron-colored stream that you will cross several times before reaching the majestic sand dunes of Piscinas, one of the biggest in Europe that stretches for several miles along the coast. Coated in juniper and Mediterranean scrub, the dunes reach heights of up to 164 feet/50 meters in places. A short section will lead you to your next accommodation. (9.63 miles/15.5 kilometers, 5hrs) Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 4: Rest day
You choose – perhaps time to relax or another day exploring the sand dunes. Breakfast is included today.
Day 5: From Piscinas to Sibiri
Your walk today will take you along a river upstream through a small canyon before rising through Mediterranean scrub to join an abandoned railway. Pass buildings which reflect the richness of the past industry of this area including the Brassey washery, named after its English owner, the Viscount of Brassey. You may also explore Pozzo Gal, a well preserved shaft recently opened as a multi-media museum. Walk through Ingurtosu Village where you can admire the interesting architecture of the Administrative offices. Take a network of goat trails that will lead you to Bidderdi Pass and towards Mt Linas range to your next Agritourism accommodation. Here another delightful meal awaits you. (12.43 miles/20 kilometers, 5 1/2hrs) Breakfast and lunch included today.
Day 6: Hike Sibiri to Fluminimaggiore
Starting from the Agriturismo, you will take the mountain trail close to Mt Linas. This route was once the “smugglers way,” used by cattle thieves to transport their stolen animals down to the coast. The initial climb is gradual, following a tight valley and narrow stream, then walking through mountain pastures and meadows, and finally reaching Planucheddu (2,067 feet/630 metres) from where you will experience breathtaking 360-degree views of the Sulcis Iglesiente mountain range. Take time to fully absorb the vista and catch your breath, before embarking on a rewarding 6.2 mile/10 Km descent into the sleepy town of Fluminimaggiore. This is the first time during this trip that you come into a village. After a short coffee break and a quick visit of the interesting wall paintings known as “murales”, the last section of walk is towards the coast. The route will take you along the fertile Flumini Valley – with country lanes, olive plantations and vineyards — gradually taking you to your next Agriturismo. (12.43 miles/20 kilometers, 6 hrs). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.
Day 7: Loop walk of Fighezia and Portixeddu beach
Your final day walk will lead you to the coast again and the long sandy beach of Portixeddu. Here you have the option to take an easy stroll along the coast towards Buggerru or to follow the trails along the rocky promontory towards Capo Pecora. Your final hotel is set in a stunning location with terrace views of Portixeddu and the lush green mountains of La Costa Verde, an idyllic way to end this trip. (7.5 miles/12 kilometers, 4 hrs) Breakfast and lunch included today.
Day 8 – Departure Day
After breakfast we will transfer you to the airport for your flight home. Breakfast is included.
Ciao!
Actual tour itinerary may vary slightly due to unforeseen circumstances.
- Level of Difficulty: Moderate
- With an average daily distance of 48 km and climb of 478 m, we classify this tour as moderate plus. Days 1, 4 and 5 are easy with a climb below 230 m, day 6 is moderate (climb 550 m). The two hardest days are 2 and 3 with an overall climb of 1050 and 700 m respectively.Over 90% of the total distance develops on secondary paved roads with very limited motorized traffic. The rest is on compact unpaved roads.
- Why This Tour
- All islands have a peculiar fascination, and Sardinia is no exception. Lying a little less than 200km from the Italian mainland and at same distance from the Tunisian coast, Sardinia is often a pleasant surprise to the curious traveller.The tour develops in the fascinating South-West of the island, an area formerly interested by mining activity that has kept mass tourism away. Nowadays mining has stopped leaving unspoilt beaches and a glorious undeveloped coastline to enjoy during this week long “Off the beaten track” bike tour.
You will find at least one beautiful pristine beach every day and also dramatic cliffs and numerous lagoons which accounts for a rich diversity of wildlife, as do the forested mountains and the wild macchia that carpets the interior.
The sand dunes of Piscinas (some of the highest in Europe), the imposing rock of Pan di Zucchero and the Costa del Sud are just some of the scenic highlights of this tour.
The Phoenician and Roman settlements of Tharros, Sant’Antioco and Nora are a must for those interested in archaeology.
- Travel Notes
- The reference airport for the tour is Cagliari. Low-cost airlines are offering good deals from London to Sardinia.Easyjet flies daily from London Luton to Cagliari and Ryan air offers a daily connection (two flights from April to October) from Stansted to Alghero in Northern Sardinia.
A dedicated bus service operates the route Alghero airport-Oristano-Cagliari. The bus leaves the airport half hour after the flight has landed. If the flight is late, the bus waits for the flight arrival. On arrival, you should take the bus down to Oristano. At the end of the tour, the same bus will take you from Cagliari to Alghero airport.
More expensive alternatives to low-cost carriers are BA or Alitalia. They don’t fly direct and it is necessary to change in Rome or Milan.
- Group tour price
-
- 4-5 people € 1510 per person
- 6-7 people € 1330 per person
- 8+ people € 1210 per person
- What’s included in the guided tour
- 7 nights accommodation on double occupancy basis (4 Agriturismo and 3 hotels)
- 7 breakfasts
- 5 packed lunches (sandwiches – fruit – snack – water)
- 4 dinners with wine included
- Arrival transfer from Cagliari Airport to Montevecchio
- Departure transfer: from Pula to Cagliari airport
- Luggage transfers
- Maps and road book provided
- The price does not include:
- Flights and public transportation
- Travel insurance
- Admissions and entrance fees to sites
- Expense of personal nature such as drinks, phone calls, etc.
- Any items that has not been mentioned in the price inclusion part
- Self-guided option
- This tour is also available as a self-guided option at a cost of € 1055 per person. This option includes:
- Tour code
- SAM
