Sardinia walking tour: Cagliari to the Costa Smeralda

Day 1

Our exploration of Sardinia starts with two nights in the capital Cagliari, a buzzy but relaxed port that DH Lawrence likened to Jerusalem, “a strange and rather wonderful city”.  We stay in a classic 4-star hotel on the edge of the old town, a short walk from the harbour and the castle.  Dinner will be at a fine restaurant nearby.  (Dinner)

Day 2

We will be taken on a guided walk through the historical centre of Cagliari, including a visit to its extraordinary archaeological museum and finishing with a light lunch on the bastions with spectacular views over the city and the surrounding coast.  The evening is free.  (Lunch)

Day 3

Today we drive south, past lagoons filled with pink flamingos, around some of the most pristine and beautiful coastline in Europe.  On the way we will stop for a lovely walk along the coast, picking up tracts of a Roman road before finishing at a beach classified as one of the ten best beaches on the island.  (5 kms, 1.5 hrs, Grade 1)

After lunch, we then continue on to the southern tip of Sardinia, taking a short hop by ferry to a very small island, staying in a lovely harbour side town (virtually car-free), our base for the next four nights.  After settling into our hotel, the evening is free to explore what I feel is one of the most pleasant Italian towns I have been to in years.  (Lunch)

Day 4

This morning we walk from the village across the northern tip island, following a winding trail that takes us down to a tiny bay.  On our way back to town, we have lunch followed by a wine tasting at the only winery on the island.  After lunch, you’ll have the option of continuing back to town on foot or getting a lift. (8 kms 2 hrs, Grade 1).  In the evening we will have an alfresco dinner at the town’s best restaurant.  (Lunch/dinner)

Day 5

This morning we take a ferry back to the mainland then a spectacular drive above the south-western cliffs.  We take a walk following an undulating loop walk which takes us out through a narrow valley and then back following a ridge before descending to the well-preserved remains of a Phoenician/Roman temple, standing alone in a green valley.  (12 kms, 3.5 hrs, Grade 3)  After a picnic lunch, we’ll head back to our base, where the evening is free.  (Lunch)

Day 6

Today we leave the island, cross back to the mainland and drive across the plains to visit one of the most extraordinary Bronze Age sites in Sardinia, a 4000 year-old citadel recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list.  From here we drive up through the spectacular Gennargentu Mountains, stopping for lunch, before crossing through the Supramonte, a rugged range of limestone mountains which until 20 years ago were Sardinia’s ‘badlands’, an infamous hideout for the islands now extinct bandits. 

We will then have lunch and wine tasting at a family run vineyard which hosts the oldest vines in Sardinia (part of a preservation project of adoption sponsored by Holland).  Our accommodation for the next four days is in one of Sardinia’s most celebrated hotels, a 60-year country house in the heart of the walking country.  Dinner is at our base.  (Lunch/dinner)

Day 7

Today we will be picked up from the hotel by two jeeps by local guide Fabrizio and his colleagues and driven up to the mountains above the town, the Supramonte, which is the north tip of the Gennargentu range.  Starting at 1200 metres, we will walk to the highest peak Punta Corrasi, 1463 metres, to enjoy the spectacular views over half of Sardinia, where we’ll have a delicious picnic lunch of local produce, before heading back to the base.  (6 kms, 3 hrs, Grade 2).  (Lunch/dinner)

Day 8

Today we get back into two jeeps with Fabrizio for a remarkable day exploring the heartland of Sardinia:  rugged mountains, isolated villages and ancient traditions.  This will include visits to the famous murals of Orgosolo (a bandit stronghold not that long ago); lunch with some local shepherds and a visit to fascinating local museum.  (Lunch/dinner)

Day 9

This morning Fabrizio will take us on one of the area’s classic walks heading up a long valley behind our hotel, before climbing up to Mt Tiscali, a ridge where the remains of two prehistoric settlements are hidden in a huge limestone cavern – a completely stunning and unexpected sight.  (6.5 kms, 3 hrs, Grade 3).  There is a less challenging option, walking through forest on the floor of the valley.  After a barbeque lunch, we’ll head back to our hotel, time for a swim in the pool.  (Lunch/dinner)

Day 10

This morning we leave the mountains behind us and head north to one of the most celebrated bits of coastline in Europe, the Costa Smeralda, which has been a ‘jetset’ destination since it was developed by the Aga Khan in the 1960s, driving to our base for the next three days, a lovely resort on a quiet bay overlooking the coast.  Dinner will be at the hotel’s terrace restaurant.  (Dinner)

Day 11

The walk today leaves directly from our hotel and climbs up to Monte Ruju (269 metres). We walk through Mediterranean shrubs with breath-taking views over the coast,  before descending to the coastal path and returning to the hotel (7 kms, 3hrs, Grade 2). Dinner is our hotel.

Day 12

Today we'll have a relaxing day out on the hotel's boats, exploring the Golfo Aranci.  Apart from the beautiful scenery, this will include the option of a swim the blue Mediterranean Sea, lunch prepared on board and, if we are lucky, the chance to see some of the community of bottlenose dolphins who have happily settled in the waters of the gulf.  In the evening, we will regroup for our farewell dinner on the hotel's terrace overlooking the gulf. (Lunch/dinner)

Day 13

After breakfast, we’ll transfer you to nearby Olbia an hour's drive away which has an airport (arriving at 10.00) and a port with ferries back to mainland Italy: to Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno (Tuscany) and Civitavecchia (Rome).