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Now let the city of hello, My name is Claudia. I was born and raised in Sardinia and I still call it home. I am the mastermind behind the Streetly Sardinia Travel Blog and now the Streetly Sardinia Podcast where each week I will bring you the best Sardinia has to offer and share my most useful tips that will help you plan and a memorable trip to my wonderful island. In the last episode I talked to you about the best festivals in Sardinia. This week I will share with you the best hiking trails on the island. Let me stress that you will find a more detailed version of today's episode on my blog strictly sardinia.com so as always, let me remind you that you will find the link to my blog posts on today's episode description. So don't forget to read that for more information. And now, today's topic. The Best Hikes in Sardinia There are many incredible hikes in Sardinia and hiking is a fantastic way to take in all the amazing landscapes that Sardinia has to offer. I am a keen hiker. I never miss a chance to hit the trails. You'll probably find me somewhere hiking around the island every single weekend. Sardinia has an impressive network of hiking trails. Some of them are mountain hikes, some of them are coastal hikes, some of them take you to incredible archaeological sites and even abandoned mines on the island. Now I have to stress the importance of hiking in Sardinia. With the correct gear you will want good hiking shoes. I see way too many people hitting the trails with just plain plain shoes, running shoes which are not suitable, sometimes even in flip flops and slippers in the summer months. And that is absolutely the very best way to have an accident which you want to avoid. And you should always have lots of water, food, snacks, a hat and probably a light jacket. If you're hiking in the winter months you will want a rainproof jacket. Let me now tell you about the best hiking trails on the island. I will pick just my favorite and there's more of a selection in my blog post. The Best Hikes in Sardinia I'll start with a very easy, fun hike in the hike to the Sela del Diabolo. If you're spending a long weekend in Cagliari, you will want to go on this hike. This hike is perfect if you want something that is easily accessible from Cagliari. The trailhead is just behind Kalamoska beach, one of the most famous urban beaches in Calliari. You can get there by bus hop online number 11 from the center of town it's a well marked trail. The trailhead is beyond The Kalamosca Hotel. It's mostly on rocky terrains. It will take you around two hours to complete the hike and that means going all the way to the main viewpoints and then back down. From the top of the Cella del Diablo you will have incredible views off the Gulf of Cagliari and Poito beach below. That's the most popular beach in the city. You can watch. You can watch also the Molentargios Nature Reserve which is where pink flamingos live. Here in Calliari you can see see a watchtower. You can see the many coves under the Sella del Diabolo, which are gorgeous. There is also an alternative trail that goes up the Sella del Diabolo. The trailhead is in the Marina Piccola, a small tourist harbor where the Poeto beach starts. It's slightly more challenging. The trail is not very well marked, but you get all the way to the Poeto Tower, one of the many Aragonese towers scattered along the coast of of Sardinia. Another easy hike that you can do if you're staying in Cagliari is the Roman road to Sugordolino. The Roman Road is a fairly easy out and back hike that anyone can enjoy. It's a very well marked trail. The trail is in Pinus Village, a quaint summer residence about an hour's drive from Cagliari. It follows the ancient Roman road along the Sardinia coastline all the way to Sugordolino Island. You can actually even go all the way to Kia beach and the Kia Tower. It takes about four hours to complete the hike if you only get to Sugordolino, which is a small island, perfect spot for a picnic. There is a pine trees forest at the back. You can do this hike independently, but there are also guided tours if you want. Further along this coast. You can also hike the trail from Cala Cipolla to Tuerreda. The trail starts in Calacipola, not far from the parking lot. Calcipola is one of the nicest beaches in South Sardinia and it's a tiny cove. You will find a shared parking lot with Kia Sujudeo beach, which is probably one of the most famous beaches in Sardinia. It's about 8.7 miles one way on a trail that is fairly well marked. You will walk by Capos Partivento, a promontory which is home to an old lighthouse that has been turned into a luxury hotel. You will pass through beautiful beaches such as Per Dalonga and Cala Antonia Redu. Calantonia Redu is actually one of my favorite Secluded beaches in south Sardinia and these both are beaches that cannot be easily accessed by car. It's about easy to moderate in terms of hiking trail, it's not too hard. The hard part, in case you want to do it, is the hike up the observatory from where the coastal views are absolutely incredible. Another hike that I really like is the one from Mazua Pandizuccaro, which is a nice beach. Around an hour 20 minutes drive from Cagliari in the city in the Sulchis Iglesiente province to Cala Domestica. Del trail head is where the mines of Porto Flavia, one of the famous archaeological mines in Sardinia is located. It's a point to point hike, about 12 kilometers, that is 7.5 miles takes about four hours to complete. The trail terminates in Cala Domestica, which is a gorgeous beach that looks like a fjord. I would say this is a challenging trail because there are passages where you have to walk on the trail that is no more than 50 centimeters, about 30 inches wide. Not an option if you get vertigoes, but scenery is impressive. Another thing you have to realize is that because this is a point to point hike, you will need two cars, meaning drop one car in one parking lot in Mazu Apandizucaro and drop the other car in the parking lot in Cala Domestica, which may not be feasible if you're traveling just a few of you. But you can contact the Co Operativa Santa Margherita to be your guides and to arrange things for you. Another hike in this region that I really like is the Centiero de Cinque Faraglioni, the trail of the five stalks. It starts in the Laveria La Marmora of Nebida. This is one of the many mining sites in South Sardinia. I did it last May. I did not find it particularly challenging. It's a moderate to medium hike, but there are some narrow and steep downhill bits. It's about 5.3 miles with about 1,470ft elevation gain. The trailhead is easy to find. You just have to go down the steps that from the from the viewpoint take you all the way to the Lavery to the to the site and from there you just continue hike all the way to Mazua Pandizucaro. Again, in this case you are better off if you have two cars. But it's not too challenging to go to walk back to Nebida once you complete the hike. Another popular hike here. Another popular hike here in Sardinia is the one to Saspendula it's an easy hike to a spectacular waterfall with a lovely natural Po at the bottom. The trail ahead is in the parking lot of Campanas de Cicini Conti, about 45 minutes drive from Cagliari near the small town of Villachidro. It's an out and back trail, very well marked. Follow a very well worn path. The first half hour half of the trail is easy, the second half is a bit more challenging. The hike to the peak is a steady uphill battle, but it's fairly short. It will take you about two hours to hike. There is lots of shade. I do not recommend it in the summer months because there may be a chance that the waterfall is dry. Continuing on hiking in Sugoropo Canyon. Sugoropiu is a canyon in Europe, probably the deepest canyon in the continent. It's 500 meters tall. That's more than 1,640ft of limesol walls. Here you will find several hiking trails. I have hiked a bunch of them and there's something for every difficulty level. The most epic route has the trailhead at Genesilana Pars car park. It's an out and back trail of about 5 miles takes an hour 2 hours sorry to go down into the gorge and about four hours to hike back up. It's truly difficult because it's very steep. If you want something easier to go to Suguropo, you may want to follow the trail that starts at Sabarva bridge. It's about 9.3 miles. The trailhead is about 9.3 miles from the city of Dorgali. And we'll take you on an 8.7 miles out and back hike crossing the Sabarva bridge and continuing on a trails toward Sugoropo. If you want to access Sugoropo, make sure to bring cash because there is a fee to get on the trail to get on the on the gorge. Now the hike to Calagoloritsa. This one is fairly easy in terms of trail. It's easy to follow. It's really a no brainer to go down this hiking trail that starts in the Gogo plateau above Baune in supported do parking lot. Now this hike though can be quite challenging because you hike for about five miles on an out and back hike with roughly 500 meters. That's more than 1600ft elevation gain. And it's entirely downhill on the way to the beach and entirely uphill on the way back to the top. Now the average person takes about two hours to walk down and two and a half Hours to walk. I like walking uphill, so it doesn't take me that long. What's special about this hike is that it rewards you with a wonderful, incredible beach at the end. So many, many people do it in the summer months. You of course can also do it in another season. Another hike in this area that you may want to tackle is the one to Cala Mariolo. Most beautiful beaches in Sardinia. This one is incredibly challenging. It's a 13 kilometers, about eight miles out and back hike with 600 meters. That's almost 2,000ft elevation gain. The trailhead is in the Golgo plateau, a bit further inside compared to the trailhead that goes to Cala. For the trail that goes to Cala Goloritsa, it takes about three hours to get down to the beach and most people take take about three hours to walk back up on the same trail. That terrain is challenging. There's a lot of stones. There is a bit that goes through a lovely wood. You need appropriate gear for this hike. Not too different from this one is the hike to Cala Biriala, which you will want to do with a guide unless you're a very expert hiker. This is a bit shorter compared to cala Mariolu, about 4.6 miles out and back with 380 meters elevation gain, which is about 1250ft. The trail finishes at the marvelous Cala Biriola where you can just jump in the water if you go there in the summer. The trailhead is in Lo Calita OLO Bissi beyond the Gogo Plateau. You have to pass the parking lot to where the trailhead to Cala Goloriza and Cala Mariolu are located. Drive beyond. It takes about two and a half hours to walk down to the beach. The trailhead is easy to follow, but is very steep in parts. And the terrain can be challenging as it's mostly stones. As it's mostly stones, this is a very challenging hike. You should not dare to do alone. There are bits which are completely extreme exposed where you have to go down narrow steps. Either either made of wood made of rocks. You need to scramble holding on to a metal to a cable as you go down a metal ladder. It's not easy. Absolutely. Wear hiking shoes for this one. If you're looking for something a bit easier, you may want to consider one of the hikes in Punta Gilio and Porto Conte. These are easy to access. From Alghero you will find it's a 25 minute drive from Alghero to get to the Porto Conte Regional Park. There are five different trails inside that all lead to the gorgeous Punta Gilio. They are well marked, easy to follow, you don't have to hike for too long. And the great thing is that you can reach this trails by bus. I want to mention one more hike, which is the one to Calacuticcio in Caprera. This is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, not just in Sardinia. The trailhead is in the Arbutici parking lot in Caprera, 25 minutes drive from Maddalena town. It's an out and back trail of about two miles one way. It's moderate to challenging, depending on your level of fitness. It takes you about one hour to walk down to the beach with stops to admire the views and more or less about the same amount of time to walk back up. The one thing I have to point out is that this trail is located inside a national park and you absolutely need to have a guide to access the beach because you get to enjoy the beach. I recommend doing this hike in the spring, summer and early fall months. Remember, you need to book a guide for this one. There are also many long distance hiking trails here in Sardinia. The most famous one is the Selvajoblu. Goat herders used to walk the trail that we call Selvajoblou and you will see it's very narrow, rocky and difficult. The trail begins in Pedralonga, close to Baune, the same area where the Cala Mariolu, Cala Biriola and Cala Goloriza are located, and travels to Porto Cuau, which is hidden harbor in English and brings you past the stunning beaches off the Gulf of Oroseill or Baune coast, including Calacizine, Cala Luna, Calagolorizza, Calabiriala and many more. It's challenging, it takes seven days. You need the right equipment. There are some bits where you need to do a bit of upsailing. Don't do this on your own. There's also the Camino Minerario di Santa Barbara which is a nicely organized network of trails. A circular route of about 500 kilometers, 310 miles that covers the Sulcis Iglesiante region in the south of Sardinia. It starts in the lovely Iglesias, a small town about an hour drive west of Cagliari. There are 30 different stages, each stage around 16km, that's 10 miles. All sorts of trails, moderate to challenging. You can decide to do one or you can decide to do them all. And it takes you through pictures, Sardinian villages, mining sites and some of the best views on the island. Now, when it comes to hiking in Sardinia, I try not to recommend hiking in the summer months because it can be very hot. But of course we have hikes to some gorgeous beaches, so you may want to still hike. In that case, remember to first of all wear appropriate hiking shoes, bring a swimsuit and take lots of water and food with you. This brings me to the end of today's episode. Before I share the topic for the next episode, let me also remind you that if you ever need more tips and help to plan your trip to Sardinia, you can book a one hour travel consultation with me. The link for that will be in today's episode description, so make sure to read that. And of course, there's my blog, sweetlysardinia.com that has even more tips to plan your trip and is completely free to read. Next week I will be sharing my tips on the best archaeological sites on the island. Finally, if you like my podcast, share it with your friends who are coming to Sardinia. Give it a five star review, give it a good rating, and until next week, goodbye.