Hiking in Sardinia — a region-by-region guide

Sardinia isn’t the Alps, and that’s the point

Sardinia’s mountains top out at 1,834m — Punta La Marmora, the island’s highest point — which sounds modest against the Alps or even the Apennines. What makes hiking here distinctive isn’t altitude, it’s terrain and isolation: limestone gorges over 400m deep, coastal cliffs with no road access for 40km at a stretch, and a network of shepherd paths that predate any tourist infrastructure.

Large parts of the best hiking country — the Supramonte massif and the Gennargentu range — have almost no waymarking, mobile signal is patchy to absent, and several signature routes legally require a licensed guide. This is trekking country closer in spirit to remote Balkan or Cretan hiking than to a waymarked Alpine trail network.

That’s not a warning to stay away — it’s context for planning properly. This guide covers the main hiking regions, difficulty levels, when a guide is required versus recommended, permits, and what to pack.

For deep dives on specific routes, see our guides to the Selvaggio Blu trek, the hike to Cala Goloritzé, the Gola su Gorropu canyon hike, the Tiscali nuragic village hike, a full Supramonte hiking guide, Punta La Marmora and the Gennargentu, and the gentler Capo Testa coastal walks.

Region	Signature route	Difficulty	Guide required?
Supramonte / Baunei	Selvaggio Blu	Very hard (multi-day, via ferrata sections)	Yes
Baunei / Golgo	Hike to Cala Goloritzé	Moderate-hard	No, but strongly advised
Dorgali / Urzulei	Gola su Gorropu	Moderate-hard	No, but strongly advised
Oliena	Tiscali nuragic village	Moderate	No, but strongly advised
Gennargentu	Punta La Marmora summit	Moderate	Optional
Santa Teresa Gallura	Capo Testa coastal path	Easy	No
Tavolara	Via ferrata to the summit	Hard (via ferrata)	Yes (equipment + guide)

The Supramonte: Sardinia’s wildest hiking country

The Supramonte, inland from Dorgali and Oliena, is a limestone plateau riddled with sinkholes, gorges and caves, largely uninhabited since shepherds abandoned the highest pastures decades ago.

It’s the setting for three of the routes this site covers in most depth: the Gola su Gorropu canyon, one of the deepest gorges in Europe at points over 400m; the hike to Tiscali, a Bronze Age nuragic village hidden inside a collapsed doline; and the wider Supramonte hiking guide covering lesser-known routes between them. None of these are technically roped climbs, but all involve loose rock, unmarked junctions and several hours without shade — a local guide who knows the current trail conditions is worth the money even for fit, experienced hikers.

The Gorropu canyon trek with off-road transfer and lunch and the guided hike to Tiscali mount both include the 4x4 transfer to the trailhead, which matters here — several Supramonte trailheads sit at the end of unpaved tracks that a standard hire car shouldn’t attempt. If archaeology interests you as much as the walk itself, our nuraghi of Sardinia overview puts Tiscali in context alongside Su Nuraxi di Barumini, the island’s UNESCO site.

The Gulf of Orosei: hiking that ends at a beach

Nowhere else on the island pairs hiking with swimming quite like the Gulf of Orosei coast. The hike to Cala Goloritzé from the Golgo plateau near Baunei descends roughly 300m over just under 2km to one of the most photographed beaches in Italy, with a limestone pinnacle rising straight out of the water at the far end.

The trail requires a paid, capped daily permit — full booking details are in our Cala Goloritzé beach guide and the wider beach access quotas guide, which is worth reading before fixing a date around this hike. The Cala Goloritzé trekking tour with a guide bundles the permit, guide and transfer logistics into one booking, which removes most of the friction for a first attempt.

Further along the same coast, Cala Mariolu and Cala Luna are reachable on foot too, though most visitors reach them by boat from Cala Gonone — see Gulf of Orosei boat trips for that option, and day trips from Cala Gonone for combining a hike with a boat return.

The Gennargentu: Sardinia’s highest ground

The Gennargentu massif, inland from Nuoro and centred on the villages of Fonni and Aritzo, holds Punta La Marmora at 1,834m — the island’s roof.

Unlike the Supramonte’s karst terrain, this is rounded granite and schist country, closer in feel to upland moor than to a limestone gorge, and genuinely walkable without a guide on the main summit route from Aritzo or Fonni, provided you check weather first — cloud comes in fast above 1,500m even in summer. Our full Punta La Marmora and the Gennargentu guide covers the summit route, shorter alternatives, and the shepherd huts (pinnettos) still used seasonally in the high pastures.

For a broader taste of the interior without committing to a summit day, the Barbagia jeep tour with lunch at the shepherd’s from Arbatax covers similar ground by 4x4 with a traditional meal included, and pairs well for anyone splitting a trip between hiking and the region’s food culture — see Sardinian food and wine for what to expect at a Barbagia table.

Coastal and island walking for a gentler day

Not every hike here demands a guide or a full day. Capo Testa, the granite headland outside Santa Teresa Gallura, has waymarked coastal paths through wind-sculpted granite formations that suit any fitness level — see our Capo Testa coastal walks guide.

On Caprera, part of the La Maddalena archipelago, the hike to Cala Coticcio with aperitif is a shorter, family-manageable route to one of the archipelago’s best coves. At the other end of the island near Iglesias, the panoramic hiking route from Nebida to Masua follows former mining cliffs above the Sulcis-Iglesiente coast — industrial heritage rather than wilderness, but dramatic in its own way.

Tavolara, the limestone island off Olbia, sits apart from all of this: its summit route is a genuine via ferrata requiring harness, helmet and a guide, covered by our via ferrata in Sardinia guide and bookable as the guided via ferrata to Tavolara or the less technical trekking with climbing to Tavolara.

Canyoning and rock climbing as hiking’s more technical cousins

If scrambling and gorge-walking on Supramonte trails leaves you wanting more, canyoning — abseiling and swimming down the same gorges rather than walking their rims — and rock climbing both have established operator networks around Dorgali and Baunei, using the same limestone that makes the hiking here distinctive. Neither is a substitute for the hikes above, but both are worth considering if you’re building a multi-day adventure itinerary rather than a single hike. For a car-free alternative to cover ground between trailheads, cycling in Sardinia covers the island’s road and gravel riding separately.

What to pack and when to go

Every route on this page needs proper trail shoes with ankle support — trainers are genuinely inadequate on Supramonte limestone, which is sharp and often loose underfoot. Carry more water than feels necessary: 2 litres minimum for anything over three hours, since shade is scarce on most of these routes and refill points don’t exist once you’re past the trailhead. A hat and reef-safe sunscreen matter as much here as on any beach day.

May, June, September and October give the most comfortable hiking temperatures; July and August are workable early morning but genuinely risky for a midday exposed climb like Cala Goloritzé’s return leg. See Sardinia in September, Sardinia in June and our packing list for season-specific detail, and staying safe in Sardinia for heat and trail-safety notes that apply directly to these hikes.

Navigation, signal and what to do if something goes wrong

Waymarking across Sardinia’s hiking regions ranges from decent (the main Cala Goloritzé path, Capo Testa) to essentially non-existent (deep Supramonte terrain, the Selvaggio Blu). Download offline maps or a GPS track before you set out — Sardinia’s mobile signal drops out completely across large stretches of the Supramonte and Gennargentu interior, and relying on a live data connection to find your way is a genuine risk, not just an inconvenience.

Tell someone your planned route and expected return time, particularly for anything beyond the well-trodden Cala Goloritzé and Capo Testa paths. Italy’s mountain rescue service (Soccorso Alpino) operates in Sardinia and can be reached via the general emergency number 112; response times in remote Supramonte terrain can run to hours rather than minutes, which is the practical argument for a guide on unfamiliar routes even where one isn’t legally required.

Wildlife and what you might see on the trail

Sardinia’s interior hiking regions hold genuine wildlife interest alongside the scenery. Mouflon — wild sheep found almost nowhere else in Europe outside Sardinia and Corsica — graze the Gennargentu’s higher pastures and are occasionally spotted from a distance on quieter trails. Golden eagles nest in both the Supramonte’s cliffs and the Gennargentu, and sightings, while not guaranteed, are common enough that it’s worth glancing up periodically.

Wild boar are widespread across the interior and mostly avoid hikers, though dogs should be kept close on a lead where boar activity is known. Our Sardinian wildlife guide has a fuller rundown, and birdwatching in Sardinia covers the island’s raptors and coastal species in more depth for anyone hiking with binoculars.

Building a hiking-focused Sardinia itinerary

If hiking is the priority for your trip rather than an add-on to a beach holiday, sequencing matters more than most visitors expect, given how spread out the regions are and how slow the interior roads run. A sensible structure spends 2-3 nights in the Supramonte (Oliena or Dorgali) covering Gorropu and Tiscali, a night or two in Baunei for Cala Goloritzé and the Golgo plateau, and — for anyone genuinely serious about it — a dedicated Gennargentu block based in Fonni or Aritzo, since driving between the Supramonte and Gennargentu in the same day wastes hours that could go toward walking.

Our 7-day Sardinia hiking itinerary lays this structure out in full with day-by-day suggestions, and the east coast 7-day itinerary works well if you want to combine hiking with the Gulf of Orosei’s beaches on the same trip rather than treating them separately.

Guided versus independent hiking: how to decide

Not every route on this page needs the same answer to “should I book a guide.” For Cala Goloritzé and Capo Testa, independent hiking is entirely realistic for anyone with basic fitness and a downloaded map, since paths are clearer and rescue access is comparatively straightforward.

For Gorropu, Tiscali and anything deeper into the Supramonte or Gennargentu, a guide adds genuine value beyond liability comfort — local knowledge of current water levels, trail closures after rain, and shortcuts that aren’t obvious from a map. For the Selvaggio Blu and Tavolara’s via ferrata, a licensed guide isn’t optional. If budget is a constraint, spend it on the routes where a guide adds the most safety margin rather than spreading a small guide budget thinly across an entire trip.

Frequently asked questions about hiking in Sardinia

Do I need a guide to hike in Sardinia?

Legally required for the Selvaggio Blu and Tavolara’s via ferrata; strongly advised rather than mandatory for Gorropu, Tiscali and Cala Goloritzé, where unmarked terrain and heat risk make local knowledge genuinely useful even for experienced hikers.

What’s the best month for hiking in Sardinia?

May, June, September and October — warm enough to be pleasant, cool enough that an exposed midday climb isn’t dangerous. See best time to visit Sardinia for the full seasonal breakdown.

Is the hike to Cala Goloritzé hard?

Moderate-to-hard: around 2 hours down and up to 3 hours back on a rocky path with a genuine 300m elevation change, no shade, and a paid permit required. Full detail in our dedicated guide.

Can beginners hike in the Gennargentu?

The main routes toward Punta La Marmora from Fonni or Aritzo are graded moderate and walkable without technical skill, though altitude and weather changes deserve respect. See Punta La Marmora and the Gennargentu for route options by fitness level.

Are there hiking itineraries that combine several of these routes?

Yes — our 7-day Sardinia hiking itinerary sequences several of the routes on this page into a single trip without excessive driving between them.

What should I pack for a day hike in Sardinia?

Trail shoes with ankle support, 2 litres of water minimum, a hat, reef-safe sunscreen, and a paper map or downloaded offline route — signal is unreliable on Supramonte and Gennargentu trails. Full list in our Sardinia packing list.

Is canyoning the same as hiking in Sardinia’s gorges?

No — canyoning involves abseiling, jumping and swimming down a gorge, using ropes and wetsuits, while the hikes on this page follow existing paths on foot. See canyoning in Sardinia if that’s what you’re after.