Hiking in Sardinia: The Best Hikes You Have To Experience

Read on to learn what you need to know about hiking in Sardinia.

Sardinia is a wonder of nature. The island has plenty of azure waters, lush vegetation, and beautiful archeological parks. Aside from those, it also has pristine mountains with a variety of spectacular trails. They range from gentle valleys and rolling hills to coastal limestone cliffs and steep mountain ranges.

These treks provide views that are out of this world! Coastal trails offer breathtaking scenery of the sea, while inland hikes lead you from magnificent forests to the tops of unspoiled mountains. In this article, I will help you find the ones that are perfect for you. 

To do that, I surveyed tons of trails in Sardinia. After hours of research, I found these 9 to be the most incredible hiking trails on the island. These choices assure you of great adventures and marvelous views.

I categorized the hikes by area for an easier guide. Without further ado, here are the best places for hiking in Sardinia.

Incredible Hiking Trails in Sardinia

The 9 Best Trails for Hiking in Sardinia

1. Selvaggio Blu — Best Long-Distance Hike and Rock Climbing

The Selvaggio Blu (meaning “Wild Blue”) is often considered the most challenging trek in Italy. One needs to have a mountaineering experience to climb this narrow and rocky trek. 

Located in Sardinia’s Baunei region, Selvaggio Blu is off the beaten track. This wild and inaccessible yet picturesque trail is far from human settlements. It covers 45 kilometers of the Golfo di Orose (Gulf of Orosei) on the island’s east coast. 

Hiking the Selvaggio Blu is not for the fainthearted. This coastal trekking route demands stretches of rappelling and rock climbing. It also involves passing through imposing ravines, forests, and creeks. Aside from being a tough hike, it’s also a long-distance trek. It may take up to 7 days to complete and is not advisable for solo hikers. You’ll be needing food, water, and navigation. 

It may be difficult, but it’ll all be worth it once you see the marvelous cobalt sea from the top.

The Best Hiking Trails in South Sardinia

2. Masua Pan di Zucchero to Cala Domestica

The next trek is another arduous hike, but also the most spectacular on Sardinia’s west coast. The Masua Pan di Zucchero to Cala Domestica trail is a 12 kilometer-long path along the Sulcis Iglesiente coast. It’s a very narrow trail. In fact, some points can be as narrow as 50 centimeters only!

The trek starts from Masua Pan di Zucchero, a stunning beach one and a half hour away from Sardinia’s capital city Cagliari. It’s a spot ideal for surfing and has deep blue waters and white limestones. The trail ends at a cove called Cala Domestica, which looks like a fjord.

Expect to walk through narrow paths, thick Mediterranean scrubs, and steep cliffs. If you’re a beginner hiker, you might find this trek very difficult. Given that it’s one of Sardinia’s most challenging trails, it’s advisable to join a guided tour and bring plenty of water.

Cala Domestica has an 18th-century Spanish lighthouse you can also walk to. It served as a watchtower during World War II as well. The tower offers tremendous views of the emerald green sea, dunes, and what’s left of an old mining railway. 

Speaking of mining, the area of Masua to Cala Domestica has a history of mineral mining. There are tons of old mines in the area that you can visit, too.

3. Is Cannoneris Forest Trail

If you’re looking for a less challenging hike, then Is Cannoneris is the place to be. This trail is one of the easiest treks in Sardinia. You can traverse this path on the main road with trekking trail signs. Thanks to its abundance of shade, it’s also an ideal relief from a hot sunny day. 

The Is Cannoneris Forest Trail is one of Europe’s oldest and largest holm oak forests. This protected area features lush vegetation, from ancient oak trees and conifers to eucalyptus and pine trees. It’s also home to an array of wildlife species. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a herd of goats, Sardinian deers, or wild boars along your walk. 

If you want to add a challenge to your trek, you can climb up the top of the mountain. This additional 4-kilometer hike leads you to the 979-meter summit of Punta Sebera. 

The Best Hiking Trails in Central Sardinia

4. Gorroppu Gorge

Gola Su Gorropu is a marvelous gorge that’s dubbed as “Europe’s Grand Canyon”. It is also Lonely Planet’s top choice canyon in the Supramonte mountain range.

A 500-meter limestone wall surrounds this isolated canyon. The Gorropu Gorge is accessible on foot from the beautiful Genna ‘e Silana pass. This 8-kilometer trail takes around 2 hours to hike and another 2 to 4 hours to return to the trailhead. 

An easier path is via the Sa Barva bridge, a trail 15 kilometers outside of Dorgali. It will take around 2 hours to walk along the Rio Flumineddu stream to reach the mouth of the canyon and around 4 hours to hike back out.

If you want a bird’s-eye view of the gorge, you can take a 6-kilometer trail to Punta Cucuttos. It will take around 3 hours to climb up and down the mountain.

5. Cala Gonone

Cala Gonone is a paradise for hikers and beach lovers alike. This small and quaint seaside town in the middle of the Gulf of Orosei has trails that zigzag emerald ravines towards white sand beaches and cobalt blue waters. It is the entry point to Sardinia’s rugged, cliff-lined east coast.

If you want to see two of the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia, visit Cala Luna and Cala Goloritze. Trips by sea to these beaches depart daily from Cala Gonone. But if you want to get there on foot, you can also hike.

The trailhead to Cala Luna is in Cala Fuili, a small cove near Cala Gonone. It can be quite a difficult trek with some uneven terrain and plenty of ups and downs. But you’ll be rewarded with stunning scenery once you reach the beach.

Cala Goloritze is another hike that offers breathtaking scenery. The downhill path to the beach is easy, but going back up can be quite challenging. It will take about 2 to 3 hours for a round-trip hike.

6. Mount Tiscali

Mount Tiscali is a 500-meter tall mountain in Lanaiuttu valley. You’ll be hiking through a challenging path to reach the Tiscali Dolina cave. The cave’s vault that plunged used to be where the ancient Nuragic village of Tiscali stood. One can still see the remnants of the village and its huts.

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7. Oasi Bidderosa

Oasi Bidderosa Natural Park (Bidderosa Oasis) is only open from May to October. Although the park only allows a restricted number of cars per day, there is no limit to the number of visitors they welcome. I advise you to reserve your admission in advance on their website. Also, bring your own food and lots of water. There is only one kiosk in the park (kiosk # 3) that sells refreshments.

The Bidderosa Oasis has 5 gorgeous coves, each with an entrance fee. Several trails connect to these coves.

The Best Hiking Trails in North Sardinia

8. Punta Giglio

Located inside the Parco Regionale di Porto Conte (Porto Conte Regional Park), Punta Giglio can be reached via 5 different well-marked and well-defined trails. You can choose which path you want to take — ones that are easy, ones that are quite difficult, one with a historic military site, or one with more views of the natural surroundings. Each trail will roughly take about an hour and a half. 

Aside from hiking, the regional park is also a great area for running and off-road biking.

9. Asinara National Park

Asinara is a tiny remote island on the northern tip of Sardinia. It’s so small; you can visit the entire island in just a few days! This rural island is full of wild flora and fauna, though. 

Asinara has been a leper colony and a prison before it was made into a national park in 1997. Asinara National Park is a highly protected area with plenty of hiking and biking trails. Some of the most popular hiking trails are the 11-kilometer Granite Path, the popular Water Path, the historic Path of Memory, the White Donkey Trail, the 3-kilometer Path of Castellaccio, the Holm-Oak Path, and the longest Lighthouse Path.