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 Sardinia
is full of natural beauty and a mixture
of Italian and Spanish cultures. Walking from the black mountains
of Montiferru to the sea and the Sinis wetlands you will discover
beaches, bays, headlands, ancient ruins and historical sites along
the way. This is a gentle self-guided
point to point hotel based walk embracing
the wild and romantic beauty of Western Sardinia, through areas of
scented Mediterranean maquis, crossing a wide variety of
terrain. The
Sinis is a nature reserve home to thousands of pink flamingos and
a wealth of other birdlife especially in the spring. On
the walks you are rewarded with some dramatic views and
opportunities to explore highlands, lowlands and coastlines. The
route is very quiet - far removed from the busy resorts, the
terrain is rugged in parts, with cliffs on the coast, interspersed
with white sand beaches, grass covered dunes and panoramas
embracing the coast and seaside blues. To aid your
enjoyment we have found some very charming accommodation.
We
start with a couple of nights high in the Montiferru mountains, famous for the
clear spring water and
local ‘red’ beef. Our base is amongst the centuries old narrow
streets of Santulussurgiu, which wrap around the head of the
valley and descend the steep hillside. A short day walk takes you to the springs of S. Leonardo
where you can ‘take the waters’. Walk back to our rather special
accommodation and dining in Santulussurgiu where the date above
the door reads 1837, the date of renovation not construction. The
longest day walk takes you all the way from the top of the
mountains to the coast; it is all downhill and on good tracks.
This is a day of sweeping views and a sense of accomplishment as
you arrive at your hotel overlooking the bay of Santa Caterina di
Pittinuri where you can sit by the pool and watch the sunset turn the limestone cliffs to shades of yellow
and pink. There is a free morning in Santa Caterina for relaxing
by the pool or on the beach or you can
walk to the neighbouring village/beach at S’Archittu and perhaps
swim through the rock arch. At midday you are transported to the
edge of the ‘Is Arenas’ forest to start walking past the ‘Is
Benas’ lagoon. A beautiful cliff top walk
leads us to the beach of Su Pallosu and on to the cliffs leading
to ‘Capo Mannu’, the lighthouse and ancient Spanish
watchtowers and stroll into Putzu Idu.
A
short transfer to the cliffs at Su Tingiosu home to plenty of bird
life in the spring, especially where the cliffs end at the
beautiful quartz beaches of ‘Is Aruttas’ and ‘Mari Ermi’. There are plenty of beach front cafes along this stretch for
refreshments before heading inland, crossing low hills of arable
land, to arrive in San Salvatore Sinis, a village populated
for just one week a year for a religious festival. A nearby hotel with a fine restaurant is
home for two nights and our starting point for a loop to the
ancient ruins of Tharros and Capo S. Marco. Not far to walk but
much of interest along the way including the ancient Basilica
Paleocristiana di San Giovanni di Sinis V Secolo, a church dating
back to 470AD, and a choice of restaurants for a nice lunch. The
site of Tharross has evidence of occupation from the 8th century
BC through to the 10th century AD, by Phoenicians, Punics and
Romans.
The walk round Capo S. Marco passes some small secluded beaches,
old watch towers, cliffs and a lighthouse before ending on a
larger sandy beach.
From
San Salvatore we walk to Cabras, the main town in the Sinis. The
route crosses artichoke fields, vineyards,
olive groves and the Cabras Lagoon, famous for the grey mullets
and its ‘Bottarga’, the cured mullet roe. The natural reserve
is rich in birdlife. In the afternoon you can walk a loop from
Cabras cross the ‘Pauli ‘e Sali’ swamp, a protected area
where an immense number of birds usually nest. Cabras is a small town with an attractive compact
centre with bars and restaurants for your last meal of the trip.
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Season
The
basic price of this holiday is based on starting on any Saturday from 1st
of January to 28th of June and from 8th of September to 31st December.
It is possible to start on any other day during this period but there is
a supplement to pay of £45 per person.
Level
of Difficulty
This
tour is graded Easy – Moderate. The terrain is generally easy being on
tracks and good footpaths with walking times of between 3 and 6 hours
per day. The longest day is mainly downhill on tracks and back roads.
There is a little flexibility on a few days to adjust the distance
walked.
There
is no waymarking and the maps are not as clear as Ordinance Survey maps
but the maps provided when used with the detailed route notes supplied
make route finding quite easy.
Maps
& Route Notes
We
provide detailed route notes and highlighted maps of all the suggested
walks.
General
Information
Hotels:
The
hotels described are our usual choice of accommodation, however if these
are not available then alternatives are used and if these are of a
different standard you will be informed at the time of booking.
Baths/showers:
Many rooms with ensuite/private facilities have a shower rather than a
bath, usually because of limited space.
Breakfast:
in Sardinia is usually a cold buffet arrangement, with a selection of
coffee/tea and patries/ cake/ biscuits/ bread, jams, hams, cheeses, eggs,
yoghurts and fruits.
Special
Dietary Requirements: It is important for
you to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when you book your
holiday so that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Single
Supplements: are
payable on most of our tours. The
single supplement guarantees the privacy of your own room, however, rooms
can at times be small and in some places may not enjoy the same facilities
as double/twin rooms.
Solo
Traveller Supplements:
are payable when the cost
per bag of moving luggage increases.
Language:
When travelling in less frequented
areas you will not necessarily come across people speaking English.
Remember you are experiencing a different culture, buy a phrase book and
try to learn a little of the local language!
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes your
luggage will have been taken to your room awaiting your arrival. However
don’t be surprised if your luggage is waiting for you to take it up to
your room. Please politely ask someone if you need assistance.
Route
Notes: Please note that one set of
route notes per room booked is included in the cost of the holiday. If you
require more sets of notes then there is a charge of £25 per set ordered.
Insurance:
All clients must have appropriate cover for the activities included
for the duration of our trip.
Accommodation
Note that the descriptions
of overnight stops and the itinerary is the usual schedule of the
holiday, however we do need occasionally need to change places that we
use when our chosen hotels are full. This is particularly the case with
“late” bookings.
We believe that the accommodation is a very important factor of a hiking
tour, therefore we take the greatest care in carefully selecting small
family-run 3* hotels and country lodges with excellent regional cuisine.
In these places we hope it will feel like home.
The following properties have been selected for this tour (confirmation
in these places is subject to availability).
Nights
1 & 2: Santulussurgiu
In
this sleepy little town in the mountains, we stay in a 3* 17th century
mansion of Spanish design. All the rooms are
tastefully decorated in traditional style reflecting something of the
history of the place. There is a quiet courtyard inside the huge wooden
gates that form the entrance. The dinning area is in vaulted rooms on
the ground floor and the food provided is of excellent quality. The
proprietor here is a key member of the ‘slow food’ movement, which
promotes the production of traditional foods in traditional ways.
Night
3: Santa Caterina di Pittinuri
Our
nice 4* hotel is located right on the coast on a cliff at the edge of
the beach. The hotel has a swimming pool, pleasant rooms and an
excellent restaurant overlooking the sea. The location is quiet, the
village small with just one small shop, a couple of bars and a tabacci.
Night 4:
Putzu Idu
The
3* hotel is located as close as you can get to the white sand beach and
offers beautiful views.
Nights
5 & 6: San Salvatore Sinis
Here
we stay in a charming 3* countryside complex located near San Salvatore
Sinis, a tiny village in the heartland of the Sinis peninsula. Its
U-shape layout resembles that of a Spanish hacienda with 14 lovely
decorated rooms surrounding a flourishing garden in the central
courtyard. The hotel has a restaurant and comfortable living room.
Night 7:
Cabras
Here
we stay in an old villa, now a charming 3* hotel. This lovely property
is located in a restored house in the centre of the town of Cabras, in
the Sinis wetlands. Under the same management, the nearby restaurant
‘Il Caminetto’ is renowned among locals for its traditional fish
cuisine but you might want to phone ahead to make a reservation.
Included
6
nights accommodation in 3* and 1 night in a 4* hotel. Bed & breakfast
(usually continental buffet style). Baggage transport between
accommodation and taxi transfers on 3 days to the start of the walk. Route
notes and maps.
Not included
Local
transport arrangements on arrival and departure, all lunches and dinners
personal expenditure such as drinks and admission into museums and
archaeological sites.
Flights
British
Airways flights from
London Gatwick direct to Cagliari can be arranged through Sherpa. OR
There are low cost airlines that you can book on the internet yourself
e.g: Easyjet fly daily from
Luton/Stansted to Cagliari.
Ryanair fly daily to Alghero.
As
Alghero is nearer the start and Cagliari is nearer the finish, you may
want to fly in with Ryanair and back with Easyjet, although bear in mind
that your return airport in the UK will be different to your outbound one!
Public transport connections are better to and from Cagliari.
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On
Arrival
The starting
point of the tour is the town of Santulussurgiu. There are shuttle buses
from the airports to bus/train stations and buses/trains on to
Santulussurgiu but it is a limited service as below.
From Cagliari
airport
Taxi or shuttle
bus to Piazza Matteotti (central bus and train stations), services every
30mins
Then train to
Oristano: Several daily departures 10.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.04, 15.00,
16.00, 16.40, 17.00, 17.40, 18.30, 19.00, 19.30, 20.37. It takes from 60
to 100mins depending on the service. Please check www.trenitalia.com for
the updated timetable.
Alternatively,
two daily bus services run by Logudoro Tours (www.logudorotours.it) to
Oristano
Cagliari 04:45 > Oristano 06:00 – daily
Cagliari 15:00 > Oristano 16:15 – daily
Then bus to
Santulussurgiu run by ARST (www.arst.sardegna.it),
the regional bus company
Departures (Monday to Saturday) at:
Oristano 10:10 > Santulussurgiu 11:17
Oristano 12:40 > Santulussurgiu 13:29
Oristano 13:30 > Santulussurgiu 14:19
Oristano 14:05 > Santulussurgiu 14:53
Oristano 17:15 > Santulussurgiu 18:22
Oristano 19:15 > Santulussurgiu 20:22
No services on Sundays
From Alghero
airport
Two daily bus
services run by Logudoro Tours (www.logudorotours.it) to Oristano
Alghero Airport 10:30 > Oristano 12:40 – daily service
Alghero Airport 21:00 > Oristano 23:10 – daily service
From Oristano to
Santulussurgiu, services run by ARST (www.arst.sardegna.it),
see above.
To Cagliari
airport
From Cabras to
Oristano bus services run by ARST (www.arst.sardegna.it),
the regional bus company. Travelling time: 15mins
Daily departures at: 11:05, 15:35, 19:50
Departures (Monday to Saturday) at: 06:30, 07:30, 07:40, 08:20, 08:40,
09:35, 10:20, 12:35, 13:20, 14:05, 14:45, 17:02, 17:35, 18:30, 20:15
Departures (Sundays only) at: 08:55, 13:30
Then train to
Cagliari: Several daily departures 06:00, 06:42, 07:53, 08:52, 09:15,
10:36, 12:12, 14:13, 14:49, 16:27, 16:54, 18:27, 19:14, 20:32, 21:23. It
takes from 60 to 100mins depending on the service. Please check
www.trenitalia.com for the updated timetable
From Cagliari
Piazza Matteotti (central bus and train stations), taxi or shuttle bus to
the airport services every 30mins.
To
Alghero airport
Buses also run
from Cabras (tour end) to connect with shuttle buses to the airport via
Oristano, again a limited service as below.
Buses to
Oristano as above.
From Oristano
two daily bus services run by Logudoro Tours (www.logudorotours.it) to
Alghero airport
Oristano 06:00
> Alghero airport 08:15 – daily
Oristano 16:15
> Alghero airport 18:30 – daily
Private
Taxi Transfers
We
can arrange a dedicated transfer between airport(s) and hotels. This
private transport must be arranged in advance:
Transfer
rates per person (min. 2 persons):
Cagliari
- Santulussurgiu: E 70
Cabras
- Cagliari: E 60
Alghero
– Santulussurgiu: E 65
Cabras
– Alghero: E 80
Itinerary
Day 1:
Arrival
at our hotel in Santulussurgiu.
Day
2: Santulussurgiu
/ San Leonardo Circuit (12 km).
A short walk to start the holiday so have a relaxing breakfast before
setting out but beware it is not all plain sailing with 300m of ascent
along the way. A mix of road walking and agricultural tracks take you up
to San Leonardo with sweeping views on the way. Spend a little time
looking around this village, the church and springs are interesting and
Sunday is market day. There are numerous places to get a drink and
something to eat. Another mix of road walking, tracks and paths will get
you back to Santulussurgiu. You will have time to divert to the viewpoint
above the town where a statue of Christ overlooks the village and to walk
down through the maze of narrow streets to look at the churches and find
the bar at the center of the village for well-earned refreshment.
Day
3: Santulussurgiu
– Santa Caterina di Pittinuri (22 km).
First hop into a taxi for a short ride to the top of the mountain and the
start of the walk. The route descends from the Montiferru Moutains, to
Santa Caterina di Pittinuri located on the coast. The route initially
traverses the high ground with views down to the coast then descends to
the coastal plain. Most of the way is on good tracks with gentle gradients
passing through oak forests, olive groves and quiet pastures. The last
hour is on level minor roads taking you to the quiet bay at Santa Caterina.
Day
4:
Santa
Caterina di Pittinuri – Putzu
Idu (16 km). Free
time in the morning as the taxi to take you to the start of the walk
doesn’t arrive until midday. You can relax by the pool or on the beach
but if you want to walk you can take the footpath to the village of
S’Archittu (which owes its name to the popular natural arch along the
nearby coast), one hour each way. Walking starts in the afternoon and
we soon find the Is Benas lagoon, home to a large
colony of Grey Herons and Pink Flamingos in season. A beautiful track
winds along the cliffs leading to the
beach of Su Pallosu.
This
only takes 2 or 3 hours so walk onwards to complete a route around Capo
Mannu. This takes you along more cliff tops to
the lighthouse and the ancient Spanish
watchtowers to Putzu Idu, a village located on a stretch of coast
often frequented by sailors and surfers.
Day
5:
Putzu
Idu – San Salvatore Sinis (18 km)
The
day starts with a short taxi transfer to the start of the limestone cliffs
of Su Tingiosu, which stretch for 6 km and provide habitat for many birds.
The cliffs end in the beautiful quartz beaches of Is Aruttas and Mari Ermi
where rice-sized grains of quartz form the white beaches. Finally head
inland, crossing artichoke and wheat fields to arrive in San Salvatore
Sinis, famous for its church erected over a Roman hypogeum – or
underground temple. The village is unpopulated apart from one week when a
religious festival brings the place to life.
Day
6: Tharros
and Capo S. Marco (15 km)
A
day trip walking across fields and by the side of the lagoon to San
Giovanni, then on to the site of Tharros and the narrow peninsular of Capo
S. Marco. A leisurely hours walk takes you from the hotel to the ancient Basilica
Paleocristiana di San Giovanni di Sinis V Secolo, a church dating back to
470AD. Here you join the main tourist track to the site of Tharros an
interesting site dating back to the 8th century BC but most dominant are
the Roman remains. An hour here and a stop in the café will set you right
for a loop around the Capo S Marco using the smaller footpaths that skirt
the coastline. Pass the watchtower before walking along the beach and back
to the cafes and restaurants of San Giovani. You can spend the rest of the
afternoon relaxing on the beach, walking further along the coast or just
head back (by the same path used in the morning) to the hotel.
Day
7: San
Salvatore Sinis – Cabras (10 km) and bird watching from Cabras
A
morning walk leads you out of San Salvatore to Cabras, the main town of
the Sinis. During the itinerary you walk along artichoke fields, Vernaccia grape
vineyards, olive groves and past the Cabras
Lagoon, the largest in the area, famous for the grey mullets and above
all its Bottarga, the cured roe
of mullet. Don’t miss the fresh fish, the Bottarga and the Vernaccia
wine, you could even try them for lunch! However if you are passionate
about birdwatching don’t spend too long over lunch, as today is your
day! Take the optional afternoon walk crossing the swamp of Pauli ‘e
Sali, a protected area where an immense number of birds (some are very
rare) usually nest. Sheltered by the canes you can take beautiful pictures
without disturbing them.
Day
8: Departure day
Tour ends after
breakfast.
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