Day 1 · Fri 30 OctUp the Baunei coast: Pedra Longa, Golgo and Cala Goloritzé

Step by step

1. 07:201Arrive

   Land at Cagliari Elmas and pick up both cars

   Hand luggage only, so you can be at the rental desks in the arrivals hall within 15 minutes. Aim to drive off at about 08:00. Zain takes his own car, because he drives home from the Gorropu trailhead tomorrow.

   Target: driving by 08:00
2. 08:00Drive

   Airport → Conad Superstore, Quartu

   15 km · 25 min

   SS554

   1. Leave the airport following the signs for Cagliari / SS554 / Quartu – Villasimius – Tortolì.
   2. The SS554 is Cagliari’s eastern ring road: four lanes, but with junctions and traffic lights. Keep to the posted limit.
   3. Near its eastern end, turn off for Quartu Sant’Elena. The Conad is on Viale Marconi, about 2–3 km off the SS554. Let Google Maps take you the last bit.

   PConad Superstore car park

   A large outdoor car park in front of the store. The store is open every day 08:00–21:00 (Conad’s own page). Tel +39 070 828 1520.

   Cost: Free

   Navigate here ↗Pin39.24848, 9.19498

3. 08:252Shop

   Picnic shopping, 20 minutes

   Buy today’s lunch, snacks, 4–5 litres of water and breakfast for tomorrow. You can shop again in Dorgali or Cala Gonone on Saturday. Sunday is a public holiday.

   Backup next door: EuroSpin (Mon–Sat 08:30–20:30). Or MD Quartucciu on Via Mandas, on the way back to the SS554 (daily 08:00–21:00; hours from OpenStreetMap, not confirmed).

4. 08:50Drive

   Quartu → Pedra Longa

   132 km · 2 h 15

   SS554SS125 (new)SS125varSS125

   1. Rejoin the SS554 eastbound. It runs straight on into the new SS125, a fast dual carriageway past Maracalagonis and San Priamo. Follow Tortolì / Muravera.
   2. It continues as the SS125var past Muravera and Villaputzu. Around Tertenia there are short stretches on the old SS125, where the signs for Tortolì keep you on track.
   3. At Tortolì keep following the SS125 north, signed Lotzorai / Baunei / Nuoro. Ignore the turn for Arbatax unless you’re doing Rocce Rosse (see the note below).
   4. After Lotzorai and Santa Maria Navarrese the road starts to climb towards Baunei. About 1.2 km before the Baunei petrol station, turn right at the “Pedra Longa” sign (40.01837, 9.67821).
   5. A narrow, steep paved road drops 3.7 km to the sea. Go slowly on the blind bends.

   Optional: Rocce Rosse at Arbatax

   Only if you’re past Muravera by about 09:45. In Tortolì follow “Arbatax / Porto”. The red porphyry rocks (39.93920, 9.71019) are a few minutes’ walk east of the port, opposite the Trenino Verde station. Park at the port-side car park (39.94046, 9.70730). It adds 30–40 min. Without it you reach the Goloritzé trailhead at about noon; with it, nearer 12:40.

   PPedra Longa, end of the road

   A small free car park by the Pedralonga restaurant, with roadside spaces just before it (40.02747, 9.70458). It may be closed for the season.

   Cost: Free

   Navigate here ↗Pin40.02691, 9.70553

5. 11:053Stop

   Pedra Longa

   A 128 m limestone needle standing in the sea. Walk the 150 m from the car park to its foot along the rocks. This is also where the Selvaggio Blu, Sardinia’s hardest coastal trek, starts. Stay 15–20 minutes, then move on: the trailhead is the priority.

   15–20 min

   

6. 11:25Drive

   Pedra Longa → Golgo plateau, Su Porteddu

   15 km · 40 min

   SS125Via San Pietro

   1. Drive back up to the SS125 and turn right towards Baunei.
   2. Fill up at the Api-IP at the south entrance of Baunei (40.02624, 9.66857). It’s the last fuel before Dorgali.
   3. In the village, turn right into Via Dante Alighieri (40.03234, 9.66261), then sharp right into Via San Pietro, just after the San Nicola church. Signs say Golgo / San Pietro / Goloritzé.
   4. The first 2 km are very steep, with tight hairpins between houses: first gear and patience. Then about 8 km of hairpins climb onto the plateau.
   5. On the plateau, expect goats, pigs and cows on the road.
   6. At the end of the tarmac, near Ristorante Golgo (40.08019, 9.66614), follow Su Porteddu / Goloritzé / Voragine onto a dirt track for about 1–1.5 km. It’s fine in a small car if you go slowly.

   PSu Porteddu car park (Goloritzé trailhead)

   An unpaved car park next to the Su Porteddu bar and the warden’s kiosk. Show the QR code at the kiosk. Older guides say the €7 ticket covers parking; the official page doesn’t say.

   Cost: Probably in the €7 ticket

   Navigate here ↗Pin40.08314, 9.67831

7. 12:054Hike

   Hike to Cala Goloritzé

   An old mule track drops down the Bacu Goloritzé gorge to a pebble beach, with the 143 m Aguglia spire and a natural arch at the southern end. One of the most famous views in the Mediterranean, and in late October you’ll share it with only a handful of people.

   The trail, step by step

   Distance3.5 km each way

   Height≈ 500 m down, then up

   Time1 h 15 down · 2 h up

   GradeCAI E (hiking)

   WaterNone, carry 2 L each

   1. 12:10At the warden’s kiosk, the QR code is checked. Go through the gate on the right. The path is clear and well walked.
   2. 12:25A gentle climb through scrub to a coastal viewpoint (≈ 0.95 km, 455 m), the high point. From here it’s downhill.
   3. 12:40Open heath, then a shelter cave on the right and a valley floor of old holm oaks. At ≈ 1.4 km (355 m) you pass caves used as shelters by shepherds: the old cuile (sheepfold).
   4. 13:00Walk under the cliffs and under a rock arch. Ignore the steep path climbing off to the left.
   5. 13:15The Aguglia comes into view. At the signpost near the bottom, left goes straight to the beach and right takes a slightly longer arc with the view of the spire and bay from above. Take the right on the way down and the left on the way up.
   6. 13:25Steps with wooden handrails lead past a picnic spot under a rock shelter onto the beach.
   7. 13:25–14:45Picnic, swim, photos. Don’t sit under the cliffs (rockfall). Boats must stay 300 m offshore, so the beach is quiet.
   8. 14:45Leave the beach, at the latest. It’s uphill almost all the way. The steepest part is the last 2 km, about 450 m of climbing.
   9. 16:45Back at Su Porteddu. Coffee at the bar if it’s open.

   Trail hours: in by 13:00, off the beach by 16:00

   The live booking page (checked 26 Oct) says the trail opens at 07:30 and closes to new walkers at 13:00 (the afternoon ticket allows entry 12:00–13:30), and you may stay on the beach until 16:00. Arriving at noon works, but there is no slack: Pedra Longa is the first thing to drop. When you show your ticket, ask the warden what time you must be off the beach and follow that.

   7 km return+/− 500 m3 h 15 walkingBooked ticket required

   

8. 16:505Stop

   Su Sterru and the Piscinas, at sunset

   Five minutes from the car park (drive 800 m back towards the tarmac, or walk). Su Sterru (40.08294, 9.67363) is a near-perfect shaft 270 m deep in the limestone. Look from the rim and stay well back from the edge. 200 m away are the Piscinas (40.08146, 9.67367), basalt pools that hold water all year. Sunset on the plateau is at 17:21.

   If you have 10 more minutes, the little church of San Pietro di Golgo (40.09075, 9.66787) is just up the plateau road.

   PSu Sterru car park

   Free, room for about 10 cars, with a picnic area next to it.

   Cost: Free

   Navigate here ↗Pin40.08081, 9.67356

   

9. 17:15Drive

   Golgo → Cala Gonone

   62 km · 1 h 35 (dark)

   Via San PietroSS125SP26

   1. Back down the Via San Pietro hairpins to Baunei, slowly, with animals on the road.
   2. Turn right (north) onto the SS125 Orientale Sarda, signed Nuoro / Dorgali. It’s 27 km to the Genna Silana pass (1,017 m), with endless bends but good tarmac and almost no traffic. There is no fuel on this stretch. Cloud or fog on the pass is common in autumn: dipped headlights and 40–50 km/h.
   3. From the pass it’s about 18 km down towards Dorgali. You’ll drive this road again in daylight tomorrow morning.
   4. At the T-junction south of Dorgali (40.27562, 9.59225), turn right onto the SP26, signed Cala Gonone. It goes through the Monte Bardia tunnel to a roundabout, then down the hairpins into Cala Gonone.

   Night driving

   Goats, sheep, cattle, horses and wild boar step out without warning on the SS125. Keep it slow on blind bends and use high beam when the road is clear. If you’re running late, it’s better to arrive at 19:30 than to rush.

10. 18:506Arrive

    Cala Gonone: check in

    Unpack, shower, dinner. Most of Cala Gonone is closed for the winter, so phone first. Pizzeria Zio Pedrillo (Via Vasco da Gama 2, +39 0784 93761, Wed–Mon from 18:30; OpenStreetMap hours, season not confirmed). Or cook: the Despar on Viale Bue Marino is open 07:00–20:30.

    

If things change

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